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Sustainability

Introduction

St Neot Community Primary School is committed to raising awareness of environmental sustainability and encouraging our pupils, their families and our staff to be as green as we can be.

Caring for the environment and acting sustainably is consistent with the school's core values. St Neot School continues to work to include these issues in every aspect of its culture and to instill awareness of them in each member of our school community. This awareness includes considerations for local and global wellbeing, and will build upon our British Values to ensure mutual respect for all other human beings and living creatures.

 

Inclusion and Participation

All children in St Neot School  are encouraged to contribute thought and action to sustainability challenges in the communities to which we belong. We include sustainability and care for the environment among the core issues such as discrimination, equality of opportunity, citizenship, social equity, and cultural and spiritual awareness that inspire members of our community to take positive and constructive actions.

 

Pedagogy

St Neot School encourages our children to become ambassadors for sustainability. We provide curricular and extra-curricular learning activities that allow understanding of the problematic environmental challenges. We particularly focus on this in our Wild Tribe sessions. We promote water conservation by using 'tippy taps'; we've made bug hotels and bird feeders and boxes to place in our local woods; we do litter picking in the local play park, Doorstep Green and around our school grounds.

 

Local Well–Being

Collaborating with parents, local businesses, schools, and community groups, we regularly engage in activities that promote sustainability.

 

Cultural Capital

St Neot School nurtures global consciousness and accepts responsibility for promoting sustainability. As a school, we participate in many activities linking us to the wider world. We extend this ethos throughout the School in our determination to move towards a healthier, safer, more inclusive and equitable society.

 

BEST PRACTISES

 

Food and Drink

We acknowledge that healthy eating helps to improve our health, concentration and learning. Where possible, all food and drink is produced locally and chosen with consideration for the agricultural practices used in its production.

 

Energy and Water

We are conscious of the need to conserve energy and water and the School promotes methods to encourage efficiency in these areas. We continuously monitor energy use and develop ways of reducing consumption.

 

Travel and Traffic

St Neot School promotes transportation to and from school that minimises negative environmental impacts and reduces emission levels and congestion. We continue to encourage the use of public car-sharing, walking and cycling.

 

Purchasing, Consumption and Waste

St Neot School gives priority to issues of environmental impact in all purchases and contracts with commercial suppliers. We strive to choose products that are both functional and environmentally sustainable. We factor in the long-term and far-reaching environmental impacts of our consumption. 

We establish guidelines for the correct and safe disposal of all waste, and we reuse or dispose of old equipment in an ecologically sound way. The School strives to reduce, reuse and recycle and has a policy of printing only when necessary. There is a paper recycling bin in each classroom and in the staff room, there are several bins for recycling. Equipment and lights are switched off when not in use. 

We have a clothes recycling point which raises funds for our school. We also encourage the purchase of second hand uniforms and Christmas jumpers.

Some of our other initiatives include encouraging the recycling of batteries, stamps and crisp packets.

 

Facilities Management

The School addresses environmental concerns in all maintenance, construction, refurbishing, and landscaping decisions, including regular review of performance and conservation practices. We consider biodiversity and habitat preservation as we make decisions about our future. We are lucky to have developed within our school grounds a fruit and vegetable garden, a polytunnel, wildlife garden and various Wild Tribe areas for our children to explore.