Pupils at Bearwood Primary & Nursery School, Lilliput CE VC Infant School, Merley First School and Springdale First School are celebrating making outstanding improvements to their school’s eco-friendliness and achieving the Schools’ Environment Award.
The award is a Borough of Poole initiative that encourages school children to learn about, care for and enjoy the environment, as well as celebrate sustainable healthy living. There are six easy steps to achieve the award focusing on: natural world, waste and recycling, healthy living, transport, litter and blowing your trumpet!
All four schools made excellent progress with Bearwood and Springdale obtaining the Silver, and Lilliput and Merley obtaining the Gold Level of the Award.
Cllr Xena Dion, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for the Environment, presented the schools with an award plaque to recognise their environmental work and celebrate their achievements.
She said: “All the schools involved in the Schools’ Environment Award have made tremendous progress. This is a really worthwhile initiative and we are delighted that more schools are joining this project. It’s uplifting that children are actively taking an interest in how they can help the environment.”
Great improvements have been made to the various school environments, including regular litter surveys and picks, pond renovation, installation of composts bins and the completion of a survey to establish suitable places in the school grounds for the storage of scooters and bicycles. The children have also been busy making bird feeders and nest boxes which have resulted in nesting birds and hatched eggs to chicks.
The Schools’ Environment Award has continued to grow since its launch in 2007. In total 16 schools have achieved the award. Schools working towards this year’s award include Longfleet CE VC Primary and old Town Infant and Nursery.
If you are interested in making your school more sustainable please visit boroughofpoole.com/schoolsenvironmentaward or email environment@poole.gov.uk.
