Outline of Content How Eco Schools in is organised in Ogmore School Discuss our green flag application How the Eco Committee was established and pupils motivated Explain how our action plan is conceived Witness the work of some Eco Committee teams Question pupil members of the Eco Committee.

Organisation of Eco Schools in Ogmore Comprehensive : Mrs Harbour and sixth form students during timetabled PSE : Mrs Harbour, sixth form students and some younger. Held in Homework Club (once per week). Can recycling initiative led to silver award : Miss Pearce, Year 12 Duke of Edinburgh students and geography AS students. Marketed as ‘Green Wednesday’ and weekly homework club. Year 12 and 13 selected preferred topics and became Team Leaders. Pupils chose team to join, although all could be involved in all activities. Numbers levelled after Christmas at around 20 good attendees and an additional 15 sporadic members.

Green Wednesday

Establishing the eco committee Motivating Students: Year 12 and 13 Team Leaders: Duke of Edinburgh, geography, word of mouth, UCAS, key skills, personal interest. Year 7- 11: Posters for Green Wednesday, dinner queue pass, badges, being part of team, food. Non-student representation: Students identified adults they would like to invite from the categories … SLT, teachers, non-teaching staff, governors, parents, local businesses, LEA representative.

Compiling an Action Plan The process … Team leaders discuss with teams during 3 Green Wednesday meetings. Teams carry out surveys to ascertain school community needs Teams put forward 3 suggestions for inclusion in action plan Eco Committee vote during Autumn Term meeting and the winning suggestion is included in action plan

Action Plan Litter: purchase and locating of ‘Gummi Bins’ Waste Minimisation: unsuccessful with plastic recycling but success with paper and cans Energy: Big Blackout leading to idea of ‘Staff Wars’ Water: have placed hippos into all pupil toilet cisterns Healthy Living: working in conjunction with council catering services established a meal deal Global Citizenship: working towards Fairtrade school status School Grounds: construction and positioning of 7 bird boxes. Transport: raised awareness of car sharing within sixth form

New team leaders identified in September Qualitative Meet with previous team leaders and discuss progress towards targets. Survey current position and analyse. Consider new targets to discuss with team for the coming year. Evaluating the Action Plan

Waste Minimisation: apply for grant to become recycling point Energy: Staff Wars raises stakes in school energy conservation Global Citizenship: Fairtrade steering group visit feeder primaries to run workshops Transport: School travel plan School Grounds: Eco Garden with compost bins, log piles and recycled greenhouse Ideas for

Communication: Discussion as team and committee, team research using a variety of media, termly presentations to Eco Committee. ICT: use of internet to research partners and use of excel to monitor and evaluate progress, use of PowerPoint. Application of Number: Monitoring of recycling figures and utility meter readings and calculation of action impacts. Working with Others: planning as a team and delivering suggestions for action plan, devising realistic strategies to achieve targets, presentations Problem Solving: researching strategies to achieve action plan, following plan and evaluating impacts Improving own Learning and Performance: contribution to action plan, presentations during year and evaluation. Key Skills

Eco Schools Community Vertical organisation and support within wider school community from team Belonging – recognition by badges School community Acquisition of Green Flag Impact of actions on all pupils ESDGC Pupil SurveyESDGC Pupil Survey LEA Pride of being first Green Flag secondary in Bridgend Press coverage and Green Flag ceremony Wales Pride of being top in country awardaward Opportunities for consultative role e.g. today and supporting other school eco committees. Whole School Ethos

Impact of Eco-Schools on pupil perceptions of sustainable change Impact of Eco-Schools on pupil perceptions of uncertainty and precaution returnreturn Whole School Ethos

Bronze Award: online application, meeting with minutes, reviews undertaken, action plan. Silver Award: online application, wider representation on committee (including parents), pupils begin to take responsibility, survey results communicated, action plan, publicity, notice board. Green Flag: formal application and visit, list of questions that guide description of Eco-Schools experience based on the seven elements. Eco School Awards

Eco Committee Identification Representative of school community Eco Code Whole school consultation Monitoring Action And Evaluating Progress Annual Informs action plan Linking to curriculum Curriculum map Data handling & presentation in Maths and IT Whole school and community Eco Code Press Releases Outreach support Action Plan Team proposals Vote for priorities Target setting Environmental Review Annual team survey Display impacts

Q9 How was your Eco Code developed? The Eco Code has been developed by each new committee. The version in place for 2006/07 was ‘thought showered’ by six members of the eco committee. They originally proposed three ideas and these were then discussed during a ‘Green Wednesday’. The Eco Committee voted for the tree and this idea was then developed by a year 12 pupil. Each sub committee was asked for a sound bite that would feature on their branch of the tree and the final version was sent out for consultation with every form group in the school. The final version will be displayed in every classroom and around the school in the New Year. Evidence Eco Code versions 1,2 and 3. Sub Committee monitoring record. Feedback from form groups

What was easy? Eco Committee meetings and sharing of minutes Generation of Eco Code Environmental Review Action Plan What was harder? Whole school feedback on Eco Code, work of Eco Committee Identifying links between Eco-schools activities and curriculum Monitoring whole school awareness Website Green Flag Experience … meeting the criteria

Useful Websites

March 2007 – Wales Eco School (Secondary) of the Year Award return