In 2022, Phoenix Community Primary School achieved the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award for the first time. In 2023, we achieved the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award with Merit, and in 2024, we achieved the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award with Distinction. We are working towards maintaining this highest status this year. 

Each year, pupils from each class put themselves forward for the role of Eco-Councillors and give reasons to their class as to why they think they would be most suitable. Classes then vote to democratically choose two new Eco-Councillors. Our first job each year is to complete an Environmental Review in order to identify areas where we could improve. This year, our three key areas are: Energy, Water and Healthy Living. We completed an action plan with our ideas for improving in these three areas over the course of the year. 

So far this year, as part of our action plan, Year 3 have participated in an 'Eat Well for Less' competition, run by Warburtons, where pupils learnt about food groups and about balanced diets before designing the contents of a healthy lunchbox. 

The whole school was also invited to participate in a 'Glass Guardians' competition, run by British Glass. We had an assembly to learn about the process of glass recycling before being encouraged to re-use a glass bottle or jar, repurposing it into something else. 

In November, the whole school participated in the 'Cut Your Carbon' campaign, where we learnt about ways to cut down on energy usage and wastage in an assembly before trying to make changes to our own energy-related behaviours during the month. We recorded the results and saw a huge reduction in energy usage.  

Also in November, Year 6 participated in the 'New Wave' water-saving competition, run by South East Water. Pupils learnt about the water cycle, the process water goes through before it enters our homes and what we can do in order to waste less. Pupils recorded the actions they had taken to save water during one week, and calculated how much water they had saved. Over the week, we managed to save a whopping 10,000 litres of water. 
Earlier this year, Year 5 entered a 'Feed the Future' competition, where they learnt about how scientists are developing sustainable food sources. Pupils then drew on inspiration from this to come up with their own ideas for sustainable foods. 

Over the course of the year, Year R, Year 1 and Year 2 have participated in the Lidl Foodies programme, run by Lidl Supermarket. This included a unit on food tasting, where pupils had a chance to taste seasonal fruits and vegetables which they might not have previously tried. They then moved on to a growing unit, where pupils learnt about the conditions seeds require in order to grow, before planting fruit and vegetable seeds of their own. In the summer term, pupils will complete the programme by participating in a cooking unit, where they will pick their produce and include it in a recipe. 

In addition, the Eco-Council have joined forces with the School-Council on several occasions throughout the year, in order to complete litter picks in our local community. 

We have been lucky enough to secure a grant to help us to improve biodiversity in our school grounds, and we look forward to seeing the exciting developments we have planned, come to fruition before the end of the school year.