Highlees Green Pledge

 

Our Vision Statement

Highlees Primary School is wholeheartedly dedicated to fostering a strong sense of environmental responsibility and global citizenship in our students. We firmly believe that education plays a pivotal role in shaping future generations, and as such, we have integrated sustainability into our curriculum. We are committed to, not only equipping our students with essential academic skills, but also instilling a deep understanding of how they can contribute to a more sustainable world. By weaving sustainability principles into our existing curriculum, we ensure that students grasp the interconnectedness of academic knowledge with real-world challenges. This approach fosters a strong foundation of eco-consciousness and encourages them to think critically about how their actions impact the environment. Highlees Primary School is paving the way for responsible, informed citizens who are empowered to make a positive difference in the world. 

 

How are we doing this? 

Our curriculum has many opportunities for children to be taught about sustainability and caring for the earth. 

For example;

During Year 2’s topic Street Detectives, children are given the opportunity to explore the litter and graffiti within the local area and how they could improve this. 

During Year 3’s topic Predator, children explore how the Red Kites were reintroduced to the local area after their decline a few years ago. 

During Year 4’s topic; Road Trip USA, children learn how electric cars work. 

During Year 5’s Sow, Grow and Farm topic, children create a farmers market by growing and selling local produce. 

During Year 6’s topic Frozen Kingdom, children learn about the melting ice caps and think about how they could help to stop global warming. 

 

 

We have purchased a polytunnel which will be used on an area of land in the school grounds. In spring 2024, this area will become a ‘Wellbeing Polytunnel’ where children can grow a variety of fruits and vegetables for us to try in our salad bar at lunch times. It will also be a space for quiet reflection, getting closer to nature and calming our mind, body and soul. 

Our ‘Bistro Buddies’ help our lunchtimes to run as an enjoyable dining experience. Their job is to help encourage children with their food choices and to try to minimise food waste. They then weigh the food waste at the end of lunch to see how much of this we have reduced, keeping track on a graph. 

Our caretaker is currently building us a composting area so that all food waste can be recycled back to the earth. 

Three times a year, we hold ‘Power Down Days’ where no members of staff are able to use electricity. This helps us to reduce our carbon footprint and reminds us about having a wellbeing break away from technology. Our caretaker helps the Eco Council to read the electric meter and work out how much less energy we use on Power Down Days compared to normal days. 

Each year group has planned a protest throughout the year based on what they are learning about. We are passionate about spreading the word about sustainability and want our voices to be heard! Keep an eye out for our future protests. 

We are also looking forward to sharing some great community days with our family and friends when spring 2024 rolls around, including some gardening days and community litter picking! Watch this space!