Eco-Council

At Harvills Hawthorn Primary School, we are committed to the environment and we try our best to care for it. For this reason, we consider ourselves to be an eco-friendly school.

What does being eco-friendly school mean?
• Being an eco-friendly school means caring for the whole world environment as well as the school environment.
• An eco-friendly school runs projects which can help the school and local environment.

Why is it necessary?
• We all need to contribute to looking after the environment.
• Everyone doing a small bit eventually adds up to a major difference.
• We need to raise environmental awareness in others. 

To drive our ambition to become an accredited Eco-School, we have an eco-council, which meets regularly to work towards achieving the targets set out in our action plan. These targets were chosen after carrying out an environmental review:

  • To improve the biodiversity of our school grounds.
  • To develop good energy habits.
  • To improve the school grounds 

It is not just the eco-council who are working towards achieving these targets. Each year group has learnt much about the environment in many subjects across the curriculum. In addition, they have worked alongside many visitors to improve their knowledge and understanding of environmental issues that affect them. 

We are proud to announce that our school has been awarded the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag for 2025! 

This recognition celebrates the hard work and dedication of our children, staff and wider school community in making our school a more sustainable and environmentally conscious place to learn and grow.

Last year, we set ourselves three ambitious targets:

  • To improve the biodiversity of our school grounds, encouraging wildlife and creating habitats to support nature.
  • To develop good energy habits, helping everyone become more aware of energy use and how to reduce it.
  • To improve the school grounds, making them more welcoming, eco-friendly and enjoyable for all.

 

Thanks to the enthusiasm and commitment of our Eco-Council and the whole school community, we made fantastic progress in each of these areas. From planting wildflowers and installing bug hotels to running energy-saving campaigns and transforming outdoor spaces, our school has become greener and more vibrant.

However, our journey doesn’t stop here. We are continuing our commitment to environmental action and are working towards re-accreditation this year. Here are our new targets for 2025–2026:

  • Travel– Promoting greener, more suitable travel options, such as walking or cycling, to reduce our carbon footprint.
  • Waste– Reducing the amount of food waste at lunchtimes through education and portioning.
  • Healthy Living– Encouraging healthy eating, regular exercise and positive mental wellbeing among children, staff and parents.

We believe that small changes lead to big impact, and we’re excited to continue building a school environment that nurtures both people and the planet. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and how you can get involved!