Our Sustainable Schools Vision

Sustainable development is essential to ensure a good quality of life for everyone without causing irreversible damage to the planet for the future. This requires careful balancing of economic prosperity, social equity and care for the environment.

The whole school community at Seven Hills Primary School are becoming increasingly aware of their responsibility to promote and practise sustainable development. As a school we have a special role to play in securing the future for young people; as a place of learning we can help pupils understand our impact on the planet and through 'leading by example' are well placed to demonstrate sustainable living and working to pupils and the wider community alike.

At Seven Hills Primary School we are keen to work towards improving our positive effects on the environment and reducing our adverse effects.

 

How will we meet our vision?

Through a process of continuous provision we prepare our children for a lifetime of sustainable living built upon the core principles of care,

• Care for ourselves.
• Care for each other.
• Care for the environment.

At Seven Hills Primary School our sustainable work focuses on the 'Eight doorways' in line with the Leeds Sustainable Schools Framework.

 

Food and Drink

We provide healthy, ethically sourced food and drink and improve pupil's understanding of the origins of healthy and sustainable food and drink through our Healthy Schools Award work.

 

Energy and Water

We manage our use of energy and water so as to conserve our natural resources and cut energy costs. 

 

Traffic and Travel

We aim to reduce our contribution to road congestion, accidents and pollution through supporting safe and sustainable travel and traffic options where possible.

Purchase and Wast

We seek to reduce the amount of waste we produce, re-use where feasible and recycle what's left. We will also aim to consider the impact on the environment of resources that we purchase. 

 

School Grounds and Buildings

We build, develop and manage our school buildings and grounds as a rich learning resource to illustrate sustainable living, contribute to the school's environmental performance and enhance the health and well-being of pupils and staff. 

Inclusion and Participation

We actively promote the inclusion and participation of our whole school community to work together to participate in school life, welcome diversity and challenge injustice. 

Local Well-being

We aim to make a positive contribution to the well-being of the local community through being a good neighbour and fostering relationships with local businesses, residents and agencies. 

Global Dimension

We develop an international outlook equipping our pupils with the confidence and understanding to respond to the global dimension, acknowledge our individual and collective responsibility as global citizens and our potential to learn from more sustainable cultures and people. 

Embedding Sustainability in our Curriculum

There are many opportunities for children to acquire understanding and knowledge of and develop positive attitudes towards sustainable issues through our curriculum delivery. 

The main coverage will be through PSCHE and science but children will have the opportunity to assess learning about sustainable living through cross-curricular teaching and learning and our International Primary Curriculum Scheme of Work.

 

 

At Seven Hills we offer lots of extra opportunities for our children to be involved in sustainable activities. Here are some of them.

 

As well as having a School Council who are involved in making decisions, we have a sustainability Action Team who help our Sustainability Leader to promote 'Greener living' across the school. Our Action team currently has representatives from Years 1 to 5. They meet on a regular basis to discuss sustainability issues. These children are also consulted about future events and are involved in the planning of themed days.

 

We aim to hold an annual sustainability themed day to complement the work we are delivering through our curriculum. Fundraising days will complement our work and will help people in our local community and wider world.

 

             

Here are some pictures of our children enjoying some of the activities that they took part in on Groovy Green Day in 2010. Children paired up with other year groups. We had a great day!

 

We have lunchtime and after school clubs that link to sustainability. These include Enterprise club who are involved in fundraising to raise funds for Oxfam campaigns, Cooking club (currently offered to Key Stage One children) and Gardening Club (currently offered to Key Stage Two children). 

Children in Key Stage Two also have the opportunity to take part in Diner's club. Every Wednesday a small group of children work with a member of staff preparing a meal and learning how to set a table correctly. They then share their meal with members of staff and parents. In order to develop our community links Diner's club has also been visited by Local councillors, Governors and the Mayor of Morley to name a few.

We also teach children about sustainable issues through our Investors in Pupils work. Children will learn about purchase and waste through activities involving the school budget. Children will work towards individual and class targets to better themselves.

 

Our School Eco-Code

 

Correctly place paper in the recycling bins.

Always turn off lights and electrical equipment when not in use. Make sure that taps are turned off correctly.

Recycle and reuse what you can. Do not waste resources.

Everyone to look after school and its resources.

Eco-code produced by our Sustainability Action Team Members. (December 2010)

 

Eco-Schools Bronze Award

At Seven Hills we currently hold the Eco-Schools Bronze Award. In order to achieve this we had to meet the following criteria.

Bronze criteria

1. The school has identified an Action Team which has met on at least two occasions.
2. The Action Team has completed a formal or informal Environmental Review.
3. The Action Team has produced a basic Action Plan and shared the plan with the rest of the school community.
4. The Action Team can identify progress towards achieving elements of the Action Plan.
5. The school can indicate that some environmental issues have been covered within curriculum work.
6. The school has a prominent, designated noticeboard, web pages or newsletter which details Eco-Schools activities.