Oldham-based Coppice Primary School has been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag Certification having demonstrated its commitment to encouraging good environmental behaviour amongst pupils and within the local community.
The Eco-Schools awards have international accreditation; recognising and rewarding young people’s environmental actions for over 25 years. Their aim is to empower young people to take care of our planet now and throughout their lifetimes.
Coppice successfully achieved the bronze award in 2018, silver in 2019, and then began its Green Flag journey in September 2020. The school is now required to reapply for the certificate every two years and to prove that they are running as an eco-school.
The Eco-Schools team reported that the school had “clearly taken great efforts to connect your energy/litter and healthy living projects happening across the school and embedding work into the curriculum and everyday school life in a really impactful way.”
Eco-initiatives across the school over the academic year included ‘Switch Off Fortnight’, ‘The Big British Spring Clean’, the ‘Big Battery Hunt’ and a new ‘healthy snack’ policy.
The children also enjoyed improving the local environment through litter picking; creating habitats for minibeasts; learning about the wider environment and current global issues.
Andrew Hulmes, Headteacher of Coppice Primary Academy, said: “Working towards the certification has been amazing fun for the students and staff alike, they have all embraced every aspect of working towards the award.
“There were some real highlights over the last year including the Big Battery Hunt in June, children were encouraged to bring in used batteries to be recycled, all whilst learning about renewable energy and rechargeable batteries.
“A really fun day for the students and teachers was switch off day last year, all classes turned their lights off and teachers used alternative teaching activities which didn’t require the use of energy.”
Coppice Primary School forms part of the Focus-Trust – a charitable primary schools trust which is based in the North-West of England and West Yorkshire with a vision of providing great schools at the heart of communities where children thrive, achieve and succeed.
