DNEAT MAT News

Primary school eco warriors at Shipdham’s Thomas Bullock Church of England Primary and Nursery Academy (part of DNEAT), have earned an international accreditation this academic year, recognising their amazing work in making their school more environmentally friendly and raising eco-awareness in fellow pupils.

The Eco-Schools programme was established in 1994 and is now delivered in more than 70 countries across the globe. More than one million pupils attended an Eco-School in England in 2022-23.

The pupils and eco-lead at Thomas Bullock formed an Eco-Committee and conducted an environmental review, assessing how eco-friendly their school is.

Mrs Shannon O’Sullivan, Executive Headteacher said: “We are extraordinarily proud of our eco warriors lead by Mrs Taylor.  This year we have redesigned our vision and values to include ‘Light for Growth, Health, and Learning.’  This includes teaching children about community, responsibility, environment and curiosity.  Following on from this, the projects we have been involved in have ensured our children see their responsibility to the environment and how they can change the world one step at a time. We are looking forward to our ever-increasing eco projects across the next year.”

Eco-Lead, Mrs Taylor said: “Our pupils reviewed everything from biodiversity within their school grounds to how pupils and staff members travel to school. Building on their findings, the pupils and I planned a year of action designed to advance our school’s green credentials, improve our local environment and therefore help to protect our planet.”

The Eco-Committee connected their work to three Eco-Schools topics during the last school year including Biodiversity, Marine, and Energy.

The primary pupils then planned a variety of projects including creating several wildlife habitats to support a range of local wildlife, installing a permanent water source to facilitate the growing of fruit and vegetables and created a huge wildflower area to encourage many insects and bees. They also worked on some fundraising events to raise money for the marine conservation society.

Mrs Taylor said: “I’m extremely proud of how hard the children have worked over the last few years in order to gain this award, it has been so lovely to work alongside such a committed group of children.”

Reuben in Year 6 said: “I’ve really enjoyed keeping on top of litter picking and making the school a greener place.”

Avery in Year 1 said: “I liked doing the toy sale, we sold lots of books and toys. It was so fun.”

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.”

To learn more about Eco-Schools head to www.eco-schools.org.uk.