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 and 2025, we achieved the Eco-Schools Green Flag Award with Distinction. 

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. 

In November each year, the whole school participate in the 'Cut Your Carbon' campaign, where we learn 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 record the results and always see a huge reduction in energy usage.  

In July 2024, Year 5 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 17,000 litres of water. Each member of the class won a water bottle and we were presented with 5 brand new books for our library and an 80-minute workshop with the author of the book 'Once Upon A Raindrop', James Carter. 

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 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 completed the programme by participating in a cooking unit, where they picked their produce and include it in a recipe. 

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

We were lucky enough to secure a grant to help us to improve biodiversity in our school grounds, and  have planted lots of new trees and plants around our grounds, purchased new raised planters, vertical planters, a weather station, gardening equipment and a fantastic new polytunnel. 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vQQ615uESCAgy7zmN51pcMX-EAf-BqRb/view?usp=drive_link