Climate and Sustainability

Our school is empowering our children to develop their commitment to climate action and is working to develop and implement sustainable initiatives in our school and for our future.

We have developed a Climate Action Plan and appointed two Climate and Sustainability leads:

Mrs Pickess (Teaching and Learning)
Miss McNally (Operational and Strategic)

We have produced our Climate Action Plan and documented our focus across the following key areas:

Decarbonisation
Biodiversity
Adaptation and resilience
Climate education and green careers goals

This reflects our commitment to improving our school and local environment.

Pupil Involvement and Leadership

We took our Eco Councillors to the Eco Day at Cressing Temple Barns on 17th April. Local primary and secondary school students were invited to pitch their eco-friendly project ideas to a panel of ‘Dragons’ for a chance to win £115 in funding. A small group of our pupils presented their plans, showcased their creativity, and competed to bring their green initiatives to life back at school. We are happy to advise that we were successful in securing funding for our Pollinators Garden Project and work will be starting soon on this amazing pupil led climate and sustainability project.

We have chosen our Eco Councillors and created our Planet Protectors Lunchtime Club to enable as many children as possible to be involved in becoming a greener and more sustainable school.

The Eco Council is currently running a project to track, record and further reduce our electricity usage.

We have also created our first Eco Newsletter, which is being distributed to parents this month.

Partnerships and Wider Action

We have achieved the gold award in the Woodland Trusts Green Trees School Program which promotes the protection of Nature and Wildlife and demonstrates us using nature to support well-being.

We have worked with the Schools Climate Hub Coordinator to explore funding opportunities and local business support to help fund our projects.

Our Climate Action Plan has been uploaded to the Met Office Climate Action Tracker, and we are working with Education Nature Park to complete habitat mapping of the Howbridge Infant School grounds.

We have joined our local Climate Action Network Group and are working with other local schools to run events and develop initiatives that promote climate action and sustainability.

What We’ve Already Done

We are committing to our key focus areas in a number of practical ways, including:

Light sensors installed in rooms to reduce electricity usage
LED lights installed across the school
Heating temperatures reduced while remaining comfortable
Regular boiler maintenance
Solar panels installed to reduce energy usage and consumption
Working with Braintree District Council on the engine idling campaign to reduce air pollution outside the school
Reduced reliance on gas boilers by introducing air conditioning units capable of emitting hot and cold air
Paperless communication with parents wherever possible
Waste segregation to promote recycling
Second-hand uniform sales
Installation of the most energy-efficient interactive whiteboards in classrooms
Working with suppliers to ensure school products and resources are eco-friendly
Ensuring suppliers promote climate and sustainability through action plans and carbon footprint reporting
Meat-free days introduced on the school menu
Climate and sustainability themes woven through all school policies
Continued development of the Eco Council and Planet Protectors Club to build children’s knowledge and passion for our planet

Our Next Steps

Install an electricity smart meter to better monitor energy usage
Sell energy back to the UK Power Network through the Smart Energy Guarantee (SEG)
Become a Forest School
Develop a composting area and install a Ridan composter to recycle food waste into usable compost
Create new gardening beds to grow flowers, fruits, and vegetables
Improve air quality in classrooms with air-purifying plants
Install water butts to conserve water for growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables

Further Information

Please view our Climate Action Plan and find out more through the links below:

Let’s Go Zero
https://letsgozero.org/

Education Nature Park
https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/

Climate and Sustainability