Reuse, recycle... receive an award

Primary and Secondary schools making an effort to look after the environment have until December 10 to enter the Green School Awards 2018 - and that effort can be as simple as trying to recycle as much rubbish as possible.

Children’s charity the KM Charity Team established the awards in 2016 to reward pupils and schools for their environmental endeavours, encourage children to take an interest in being green, and inspire other schools to learn from the winners’ success.

Green School Awards 2017 from KM Charity Team on Vimeo.

Details of the top initiatives and projects are collated and printed in a best practice brochure and sent to every school in Kent, Medway, and Bexley. The winning schools also receive trophies and certificates and are able to highlight their eco-friendly ethos by using the Green School Awards logo on their newsletters, websites and literature.

There are four categories: green travel to school and road safety; energy conservation, nature conservation and recycling. Simon Dolby, chief executive of the KM Charity Team, said "many schools will be doing something special already without realising, particularly in the latter category."

“We’ve seen schools do some really lovely and thoughtful work. At St John’s Primary School in Maidstone, which was one of this year's winners, pupils collected and recycled litter which had been dropped in nearby woodland,” he said. “That doesn’t just teach children about the damaging consequences of dropping litter - including the fact that someone else has to pick it up - it makes the woodland much more pleasant for everyone who goes there.”

He added: “We absolutely believe that this sort of consideration for other people and for the environment should be recognised and rewarded. Environmental work like this obviously helps pupils with their science and geography studies, but just as importantly, it teaches them how to be responsible citizens.”

Other former winners include Bethersden Primary School in Ashford who took the Overall School Champions title in 2016. Their strong recycling policy across classrooms included collecting paper, plastic and clothing, as well as reusing old items such as tyres for planting flowers.

Nominations can be submitted online by anyone from the school including staff, governors, volunteers, or parents. The winners will be invited to an awards ceremony at Kent Cricket Club in Canterbury in February.

The awards are run in partnership with Golding Homes and supported by LoopCR. For more information or to enter, visit the Green School Awards website before the deadline of Sunday, December 10.

Contact Details

Sophie Wallace
Telephone: 08442 640291
Email: swallace@thekmgroup.co.uk