31st Aug 2014
| Topic | Action | Target / Measure | Timescale / Deadline | Responsibility | Actual Result Achieved / Date |
| School Grounds | Improve the surroundings of our school making it more stimulating place for pupils and visitors. A range of bulbs are planted at the front and back of the school. Flower boxes/hanging baskets/ pots, painted tyres containing flowers will also be planted and placed around our school. We have recently built a picnic area in our school which everyone helped to paint. It has benches for the children to enjoy during school time when the weather improves. We keep the grass cut regularly so that it is well maintained.We aim to get new football nets, playground markings and a shed for storage in our yard. |
To work on developing our school grounds by creating a vegetable garden in our school, by planting bulbs, recycling and creating a compost bin, to work on the topic of biodiversity. We can measure this by children’s enthusiasm for activities and ultimately feedback from activities.Fruit/ waste audit will be completed by end June 2014 Grass gets cut by maintenance regularly. We aim to Enter and participate in this year’s Best Kept Schools Competition. Closing date 1st March 2014 Monitor the successful growth of plants and crops in our garden area. |
November 13On goingOn goingOn going Closing date is March 1st 2014 |
All teaching staff led by Miss O’Neill, the Eco Committee and children. The Eco Committee and Gardening Club led by Miss O’Neill will be responsible for caring for them. |
Will be achieved by March 2014.Flower boxes have been planted already and watered on a regular basis. Achieved September 2013. We are waiting for them to flourish. |
| Biodiversity | To improve the variety or diversity of wildlife and plants within our school. A vegetable garden will be established where children can grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruit. The garden will have a compost bin which will be used by the school to compost apple cores, banana peelings etc which will then benefit our new garden. This will be incorporated into the curriculum and then, children can then sell the produce from a stall in entrance hall, all profits will go toward maintaining the school grounds. To encourage wildlife into our new garden. We aim to help attract a greater variety of birds to the area.Help attract wildlife such as hedgehogs by keeping the grass at the back of the school 1 metre higher than the rest of the grass.We have designed posters to create a Bug Hotel in our school grounds. A log pile has been arranged in the new garden to attract invertebrates. |
We have placed hanging bird feeders in various locations around our school. Some children from our school also made bird houses to help attract different kinds of birds too. Record of birds that come. Contact RSPB to come and talk to us about ways to attract birds. Reception/Primary 1 and 2 classes will be making bird feeders from recyclable materials to hang around our school grounds.The Eco Committee already had a meeting with the school maintenance people to keep the grass 1 metre high above the rest when they go to cut the grass so that it will attract hedgehogs etc… Photographical evidence.The Eco Committee has researched and discussed the materials they will use to help build their Bug Hotel and, have already started to collect and bring in resources to help bring this idea to life. Photographical evidence and posters. A wildlife audit will be completed before the log pile has been introduced in the garden. Another audit will be completed afterwards and results compared |
On goingFeb 14January 14Made by January 14
Feb 14-Reviewed in April 14 |
A representative from each class has been chosen to collect the fruit peelings and take them to the compost bin.Lead by class teacher Miss Savage. Reception/p1/p2 classThe Eco Committee Whole school The Gardening Club led by Miss O’Neill |
Achieved by May 2014Raised beds have been built and put in place. Children (Key Stage 1) will be able to plant a range of vegetables, herbs and fruit when the weather conditions are more suitable for this to proceed. (Feb/March 2014)Achieved
Achieved in February 14 |
| Litter | To reduce the about of litter in our school and community. Promotion of appropriate litter management throughout the school. Ensure that compost bins are used for bio-degradable waste and emptied each day into our big compost bin outside. Promote the use of recycling bins in all classrooms. I.e. paper, general and fruit peelings.Use the Eco School board as a means of informing staff and pupils of appropriate waste management techniques. Arrange whole school litter collections. Through weekly assemblies provide good practice guidelines for litter collection and inform the school of the environmental pitfalls related to poor waste management. Whole school will participate in the Big Spring Clean Event. |
The Eco Committee will keep a record of the ‘greenest class’ each week by weighing the recycling bins to see which one contains the heaviest amount of paper. In turn, this information will be plotted on a graph and displayed on our Eco Notice Board each week. The winning class will receive 5 minutes extra play time on a Friday after lunch. Hence promoting healthy living by keeping active. • Photographic evidence • Graphs • Certificates • Assemblies and Eco Committee meetings to get feedback from children. • School involvement in keeping the wider community as litter free as possible. • Establish termly litter picking events involving the whole school. • Encourage participation from parents. • Contact the council with regards to litter picking provisions, such as litter pickers, gloves bags. Organise safe and appropriate removal of waste collected. • Make posters for display in local shops to raise awareness of the importance of a tidy community. Provide for a deeper understanding of environmental issues caused through littering. Allow the Eco Team to continue demonstrating good practice in maintaining our vegetable patch, bulbs we planted, compost bin, Eco School notice board. Extend participation in environmental activities to pupils who may not be members of the Eco Team. Create a video presentation to show pupils how littering effects our environment and make this available on the school website. Continue to illustrate an environmental tip of the week on the Eco Team notice board. Children can participate in the Environmental Youth Speak Competition and express their views on how to be ‘greener’. |
On goingOn goingOn going
On going Big Spring Clean in up in February 14 On going Feb-March 14 |
Eco Committee Whole School |
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| Waste | To examine the impact of waste on the environment and explore practical means for reducing and minimising the amount of waste produced by the school. | We have entered the Cash For Clobber competition. As a whole school we are trying to reduce and recycle any old clothes we have at home. The scheme is aimed at raising awareness of textile recycling among children and to show how important it is for EVERYONE to reduce, reuse and recycle. In turn, the money raised will be put towards school funding. In every class we have compost bins for fruit skins. Certain children have been nominated to empty the fruit peelings each day into our large compost bin which the Council, very kindly donated to us as part of becoming an Eco School. This in turn, will help with the growth of our new vegetable garden. We also participated in the European Week for Waste Reduction 2013 upon which, we were awarded a certificate for. The children created posters explaining how they PLEDGE to reduce, reuse and recycle. We are actively participating in the recycling of Empty Laser Cartridges, Inkjet Cartridges and Mobile Phones from school or children’s homes can be brought into school to be recycled. A letter was sent home to inform parents about this and we have had a great response so far. In school we recycle things like paper towels, in the toilet only use one per person. Our new toilets will have hand dryers rather than ‘wasting’ paper towels every time you need to wash your hands. Recycling bins outside the office for bottle tops, plastic bottles, yoghurt pots, batteries and paper bins in each class too. |
Nov 13 on goingStarted Sept 13-on goingDone Nov 13On going
On going |
Eco Committee Whole schoolEco committeeWhole schoolWhole school Parents from our community can get involved. Whole school Eco Committee |
May 14 |
Date Action Plan was developed: 21/9/13
Action Plan developed by: Miss Anne-Marie O’Neill, Eco Committee and staff at St Laurence O’Toole’s Primary School.
