Eco-Council

Brook Primary School have our own Eco-Council who are responsible for looking after all things green.

We have been working very hard over the past few years to help the school become more environmentally friendly.

What is the Eco-Council?

  • The Eco-Council is a group of pupils who are elected by their classmates to improve the school environment for everybody connected to it.
  • The Eco-Council hold meetings to discuss new ideas to help the school become more environmentally friendly.
  • The Eco-Council are involved in planting projects.

Why have an Eco-Council?

  • To encourage children, staff and visitors within the school to respect and protect the environment.
  • To give the children hands-on experience in outdoor learning, including planting and pond dipping.
  • To enable the children to develop a positive relationship with the natural environment.
  • To help to develop team work and speaking and listening skills.
  • To encourage children to contribute to the school community and local community.

When does the Eco-Council take place?

The Eco-Council usually meet every month on a Thursday. We also get together on some Wednesday afternoons to complete work in the school garden. Meetings are held in the conference suite for discussions about current actions and the planning of future projects.

How do you become an Eco-Council member?

Our Eco-council changes every year so all pupils at Brook have the opportunity to take part. During new class induction mornings you will be expected to give a small speech to your peers about why you would like to be on the Eco-Council and what you could bring to the role. Your classmates will then vote. The two children in each class with the most votes will become the Eco-council members for the class for the year.

What steps has Brook Primary already taken to become environmentally friendly?

Here at Brook Primary school we have been busy taking our next steps to make our school more eco-friendly. These are some of the things we already do:

Energy and water:

Brook Primary already ensure that we try to save energy where we can; turning off all lights, computers and projectors each night or when not in use. The Eco-Council members have an important responsibility to check that this is being done during break times and lunchtimes. We also use non concussive taps within the school toilets to ensure that there is a timed flow of water. This means that the taps automatically shut off after being used and so avoid any unnecessary wastage of water.

Recycling and litter:

Brook Primary School has a wonderful ethos of keeping the school environment clean and tidy. The school has many bins both in the classrooms and on the playground; this helps to ensure that children are putting their rubbish in the correct place. Our caretakers, staff and children work very hard to make sure that any litter that is spotted on the floor is picked up immediately and deposed of correctly.

Transport:

Brook Primary school promotes children walking to school and has participated in this years walk to school week on 15th - 19th May. Many children enjoyed walking to school but we do understand that some children prefer to cycle. For this reason Brook Primary already have secure bike and scooter facilities on the playground. To encourage more children to cycle to school rather than arrive in vehicles, the school also participates in 'Bike Ability' sessions to provide children with the appropriate cycle skills to be able to ride to school safely. We are working hard to continue to try and reduce the amount of vehicles used and have hosted many 'walk to' events this year including our 'Scary Scarecrow Festival'.

School garden and grounds:

We already use the school garden effectively to promote healthier lifestyle choices to the children. Earlier this year, each class within the school participated in a competition making their own potato salads using ingredients from the garden. This was very successful and helped highlight to the children ways in which to be self-sustainable. In addition to this, Year 5 have also used the parsnips from the school garden this year to create a soup during their parent cooking session.

From time to time we have visitors from the local community volunteering to help look after the school garden. Groups of children work alongside these volunteers on a Wednesday afternoon supervised by a support member of staff. This makes maintaining and developing the school environment very successful. This year we have also developed the school pond and wildlife area creating an environment for the children at Brook to pond dip, bug hunt and frog spot for years to come.

What have Brook Eco-Council achieved?

Last year the Eco council:

  • Planted in the local community (the Eco-Council were involved in planting at the Red Glass Cone).
  • Delivered a whole school assembly on all things Eco.
  • Created a competition to raise money to buy seeds for the school garden.
  • Completed a project in the school garden creating planters.
  • Created school Eco newsletters.

What are Brook Eco-Council planning to do this year?

  • Create new signs for the classrooms reminding the staff and children to switch off the lights, taps and projectors.
  • Encourage the use of the new pond for activities such as pond dipping.
  • Prepare the garden beds ready for planting.
  • Plant new crops in the school garden.
  • Create more community links within the local area.