For many years now, conservation and sustainability has been at the heart of the curriculum at St Bernard’s RC Primary and Nursery School in Ellesmere Port. The school has a strong partnership with Chester Zoo and is always looking for ways for their young people to find their voice and make a difference in the world. In May this year, the assistant head teacher Emily Reid, attended a ‘People Planet Pint’ event in Chester and connected with Helen Tandy (Director of Eco Communities).
As a result of this eco connection, Helen came into school to talk to the pupils about how they could help St Bernard’s become a Plastic Free School.
The pupils had been learning all about the impact of plastic pollution in their lessons and were excited to find out about how they could do something about it.
The curriculum at St Bernard’s
aims to produce young people who are aware of their responsibilities to society and the wider world and confident to make the changes that the world needs to see. Plastic Free Schools is going to be the perfect programme to help equip and empower the pupils with the tools to create positive, lasting environmental change.
The pupils have already started their action plan and these 5 simple acts will help them become a plastic free school.
- Assemble a Plastic Free Action Group
- Trash Mob- surveying the litter on the school grounds
- Challenge Government- writing a letter to Justin Madders MP
- Challenge Industry- contact companies in Ellesmere Port
- Challenge Ourselves- eliminate 3 single use plastic items from school for good
St Bernard’s are very excited to become a Plastic Free School and will also be looking for ways that they can support the Plastic Free Ellesmere Port Campaign.
Nationally the Plastic Free School campaigns Power to the Pupils! held 3,212 politicians to account, by calling on them to take action on single-use plastic.
They contacted 1,628 businesses, the big plastic-polluting brands they found on their playgrounds to demand change.
This ground breaking programme by Surfers Against Sewage equips and empowers young activists with the tools to create positive, lasting environmental change. plasticfreeschools.org.uk
