Environmental Education

At St. James we foster care for each other and our environment. As the children progress through the school they grow in awareness and respect for the environment and living things and so appreciate that these things are integral for the health and well being of the local and global community.

Eco Squad
The Children of Yr4 and their teachers meet at the beginning of the new school year to discuss their function as the “Eco-Squad”. Teachers guide the conversation using all available sources of information including the Eco- Schools handbook. The pupils form an Eco Council and draw up a list of aims and responsibilities, including a number objectives for all classes. These are then presented by the Eco Squad in assemblies; the children make information posters which are displayed around the school. The Eco Squad is also responsible for encouraging recycling and running the paper recycling initiative.

The Garden
The Eco squad orchestrates, with guidance, the care of the school garden and its small pond. It is a matter of great pride that the school was awarded The Longman Cup by The London Children’s Flower Society.
Every year Mrs Douglas enthusiastically runs a daffodil growing competition awarding Gold, Silver and Bronze certificates to all those green fingered children who produce a beautiful daffodil from the small bulb they were given the preceding Autumn.

Beyond the School Boundaries
From Reception and Yr 1 enjoy the experience of Forest School in the open woodland section of Holland Park (ref: Forest School section).

Year 3 and above enjoy trips and residential week-ends at the Environmental Study Centre at Minstead, Hampshire (ref: Minstead Study Centre section). Here they learn about caring for the land and tending to sheep, hens and the importance of biodiversity.

Yr 6 boys have a residential holiday at Bush Craft in Oxfordshire where they and their class teacher with specialist teachers spend four nights camping; living without running water or electricity. It’s both a great adventure and a very practical way of heightening awareness of the use of the world’s limited natural resources.