Here at Underwood Church of England Primary School we have a committed Eco-council who meet regularly each half term. Together we discuss ways we can make our school even more eco-friendly. We have two eco-councillors from Years 1 to 6.

We are proud to have achieved our Bronze and Silver Eco Schools Awards.

Our Golden Dustpan Award!

Each week our Eco-councillors inspect our classroom and cloakroom areas, over the week the tidiest class win our golden dustpan and brush award! The award is presented in our weekly achievement assembly by our Eco-councillors.

The Eco Council have started to make some brilliant changes this year including:

• Introducing black recycling bins in all classrooms for plastic, metal and glass.
• Introducing a food waste bin in the staffroom.
• We have completed our environmental review.
• We are currently working on our action plan and personalised school targets.

As a school we believe it is important for our children to feel empowered to drive change and be aware of our environmental impact.

Eco within our Curriculum

As well as the work undertaken by our Eco-Councillors learning about the environment is part of our whole school curriculum, to allow all children the opportunity to learn about our environment and changes taking place in our world. This starts in the Early Years Foundation Stage where our Reception children learn about the world around them and changes that occur in the natural environment. For example, talking about the weather and plants and comparing contrasting environments to Underwood. As our children progress into Key Stage one, they learn about the local environment, seasonal changes and recycling materials as well as the impact on the environment from the invention of the car. Going into Key Stage two the children learn about plastic pollution and living things and their habitats, the impact of industrialisation during the Victoria era and the consequences of deforestation when learning about rainforests.

As the children progress through the Key Stages, they are able to gain a deeper insight into their own actions and the impact it has on the world around them. We believe by educating our children about these problems, we are providing them with the opportunities to be the change for the future.