The Eco-Schools programme was established in 1994 and is now delivered in more than 70 countries across the globe. More than 1 million pupils attended an Eco-School in England in 2022-23.

Pupils at Purley Primary first formed an Eco-Committee, then collaborated with Mrs Solari to conduct an environmental review, assessing how eco-friendly their school is. They reviewed everything from biodiversity within their school grounds to how pupils and staff members travel to school. Building on their findings, pupils and Mrs Solari then planned a year of action designed to advance their school’s green credentials, improve their local environment, and protect our planet.

The Eco-Committee connected their work to 3 Eco-Schools topics: Litter, Waste, and Healthy Living. They then planned a variety of projects including promoting meat free recipes in the school newsletter, and providing compost bins around the school to prevent fruit and vegetable waste from snack and lunch times going into land fill.

Mrs Solari said “The children in the Eco-Committee were very enthusiastic about encouraging everyone to take responsibility for making small changes to care for our environment.   We’d also like to say a huge thank you to Thames Water for covering our accreditation costs this year”.

Darcie in Year 4 said “I liked being on the Eco-Committee because we got to miss some lesson time and I liked saving the planet”.

Eco-Schools England Manager, Adam Flint, said: “The Eco-Schools Green Flag award is an internationally recognised symbol of high environmental standards. The pupils and school staff that earn the award deserve immense credit for their hard work, determination, and creativity. Their passion for protecting our planet is an inspiration to us all.”