An eco school for the future
Our girls are passionate social citizens and take care of the world around them.
Future facing
As a modern, forward thinking school, we take ecological issues seriously.
Our girls and staff are knowledgeable and considerate and are working hard to do what they can to help preserve the world around us for future generations. From the very youngest pupils through to the Sixth Form and beyond, into our alumnae community, we all have a responsibility and a part to play.
A love and respect for sustainability and our planet starts with our very youngest pupils
It’s never too soon to start thinking about the future, not just in terms of academic success and career prospects but even bigger than that, in terms of our world as a whole and the fragility of the planet on which we live.
A curious and caring young mind is the perfect place to start. Educating our youngest pupils about the importance of sustainability and making the world a safer, healthier and happier place to live is vital. Keeping things fun during these early stages ensures that an interest is maintained further up the school.
Recent initiatives at our Infant and Junior School have included:
- An eco Christmas Jumper trade-in
- A book swap project
- Food waste monitoring
As well as the regular Recycle with Michael collections and local litter picking patrols, our Infant and Junior pupils start as they mean to go on, caring for their surroundings and those around them. They learn the value of pre-loved items and how these are actually ‘new’ to somebody who hasn’t previously owned them! And they learn the impact of waste and rubbish on the environment and how far-reaching this can be.
The whole world in our hands
We have ‘Green Teams’ across the Junior and Senior Schools, and one of the important Sixth Form leadership roles is that of Eco Prefect.
Supported by staff, girls develop and implement eco projects including litter picking in the local park areas, Swap Shops to educate girls about the impact of fast fashion, canvas bag design competition, tree planting, our own NGHS bee friendly garden, vegetable growing, recycling and food waste commitments. There is a dedicated corridor in our Senior School Covered Way, decorated by a local artist, where we collect clothes and food for charities, and items such as batteries and crisp packets for recycling. Our Eco Team and Eco Prefects oversee the collection and distribution of these.
We enjoy Meat Free Mondays in the Dining Hall every week and work hard to raise awareness of pollution issues with our whole school community. We’ve also previously held a dedicated Green Day, Green Week and Green Festival during which all school activities have had an environmental focus. From learning about sustainable products to making bat boxes and bug hotels, our students were really engaged with the whole project.
In January 2024 we held our Green Month of education and activism with visiting speakers and dedicated assemblies and lessons. We will never be able to stress the importance of this issue enough.
We are also delighted to have recently been awarded the elite Planet Hero School status by the team at JUST ONE Tree, for our fundraising efforts during JUST ONE Tree day and planting 260 trees last year!
Do visit us to find out all about our many eco projects and adventures.
They’re the advocates for the ways forward.Jo Simmons, Lead Teaching Assistant, Infant and Junior School
The GDST Family Commitment
It’s not just our school striving to make a difference, it’s every school in the GDST Family and the whole GDST organisation itself. The more people involved, the greater the impact on our environment. Take a look at the booklet at THIS LINK produced by the GDST about all of the different ways in which our schools are contributing, including a piece by our very own Mr Jeremy Dunn on page 20.