School awards launched to encourage children to look after environment

AN environmental charity welcomed 15 schools to the launch of its new awards to encourage pupils to take climate action.

The Green Futures Awards was an online event and featured Badgemore Primary School, Gillotts School, St Mary’s Prep School, Rupert House, Sacred Heart, Oratory Prep School, Trinity Primary School and The Henley College.

The programme was started by Greener Henley to help schools take practical steps towards helping the environment and pupils learned about the impacts of flash flooding, extreme heat and wildfires.

The 30-minute launch event marked the next stage in the development of the Greener Henley Schools Alliance, a network co-ordinated by the charity to help them take meaningful action.

Through the framework of the awards, schools are offered support, recognition and opportunities to learn from one another.

The awards introduce a three-tier structure, bronze, silver and gold which allows schools to progress at their own pace, with guidance and peer support.

The initiative comes at a time when the Department for Education expects all education settings to have a sustainability lead and a climate action plan in place. The session included case studies from schools, including Tim Hoskins, headteacher at Badgemore Primary School and Catharine Darnton, headteacher at Gillotts School.

Both teachers shared success stories and challenges about their own climate and nature action journeys. Mr Hoskins said: “Seeing the Green Futures Awards excites me. I know it will make a big difference to us.

“It will give us direction and guidance about going forwards.

“What’s also really special is that it’s local, so these are things that are relevant to us in the Henley area.

“And because it’s local, we can contact people and ask for help so the support from Greener Henley is going to make a huge difference.”

Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez, head of schools of mathematical, physical and computational science at the University of Reading and co-lead of the climate ambassador scheme praised the charity’s efforts.

He said: “Greener Henley’s awards are exactly the kind of locally-led, practical initiative that can complement national efforts developed by the Department of Education.

“By helping schools embed climate and nature action and resilience at a community level, it is creating a model that could be easily transferred to other regions.”

Annie Ross, volunteer schools lead at Greener Henley, said: “These awards give local schools the space and support to move at their own pace and feel a sense of purpose and achievement.

”We anticipate that it will help schools deliver on their ambitions faster and more easily than they would alone.”

The awards are open to all schools in the Henley area. For more information, email gh.schools25@gmail.com or visit www.greenerhenley.org.uk