Eco School

We’ve done it, we are now officially an Eco-School!

Clothing Bin - for all to use

Big news!

Our school has teamed up with Astra Recycling and we now have a textile bank on our premises.

As an Eco School, we want to promote textile recycling and reduce the amount of clothing ending up in a landfill.

Our textile bank will take clothes, shoes, bed linen, accessories (such as belts, hats, gloves, scarves, and handbags) as well as soft toys. Just make sure it is of decent quality and packed in a bag. We don't take: duvets or cushion, off cuts, used underwear or socks, carpet or curtains.

With your clothing donation, you help communities in Eastern Europe and Africa but also our school so don't wait and donate!

For more information, visit astrorecycling.co.uk

Last Year's Update

Last year’s Eco-Warriors have been working hard to make changes in the following topics:

Healthy living

School grounds

Waste

Due to their hard work we managed to make parents aware of healthy snack options, improved our recycling system which resulted in less ‘black bin’ waste. We also improved our school grounds by building a bug hotel, making birdboxes and do litter picking during the Eco Afterschool Club.

Support from the community

The Eco-Warriors have been very fortunate to have support from:

- South Somerset Waste Partnership

- British Solar Renewables

- B & Q

- Coop St Michael's Avenue Yeovil

- Rymann

- Queen's green canopy

- Beat the street

The response from Eco-Schools after submitting our application:

We are very pleased to tell you that you and your Eco-Committee at St Michael's Academy have been awarded an Eco-Schools Green Flag.

We reviewed your application and noted the following:

It's wonderful that your Eco-Committee is represented across a broad range of year groups. This will ensure that your Eco-Schools work is widely promoted throughout the school community. Your pupils’ involvement in recording meeting minutes will engender in them a sense of responsibility for and ownership of their goals. It was great to read how your Environmental Review provided the basis for the projects in your Action Plan. It demonstrates a reflective and considered approach to your Eco-Schools work. We’re delighted that it helped to generate ideas and raise awareness among staff and pupils alike of how to improve and capitalise on the great work you were already doing. Your Action Plan is clear and incisive and its targets are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Bound). This is important as it helps to achieve progress and empower your Eco-Committee. We love how your Action Plan foci were shared diligently across the whole school through assemblies and your Eco-Board. Terrific work! We’re really impressed by how you’ve linked environmental issues to a diverse range of curriculum areas. Activities such as persuasive writing and debating will equip your pupils with important and fundamental life skills that will allow them to apply and build on their learning beyond the school gates. We love your Eco-Committee’s diligent and committed approach to communicating their Eco-Schools activity school-wide through assemblies and your Eco-Board. It was particularly heart-warming to read how pupils are also spreading the word through your after-school Eco-Club. This is really strong informing and involving and shows how valued and embedded the Eco-Schools programme is in your school. We think your Eco-Code is great! We love how it embodies your pupils’ values and celebrates all the fantastic work you have done so far. It delivers a simple but powerful manifesto that is underpinned by realistic and achievable pledges that the whole school and wider community can get behind. And we agree that home-grown vegetables are the tastiest! We are so impressed by your achievements this year. Your parent quote is testament to how your young people are taking the eco-message beyond the school gates and into their homes and communities, and we have no doubt that the radical change that your Eco-Schools work has brought about in both the ethos and actions of your school community must be an immense source of pride for you all at St Michael’s.

Congratulations on earning your Green Flag accreditation!