School raises a Green Flag to its environmentally-friendly ways

A COMPOST heap, vegetable patch and butterfly garden have helped a Derby school win an award.

Stenson Fields Primary School has been named an eco school for the first time after receiving a Green Flag award from Keep Britain Tidy.

Green stars: Stenson Fields Primary School pupils with the Eco-School flag. Pictured clockwise from bottom left are: Libby Hurst, six, Sam Spencer, 10, Ethan Golding, 10, Alison Middleton-Rees, Aryan Kaushal, six, Kieran Hill, eight, Natalie Leadley, Kane Tisdall, seven, Holly Morgan, 10, Kai Myers, five, Keira Platt-Chadwick, five and Rebecca Pickering, nine.

The school has been working for two years improving its grounds as part of the award.

This has included making raised beds in which pupils have grown their own vegetables, establishing a butterfly garden with the support of the Wildlife Trust and creating wildlife areas.

Composting has become an important part of the creation of the garden and involves using food scraps, peelings and grass and plant cuttings.

Jaspal Girn, speaking on behalf of the school, said: "Our next large scale project is to develop a sensory garden.

"We are also continually working to become a more sustainable school by reducing energy and water consumption and by recycling paper, card, glass, aluminium, plastic and organic waste.

"We have been rewarded for all the hard work by achieving the Green Flag award, which is the highest one possible."

The school has set up an eco committee, comprising of pupils, who give up their lunchtimes to organise green initiatives.

But they think it is all worthwhile and are delighted their efforts have been recognised.

Kieran Hill, eight, said: "It makes me feel very happy and excited because the eco reps have helped the school – we have helped the environment and saved energy."

Fellow pupil Sam Spencer, 10, said: "I'm amazed because I never thought we'd win it. We have been wasting electricity but now we've improved and are saving lots of energy."

Holly Morgan, also 10, added: "I feel very proud because we worked very hard to get it. I'm glad because everyone in school is trying to save energy."

Libby Hurst, six, approves of lights and computers being switched off when not in use.

She said: "Everything is being switched off now because we are remembering. I think it's really good that we have got the award, we've really improved things around school."

Dozens of schools across Derbyshire are among more than 12,000 nationally who have either bronze or silver eco awards but only a handful have a Green Flag.

Long Eaton School and Lees Brook Community Sports College in Chaddesden, were the first schools in the county to win the Green Flag award when it was first set up more than 10 years ago.

Stenson Fields Primary School, in Heather Close, Sinfin, will have to renew its flag every two years to be able to retain the recognition.