Bourne Elsea Park Church Of England Primary Academy
Striving For Excellence, Caring For All In a Loving And Caring Christian Environment.
The future continues to be green!
We have been awarded with our third coveted Eco-Schools Green Flag Award. Since achieving our two green flags in December 2018 and December 2020, both the children and staff have continued their Eco-Schools projects to continue to make a difference to the environment and surrounding community.
Pupil involvement has continued to be a key part of the journey, with children from each making up the Eco Warriors. After completing a new environmental review, they decided on three areas they wanted to improve: Transport, Litter and Healthy Living. They worked together to create an action plan which outlined their actions and next steps. The Eco Warriors led assemblies and held class meetings to inform the whole school about their work, any campaigns and upcoming projects.
Throughout the last two years the school has continued to make links with several organisations such as Anglian Water, EDF Energy’s The Pod, Empties Please, Big Battery Hunt, Big Bug Hunt, RSPB Bird Watch, Living Streets, Inspire+ and Roots to Food.
Children in school completed litter picks within the local community and this inspired children to complete their own litter picks at home with their parents and carers. The Eco Warrior’s aim was to promote active and sustainable travel. Through their walk to school week, taking part in the Big Walk and Wheel and using Travel Tracker they have seen a decrease of in journeys to school by vehicles.
Additionally, the Eco Warriors wanted to promote healthy living in school, through cooking workshops, a mass participation event and visits from Olympians and Paralympians they helped to raise the profile of healthy living within school. They also enjoyed helping the Elsea Park Community Trust with Mr Giddings planting trees for the Queen’s Green Canopy.
Obtaining our third Green Flag award is something that the whole school and its surrounding community can be proud of. Each pupil has the knowledge that their actions can change their local environment for the better and they can be Agents of Change. It has been a fantastic initiative for all involved, however it is by no means over, as the greater challenge is to maintain what we have achieved so far and look towards ways of improving even further.
Being an Eco School has helped to raise environmental awareness, create community links, improve the environment and become more sustainable. But most importantly it has empowered our pupils to lead change within our school and gives them a voice. It has helped them to see their responsibility to the environment. We are looking forward to our ever-increasing Eco projects over the next year. We would like to say a massive thank you to our parents and carers for their continuous support with our projects and campaigns over the last two and a half years.
We are always grateful for support and advice from members of our community and in return the children spread the word of being an Eco School. If anyone feels that they can offer advice, support, equipment or practical help for a ‘one off’ project or on a longer term the children would welcome any enquiries by email on enquiries@elseaparkacademy.lincs.sch.uk
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