WINDSOR, UK (4 July 2023) Further to being awarded High Performance Learning World Class School status in May, St George’s School Windsor Castle have earned another international accreditation this half term, this time through the Eco-Schools Green Flag award, which has been achieved with Distinction. The Flag recognises work undertaken by the school’s Eco Club to make the school more environmentally friendly and raise eco-awareness in fellow students.
After first forming an Eco-Committee, students at St George’s School Windsor Castle conducted an environmental review, assessing how eco-friendly the school was. They reviewed everything from biodiversity within the school grounds to how students and staff members travel to school. Building on their findings, the children, supported by the school’s Eco Club lead, Emily Ralfe, then planned and delivered a year of action designed to advance their school’s green credentials, improve their local environment, and protect the planet.
Among other successes, Eco Club initiatives this year have included an Electricity Free Day, timed to coincide with the school’s Coronation celebrations in recognition of His Majesty The King’s focus on environmentalism. Several activities also took place to raise awareness of Fairtrade Fortnight, including taking over the school’s student-run radio station, Castleside Radio. with a live on-air chocolate tasting, The Club also held a bake sale to fundraise for Toilet Twinning, enabling St George’s to sponsor a toilet block at a school in Tanzania, as well as two latrines in Malawi and assisting a community in rural Kenya to access safe, clean water through the sponsorship of a tap.
In addition to direct action, the children in the school’s Eco Club also became published authors this year, when poems they had written about being green were published in ‘The Big Green Poetry Machine’, an anthology collated by the Young Writers organisation.
Emily Ralfe, Year 4 Teacher and Eco Club Lead at St George’s School Windsor Castle, said: “Achieving the Eco-Schools Green Flag award with Distinction rounds off an incredible year for the school’s Eco Club students. Just recognition for their dedication and hard work, the award demonstrates our commitment as a school to continuing to look for ways to reduce our impact on the planet and to help raise future generations to be compassionate global citizens with the awareness and desire to take positive action.”
The Eco-Schools programme was established in 1994 and is now delivered in more than 70 countries across the globe.
Eco-Schools England Manager, Adam Flint, said: “The Eco-Schools Green Flag award is an internationally recognised symbol of high environmental standards. The pupils and school staff that earn the award deserve immense credit for their hard work, determination, and creativity. Their passion for protecting our planet is an inspiration to us all.”
Further information about St George’s School Windsor Castle, along with details of how to register for a place at the school’s next open morning on Friday 22 September 2023, can be found at www.stgwindsor.org.
Categories: St George's School
