Green pupils earn third flag

For the past six years the village primary school has maintained its eco-school status.

And staff and pupils have just been awarded their third Green Flag.

The school’s Eco Committee worked collaboratively to prepare a tour of the school and grounds and a presentation of their findings and action plans to assessor, Ann Black, recently.

She also interviewed pupils and staff during the two hour visit.

The Assessor looks for direct links to curriculum planning, whole school involvement as well as local and global links.

And she gave Eddleston, yet again, the thumbs up.

A spokesman for Eddleston Primary School said: “The topics covered by the Eddleston School pupils for this Green Flag were litter, sustainability, and food and the environment.

“Sustainability was supported by school in focusing on learning the importance of bees in the food chain, supporting wildlife, building bird boxes at the school and at Leadburn, planting insect-attracting flowers, and growing vegetables to appreciate sustainable and seasonal food production. “The pupils also learned about Fairtrade and now use the charity, Mary’s Meals, to support schools in Malawi.” Ms Black was also told of the pupils tackling the topic of food by learning how to prepare meals, the nutritious facts, the global impact of food miles, and also organising a One Planet Picnic to showcase the enjoyment, seasonality and social and cultural aspect of food.

Although litter isn’t a problem at Eddleston the P1 and P2 pupils continue to be the school’s litter monitors and regularly check any hot spots.

And the pupils have increased their understanding of the impact by creating litter experiments to prove the hazards to our planet.

The Assesor was also shown how Eddleston Primary School is supporting the environment and Curriculum for Excellence with the two pupil-led Eco Conferences which the Eco Committees have organised during the last two years.

The pupils are now working towards their fourth Green Flag.