We are an Eco-School!
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As of December 2019, we are an Eco-school!
We have joined the 18,600 schools that are signed up to the scheme and have completed all the steps to achieve our flag. The eco-school inspector was in school during the first week of December '19 and the superheroes took him round the school to show off what we have achieved, he was incredibly impressed by the children’s knowledge and enthusiasm. Introduced in 1994 in response to the 1992 UN Rio Earth Summit, Eco-Schools is operated globally by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and is managed in England by Keep Britain Tidy. Eco-Schools empowers pupils, raises environmental awareness, improves the school environment and also creates financial savings for schools. It engages the wider local community, links to the curriculum and can help deliver Ofsted requirements. Since 2017 a group of eco superheroes, two from each class have been monitoring and assessing the school to find out what we can improve on to help the environment. Every other Thursday lunchtime the eco-schools club, run by Ms Greenaway, have been making displays, updating our information boards, making signs, setting up a wormery, creating a Bee and Butterfly garden, planting trees, constructing huge bug hotels and labelling recycling bins around the school. The staff have been busy too- recycling in the classrooms, using less laminating, turning off lights and computers, including the environment in every part of the curriculum from poetry writing about animals at the zoo to persuasive letter writing about now squashing bugs. The whole of art week last term was created using recycled materials and all food waste at the school is now recycled either on the embankment to help our food production or sent to the council to be used as bio-fuel. The community and parents are getting involved, using the new scooter park outside the front door instead of using cars to come to school and recycling fabrics in the bags to school scheme to name a few. The PSA have organised second hand sales of toys, books and uniforms and now only use biodegradable products at the school fairs and events. This is not the end; we have plans to renew our flag in two years’ time. We plan to improve the hedges around the school to help with pollution from the road and provide food for wildlife. We are making bat boxes (there have been sightings of bats at Willesden Junction), buying hedgehog houses and improving the peace garden. Thank you everyone who has helped with this project. We are empowering our children so they feel they are in control of looking after their planet and futures. |
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£86,000 solar boost for Princess Frederica primary school
In September 2016, Princess Frederica celebrated the installation of solar panels to support how sustainable the school is and to help make savings too. The launch of these panels was attended by member of the local community and the church as well as a journalist from local newspaper who wrote the following...
Children at a Kensal Rise primary school are celebrating a successful fundraising drive which, over the next 25 years, could see up to £86,000 savings for the school.
Princess Frederica CE VA primary school managed to successfully fundraise for £15,000 to install solar panels which will generate clean electricity, help cut the schools energy bills and bring in additional income to spend on school resources and equipment.
Beatrix Simpson, the school’s headteacher, said: “Solar panels will save us thousands on energy bills and cut out carbon footprint. Even more exciting though is the opportunity we now have to educate our children about how sunlight converts into electricity, about science and maths, and to become environmentally-aware citizens as they grow up."
The fundraising was led by Rachael Newberry, a local parent and school governor, who said; “It was nail-biting stuff. We were up to the wire and thought we had missed our target but throughout the project the whole community was right behind us. We went to Legoland, watched films at the Lexi, wore all yellow to school and ate lots of cakes - all for a good cause. The kids are all so proud they are a solar school."
The project was supported by the carbon-cutting campaign 10:10 and money was raised with parents, teachers, children, the PSA and several local businesses.
The launch event was attended by the Mayor of Brent and the Leader of the Council, Councillor Muhammed Butt who said: "It is fantastic that Princess Frederica is a 'solar school' and that our young people are helping Brent become a greener borough. Our Council is committed to playing its part in tackling climate change and projects like this set an excellent example of the way we can all make a difference.”
Princess Frederica CE VA primary school managed to successfully fundraise for £15,000 to install solar panels which will generate clean electricity, help cut the schools energy bills and bring in additional income to spend on school resources and equipment.
Beatrix Simpson, the school’s headteacher, said: “Solar panels will save us thousands on energy bills and cut out carbon footprint. Even more exciting though is the opportunity we now have to educate our children about how sunlight converts into electricity, about science and maths, and to become environmentally-aware citizens as they grow up."
The fundraising was led by Rachael Newberry, a local parent and school governor, who said; “It was nail-biting stuff. We were up to the wire and thought we had missed our target but throughout the project the whole community was right behind us. We went to Legoland, watched films at the Lexi, wore all yellow to school and ate lots of cakes - all for a good cause. The kids are all so proud they are a solar school."
The project was supported by the carbon-cutting campaign 10:10 and money was raised with parents, teachers, children, the PSA and several local businesses.
The launch event was attended by the Mayor of Brent and the Leader of the Council, Councillor Muhammed Butt who said: "It is fantastic that Princess Frederica is a 'solar school' and that our young people are helping Brent become a greener borough. Our Council is committed to playing its part in tackling climate change and projects like this set an excellent example of the way we can all make a difference.”
