Eco-Schools is an international award program that guides schools on their sustainable journey, providing a framework to help embed these principles into the heart of school life.
We address a variety of environmental themes, ranging from litter and waste to healthy living and biodiversity. The children formulate an action plan based on an environmental review that takes place at the beginning of every year. This is directly linked to our curriculum planning.
Measuring and monitoring is an integral part of the Eco-Schools program, providing us with all the evidence we need to showcase our environmental success.
We were first awarded the highest Eco-schools accolade ‘Green Flag’ in June 2004 and have held it since. We are proud to have achieved our 10th Green Flag in 2021 with flying colours – Our Eco Schools Hall of Fame status can be found here. https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/inspiration/hall-of-fame/
For over 30 years, Eco-Schools England has empowered young people to protect our planet — starting in schools and reaching out into communities and beyond.
Eco-Schools is a global, pupil-led environmental education programme that helps schools embed sustainability within their curriculum and daily life.
At Staunton-on-Wye Endowed Primary School, we are very proud to be an Eco-School. Our ongoing commitment to environmental action has earned us the highest accolade — the Green Flag with Distinction.
We first achieved the Green Flag award in June 2004 and have maintained it ever since. In 2024, we were thrilled to receive our 20th consecutive Green Flag, recognising two decades of dedication to protecting and caring for our environment.
Our Eco Work
The Eco-Schools programme covers ten key topics, encouraging everyone in school to play their part.
Our enthusiastic Eco Committee meets regularly to plan activities and organise events, ensuring that environmental awareness is part of everyday school life.
While the committee leads our eco initiatives, it truly is a whole-school effort. We integrate sustainability across the curriculum, helping children understand how what they learn connects to the wider world — and how their actions today can shape a better future.
The Ten Eco-Schools Topics
The Eco-Schools topics help guide our work and focus our efforts across all areas of school life:
- Biodiversity – protecting and encouraging local wildlife and plant life.
- Energy – learning how to use energy efficiently and reduce waste.
- Global Citizenship – understanding our role in the wider world and promoting fairness.
- Healthy Living – making choices that support physical and mental wellbeing.
- Litter – reducing, reusing, and recycling to keep our environment clean.
- Marine – exploring how to protect oceans, rivers, and waterways.
- School Grounds – improving outdoor areas to support nature and learning.
- Transport – encouraging active and sustainable travel to and from school.
- Waste – reducing, reusing, and recycling materials wherever possible.
- Water – learning how to conserve and care for this precious resource.
What We Do as a School
At Staunton-on-Wye, our eco values are woven through everything we do.
We actively work to make sustainability a part of everyday learning by:
- Ensuring that all subjects and topic webs incorporate Eco-Schools themes and priorities within our curriculum overviews and long-term planning.
- Adapting current curriculum schemes of work to make them more relevant to the school’s Eco-Schools focus, environmental goals, and sustainability principles.
- Taking part in annual events that promote global citizenship and community care, including:
- Children in Need – supporting national fundraising efforts.
- Raising money for local charities to help those in our community.
- Collecting for the local food bank, promoting compassion and empathy.
- Eco initiatives such as Switch Off Lights Week, Litter Picking Weeks, and Cycle and Walk to School Weeks — encouraging small actions that make a big difference.
One of our favourite times of the year is our Harvest Lunch — a joyful celebration of community and sustainability. We gather together as a school to share and enjoy the produce we’ve grown in our school garden. Every child takes part in cooking the meal, learning valuable skills about food, teamwork, and gratitude.
It’s a special time to celebrate our volunteers, whose support helps our eco vision flourish throughout the year.
Through these activities, our pupils learn that caring for others and the planet go hand in hand — developing into responsible, compassionate global citizens.
Supporting Emotional Wellbeing in Eco Education
We recognise that as children learn about environmental issues, they may also experience feelings of worry or concern for the planet. At Staunton-on-Wye, we aim to nurture both eco-awareness and emotional resilience by:
- Acknowledging eco-anxiety as a growing concern — helping children manage feelings of fear, worry, or distress about climate change and environmental challenges.
- Focusing on empowerment — encouraging pupils to recognise challenges while developing a sense of ownership and optimism about the positive changes they can make.
- Modelling and celebrating positive change — sharing examples of environmental progress and showing how individuals and communities can make a real difference.
- Using the outdoor environment to support mental health — providing consistent opportunities for learning and wellbeing activities in nature.
- Promoting healthy lifestyle awareness — developing children’s understanding of healthy eating and its connection to overall wellbeing and sustainability.
- Teaching emotional regulation strategies — using mindfulness, breathing exercises, and calming techniques to help children manage anxiety and build inner strength.
- Continuing to focus on healthy eating within our school community, reinforcing the link between wellbeing and sustainability.
Children’s concern for the planet reflects empathy and awareness — qualities to be nurtured, not suppressed.
Our goal is to help pupils transform fear into agency, resilience, and hope, empowering them to see themselves as changemakers for a brighter, more sustainable future.
Supporting Your Child as an Eco-Warrior
We believe that eco awareness begins at school but grows stronger at home.
Families can help support their child’s journey as an eco-warrior by exploring these fun and educational resources together:
- National Geographic Kids – Save the Earth
- Nat Geo Kids UK – How to Save the Planet
- Eco Friendly Kids – Making Recycling Fun
- We Are Teachers – Earth Day Crafts and Activities
- Green and Simple – Inspiring Little Eco Warriors
You can also find child-friendly mindfulness activities online to help children stay calm, grounded, and positive while learning about the environment.
Practising mindfulness — such as breathing exercises or quiet reflection in nature — supports both emotional wellbeing and a deeper connection to the world around us.
