Eco Council 2025 to 2026 - Celebrating Our Eco Council’s Multi-Award-Winning Year

What a monumental, green-filled year it has been for our school’s Eco Council! Over the past academic year, our dedicated Eco Council have worked tirelessly to raise environmental awareness, giving our pupils a powerful voice to advocate for positive change. By focusing on biodiversity, and major national research partnerships, the Eco Council has truly transformed our school grounds and proved that our community is at the very forefront of environmental action. 

Thanks to the incredible dedication of our pupils, staff, and families, here is a look back at the amazing milestones and historic achievements we celebrated together last school year: 

1. A Historic Year for Eco Awards 

Our hard work did not go unnoticed this year, as the school secured major national recognitions for our ongoing commitment to the environment: 

• Green Flag with Distinction: For the third year running, our school has been awarded the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag with Distinction. This highest level of accolade rewards our student-led projects and confirms that environmental education is deeply embedded in our school culture. 

• Woodland Bronze Award: We successfully achieved the Woodland Trust Green Tree Schools Bronze Award. This was earned through our fantastic outdoor work, including planting new trees, exploring nature, and finding creative ways to reduce our carbon footprint. 

2. Putting Our School Grounds on the Scientific Map with the Natural History Museum 

Our Eco Council has always believed in the power of data, and this year, our long-term efforts resulted in an incredible accolade. Over the last five years, council members have meticulously tracked and mapped our school playground. 

Using the National Education Nature Park digital tools, our students created a highly detailed habitat map of our grounds. This hard work caught the attention of Dr Victoria Burton, a scientist at the Natural History Museum. 

We were thrilled to receive a personal thank you from Dr Burton, confirming that our school is one of the first 500 schools, nurseries, and colleges nationwide to feature in her upcoming research paper! Our mapping data is being used to estimate biodiversity across education settings nationwide, allowing scientists to conduct groundbreaking research that has never been done before. By mapping our site, our students are helping paint a rich picture of nature across the UK while making evidence-based decisions to support local wildlife. 

3. Pioneering Mental Health Research with the RHS and Sheffield University 

In another exciting scientific initiative, the Eco Council partnered with leading scientists from the University of Sheffield to participate in a groundbreaking mental health project. 

• The Study: The research investigated how nature-based activities can actively improve mental health and well-being in young people. We were incredibly privileged to work alongside Dr Ashby Lavelle Sachs, the Research Fellow in Wellbeing and Horticulture in affiliation with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). 

• Our Contribution: Pupils were split into two groups—a project group who took part in structured, hands-on nature activities led by the Eco Council, and a control group who did not. 

• Giving Back to the School: As a fantastic bonus for taking part in this vital research, we received a selection of book vouchers and gardening vouchers. The Eco Council used these rewards to select a brand-new range of books for our school library, ensuring that the benefits of this project will be enjoyed by all pupils for years to come! 

4. A Library Transformation Thanks to G S Salter 

Our school library received a massive literary boost this year to support our eco-curriculum. Alongside the university vouchers, G S Salter generously awarded us a grant of £350.00. 

The Eco Council used this funding specifically to purchase an incredible selection of nature and environmental-themed books. Thanks to this generosity, our pupils now have access to a wealth of beautifully illustrated books about climate action, wildlife conservation, and the wonders of the natural world, inspiring the next generation of eco-warriors. 

5. Branching Out into the Community: St Paul's Blackheath Tree Festival 

We were delighted to take part once again in the popular St Paul's Blackheath Tree Festival, and our Eco Council was determined that our display should carry a powerful environmental theme. 

Rejecting artificial materials, the council chose a real tree that could be planted directly into our school garden after the festival to continue growing for years to come. Eco Concil and children from across school lovingly decorated the branches with foraged pinecones and small wooden discs, upon which they wrote their personal hopes and wishes for the planet and the year ahead. It was a beautiful, sustainable display that perfectly represented our school's core values. 

6. Engaging Families with Citizen Science & Wildlife Challenges 

We believe that eco-action shouldn't stop at the school gates. This year, the Eco Council launched several fantastic initiatives to get our whole school community involved in citizen science at home: 

• The RSPB Birdwatch Challenge: The council led the school in participating in the national RSPB birdwatch, helping students identify, count, and log the local bird species visiting our grounds. 

• The 18-Month Bird Box Project: To deepen our wildlife tracking, 12 lucky families were given the opportunity to take part in an extensive 18-month challenge. These families installed bird boxes in their gardens and have been diligently recording all the nesting and nesting-related activity around them. 

• The Family Sunflower Challenge: For the second year in a row, we ran our whole-school sunflower growing competition. This year proved to be an incredibly tough test for our young gardeners due to the extreme heat and summer drought. While a previous year's winning sunflower reached a staggering 13 feet, this year's climate challenges meant our tallest sunflower peaked at 8 feet. Given the difficult weather conditions, this is still an absolutely amazing achievement, and we are so proud of all the families who kept their plants thriving! 

A Huge Thank You! 

From helping the Natural History Museum map UK biodiversity to contributing to RHS mental health studies, creating community art pieces, and expanding our library, all of these world-class milestones were only possible because of the commitment, enthusiasm, and teamwork shown by our pupils and their families. Our Eco Council members have been outstanding role models, proving that you are never too young to make a meaningful difference in the world. 

As we head into the new school year, the Eco Council is already preparing to launch a fresh environmental review, set new targets, and begin the chase for a fourth consecutive Green Flag. Thank you to everyone who supported our green projects last year—let’s make this coming year even more sustainable!