‘Green’ pupils show the quality of Mersey!

Keen young ‘greens’ at a Whitefield primary school have vowed – we’ll keep the Green Flag flying here.

For the third time, pupils at Mersey Drive have won top prize in a nationwide initiative to protect all aspects of the environment.

Eco-Schools aims to put sustainability at the heart of school life, from maximising recycling to reducing waste and saving energy.

A school must cover nine topics to win the Green Flag: transport, waste, water, litter, school grounds, healthy living, energy, biodiversity and global citizenship.

Ross Armitage, head teacher, said: “We’re delighted to gain the Green Flag for the third time. Our school is totally committed to recycling as much as we can, and this is tribute to all the efforts that our pupils have put in.”

Pupils are the driving force behind the programme – they lead an Eco-Committee, help assess the environmental performance of their school, as well as create and take their Action Plan forward. For the third Green Flag, Mersey Drive had to prove that recycling had increased and residual waste had reduced.

As well as working with other nearby schools, pupils gave assemblies to inform the rest of the school of eco-related news. They also kept parents 'in the loop' about the ‘eco school’, through newsletters and the school’s website.

Karyn Fullerton, programme delivery officer with Keep Britain Tidy, said: “The school’s lead teacher on this, Sara Jackson, is very enthusiastic and spent a lot of time getting to grips with the Eco-Schools programme with great results.

“The children showed much enthusiasm for the Eco-School programme and were able to talk positively about their achievements. The Eco-Committee were knowledgeable about the key themes and have been able to work with other local schools to share their ideas on the Eco-Schools programme. A big well done to everyone involved.”

The school is supported in its efforts by the recycling officer for schools from Bury Council, by delivering assemblies, classroom talks, running workshops and co-ordinating action plans. The sessions are fun and interactive and help to teach pupils and staff to care about their environment now and in the future.

Councillor Tony Isherwood, cabinet member for environment, said: “Many congratulations to the school and the pupils for achieving their third Green Flag. It’s great news that so many of our young people are learning about recycling and, even better, putting what they have learned into practice. Their efforts are a shining example to others, and bode well for the future of our environment.”

ENDS

Press release issued: 23 July 2015.

Picture: Kenji Jogo, one of the Mersey Drive pupils whose recycling efforts have won the school a third Green Flag.