Eco-School

Elstree is proud to be a Green Flag Award winning Eco-School. The Eco Committee meets twice a term to discuss environmental matters within the school, and community projects. 

The Green Flag Award is the highest environmental award for schools and Elstree has been awarded it twice – 2014 and 2018. 

In 2014, a team of three pupils were the winners of ‘Category 2: Collection Systems’ at the first Primary Earth Summit, the final of which took place at Parliament. The winning team helped create the packs for National Waste week with Wastebuster and also designed the award winning schools’ poster for Waste Week.

Elstree was awarded its second Green Flag after a formal assessment in September 2018, and passed with no recommendations. We are now working towards achieving our third award – the highest obtainable in schools.

Here are some of the projects our Eco Action Team has been focused on in 2019-2020:

Wasteland, a home-grown Eco Musical

Elstree Teacher and Head of the Eco Committe, Chris Schuman, wrote and composed Wasteland, for the Junior Play in the summer of 2019.  

Switch-Off Fortnight 

Thanks to the success of Switch-off Fortnight,  electricity consumption was down by 8% at the end of the first week. By the end of the second week, consumption was down by 15%.  Prizes were awarded to the classroom with the lowest carbon footprint.

Eco-friendly Bonfire Night

Elstree held its first eco-friendly Bonfire Night last year. Working closely with the Friends of Elstree, under the leadership of Lizzie Johnstone, single-use plastic cups were replaced with reusable enamel mugs, and fluorescent beanie hats with glow sticks. 

Waste Week

During Waste Week, pupils compete in tables to create the least food waste at meal-times. 

These are the projects our pupils have been involved in since forming the Eco Committee:

• Planting a WWI memorial garden
• Gardening Club
• Creating a species list for the grounds
• Entering the Climate Week Competition
• Recording and monitoring the school’s electricity consumption
• Taking part in switch off fortnight
• Creating a reading garden
• Designing and building animal homes
• Presenting in Parliament for the ‘Primary Earth Summit’ (we won!)
• Presenting an Eco-School’s assembly
• Improving the recycling and reducing waste around the school
• Joining the ‘Bumblebee Conservation Society’.
• Improving menu choices
• Installing water butts
• Looking at the sustainability of the food that we purchase
• Planting daffodils for the Marie-Curie pots of care campaign
• Garden renovation in Beenham village
• Conducted the annual eco-review of the school
• Worked out the reduction in carbon footprint from using school buses rather than parents driving the boys to and from school.