Sustainability

Our Vision for a Sustainable School 

Sustainability is essential to ensure a good quality of life for everyone without causing irreversible damage to the planet for future generations. This requires careful balancing of life style, social equity and care for the environment.

The whole school community at Thurnham Glasson C of E Primary School are becoming increasingly aware of their responsibility to promote and practise sustainable development. As a school we have a special role to play in securing the future for young people; as a place of learning we can help children understand our impact on the planet and through 'leading by example' are well placed to demonstrate sustainable living and working to children and the wider community alike.

At Thurnham Glasson C of E Primary School we are keen to work towards improving our positive effects on the environment and reducing our adverse effects.

How will we meet our vision?

Through a process of continuous provision we prepare our children for a lifetime of sustainable living built upon the core principles of care.

Care for ourselves.

Care for each other.

Care for the environment.

Energy and Water

We manage our use of energy and water so as to conserve our natural resources and cut energy costs. 

Traffic and Travel

We aim to reduce our contribution to road congestion, accidents and pollution through supporting safe and sustainable travel and traffic options where possible.

Purchase and Waste

We seek to reduce the amount of waste we produce, re-use where feasible and recycle what's left. We will also aim to consider the impact on the environment of resources that we purchase. 

School Grounds and Buildings

We build, develop and manage our school buildings and grounds as a rich learning resource to illustrate sustainable living, contribute to the school's environmental performance and enhance the health and well-being of children and staff. 

Inclusion and Participation

We actively promote the inclusion and participation of our whole school community to work together to participate in school life, welcome diversity and challenge injustice. 

Local Well-being

We aim to make a positive contribution to the well-being of the local community through being a good neighbour and fostering relationships with local businesses, residents and agencies. To develop a greater understanding of the local environment with the whole school community and encourage it's use and care.

Global Dimension

We develop an international outlook equipping our children with the confidence and understanding to respond to the global dimension, acknowledge our individual and collective responsibility as global citizens and our potential to learn from more sustainable cultures and people. 

ECO Team Responsibilities

Classroom Pledge

We will only use the resources and energy that we need, to save resources whenever we can and to protect the environment.

In our Classrooms:

Are all classroom resources well stored and ready to use. They will last much longer if cared for.

Turn off all electrical equipment when not in use: Computers, class room lights, projectors, interactive boards .

Check the bins so that only card, cardboard and paper goes in the recycling bin.

Make sure anything plastic or metal has gone in the recycling bin.

Toilets

Are the paper towels being used as they should are they in the bin?

Have taps been left running?

Outside

Are we putting everything that we should into the bins?

Look after the playtime equipment and it will last longer, put it away carefully.

If you have any questions regarding the curriculum we teach please contact the school directly.

Do you know ? ( Top tips for an Eco friendly world)

• Walking to school is a really healthy option . It keeps you fit and it is free . it will save you money on fuel as well as saving up to 256 kg in carbon emissions in a year.
• Use your bike rather than a car. It is usually faster from A to B by bike in rush hour.Saving based on a return journey of 4 miles per day , 5 times a week , 40 weeks a year , saving 800 miles of solo driving. This means a saving of 261 kg of carbon emissions a year and you are healthier too.
• Around 8% of a household's typical electricity use is wasted on standby. make sure you're not paying for those little red lights unnecessarily by turning appliances off completely where you can. Saving based on whole house standby reduction. 183 kg a year in carbon emissions. 
• Walking is healthy - Did you know car trips of 1 or 2 miles are most fuel inefficient journeys as the engine doesn't have time to warm up? Ditch the car for short trips and walk instead. saving based on 4 x one mile car journeys replaced per week for 52 weeks. 71 kg of carbon emissions saved a year.
• Plug that draft - Doors,windows and floorboards in old properties let draughts in and can leak 20% of your heat. Cheap and simple draught excluders will plug those gaps and keep the heat in. based on yearly saving for an average house including draught-proofing doors, windows,fireplaces, floorboards and skirtings. 225 kg of carbon emissions saved by this every year.  
• Car sharing is fun,sociable and saves costs and wear and tear on the car. The saving is based on one car's reduced milage from 2 people car-sharing equally,85 miles per week (average UK commuting distance) for 40 weeks a year. Carbon emissions saved 574kg by this every year.
• Did you know by smooth accelerating and braking, appropriate gear changing, sticking to the speed limit and reducing excess weight, you can save around 20% in fuel costs? Saving based on average , medium size petrol car    doing 9000 miles a year. 452 kg of carbon emissions saved by this action every year.
• Did you know the healthiest indoor temperature is between 18-21C? So make sure your thermostat is not set any higher. Every 1C reduction saves 10% on your heating bills , based on a typical household saving by turning down heating by 1C. 260 kg of carbon emissions saved by this action every year.
• Paper/card makes up approx. a quarter of household waste by weight. Recycling keeps it from landfill where it rots quickly releasing greenhouse gases. Saving is for the carbon saving from avoiding landfilling paper/card and not the extra saving from making recycled paper products from it. 133 kg of carbon emissions saved by this action every year.
• Did you know that disposable paper tea and coffee cups cannot be recycled easily because of their plastic lining? Why not ditch your daily disposable for a reusable mug instead? The saving based on a person saving 250 disposable cups by using a reusable per year. 28 kg of carbon emissions saved by this action every year.
• Showers are generally more energy and water efficient than baths,but not if you shower for half an hour! Limit showers to 4 minutes daily for a year. 190 kg of carbon emissions saved by this action per year.