Eco-Schools Award Scheme
Driffield School is working towards the Eco Schools Award Scheme, which is an internationally recognised environmental initiative aimed at encouraging school children to incorporate environmental projects into school life. It is funded and run by ENCAMS in the United Kingdom, and is backed by the environment agency and is part of the local agenda 21 programme.
The Eco-Schools programme provides a simple framework to enable the school to analyse its operations and become more sustainable.
The initiatives achieved at Driffield School so far include:
- An Eco schools team of student volunteers meet regularly and contribute to the many aspects of Eco schools
- A whole school environmental management scheme which includes a paper recycling scheme and a coordinated litter collection operation, which is coordinated by the groundsman, the caretakers and the house tutors.
- Print cartridge, mobile phone, battery and clothing, plastic, steel and aluminium tins, and cardboard recycling facilities.
- All the paper used for printing and photocopying is 100% recycled.
- A committee of representatives from the school, the governing body, the local community, the local council, other schools, and local government meet on a regular basis to discuss environmental issues on a local, regional and global scale.
The school currently has achieved bronze and silver status. This is outlined below.
Bronze Award
- The school has identified an Action Team, and the team has met on at least TWO occasions. The Action Team has completed an Environmental Review, formal or informal.
- The Action Team has produced a basic ‘Action Plan’ and shared this plan with the school community.
- The Action Team can identify progress towards achieving elements of the Action Plan
- The school can indicate that some environmental issues have been covered within curriculum work.
- The school has a dedicated notice-board detailing the activities being undertaken.
Silver Award
- The school has identified an Action Team, and the team has met on at least FOUR occasions.
- The team has the support of a parent and/or governor.
- The Action Team has completed a formal Environmental Review (which must at least cover the issues of waste, energy and water) and recorded the results.
- The Action Team has produced a detailed ‘Action Plan’, including timescales and targets, and shared the plan with the school community.
- The Action Team can identify progress towards achieving elements of the Action Plan.
- The school has a dedicated notice-board detailing the activities being undertaken.
- The school has informed parents and the wider community about the good work being undertaken in the school towards Eco-School status.
- The school can indicate that some environmental issues have been covered within curriculum work in most year groups.
- The school has agreed, adopted and displayed an Eco–Code
We are looking to work towards Green flag in 2009. The details of this are outlined below:
Green Flag Award
- The school has identified an Action Team, which has met on at least SIX occasions. The team has the support of a parent and/or governor. Pupils take significant responsibility for the running of the team.
- The Action Team has completed a formal Environmental Review, (which must at least cover the issues of waste, energy and water) recorded the results and undertaken a follow-up review.
- The Action Team has produced a detailed ‘Action plan’, including timescales and targets, and shared the plan with the school community and updated it based upon the follow-up review.
- The Action Team can identify progress towards achieving most targets in the Action Plan and can produce physical evidence of data collection and analysis (graphs etc).
- The school can identify substantial progress towards one large-scale project and indicate involvement with two others. “Identify substantial progress means that the school has an understanding of the project topic, recognises its importance to sustainable development within the school environment and wider community and has implemented change”.
- The school has a prominent, dedicated notice-board detailing the activities being undertaken towards Eco-Schools. Eco–Schools activities are being reported in assemblies and at governors meetings.
- The school can illustrate regular communication lines to parents and the wider community about the good work being undertaken in the school as a result of Eco-Schools.
- The school has agreed, adopted and displayed an Eco–Code.
- The school can produce evidence that environmental issues have been covered within curriculum work in most year groups throughout the school. Where possible pupils have been involved in data collection and analysis of data used to monitor progress in the project topic.
- The school is willing to share good practice with other schools who wish to join the scheme.