Eco School Awards

Leaden Hall School is proud to be an Eco School (the Government’s official awarding body).   Since 2004 we have been teaching and encouraging our children, parents and staff to consider sustainability in all aspects of their lives.  We achieved our first Green Flag from Eco Schools in 2008, our second in 2010 and are now hoping we will again be awarded our third flag early in 2012.  In 2009 we were awarded the DCSF Teaching Award for Sustainable Schools in the South of England.   Reapplying for a Green Flag every two years ensures we keep on our toes because being ‘sustainable’ isn’t just ticking a box; it is a constant effort in our daily lives within our school and the wider community. 

What does it mean?
Being a sustainable school means that our children look after their environment, whether it is their classroom, the garden, what they eat or how they relate to their world.   Picking up litter in itself is no big deal, but caring that your living space is the best it can be is a big deal.   It depends on whether you feel that responsibility, both personal and shared, is important.  We do.   We believe our children should be free to make their choices, but with freedom comes responsibility so we encourage them to freely make the right choices, respecting themselves and all around them.   In this disturbing time when we have experienced rioting in our cities, we want our young people to be able to explain and encourage others to think better of themselves.

Who does it involve?
In 2004, with the invaluable help of Eco Schools and the Wiltshire Wildlife teams we asked our Gifted and Talented children to roll out a programme for children and staff to lead towards our first award.    It was a steep learning curve involving classroom maintenance, lesson planning and outdoor learning.   What we discovered was that our catering, housekeeping and garden maintenance departments were already recycling and running as sustainably as possible and without their help we could not have become an Eco School.   Now, looking forward to a third flag, our eco systems are up and running involving every person in the school.   Where appropriate we use sustainability issues for all aspects of our teaching and learning, we grow or source our home cooked food locally – enticing our girls to appreciate new tastes, we encourage our parents to use our travel plan and use their electricity/gas/water carefully.   Global participation for us means anyone outside the school, so we support local charities by donating our excess or outgrown clothing/items and much more.  

As an International School we set up a two year (2009-2011), Comenius programme ‘From Acorns to Eco Warriors’ with schools in France, Cyprus, Sardinia and Poland giving monthly focus to our eco challenges.   We learned that we all have the desire to guard and respect our resources.

We live in a shared world; we borrow it from our ancestors and we lend it to our children.    It is our responsibility to respect our beautiful planet, sharing its resources carefully and fairly.