Over twenty Schools in Stafford Borough applied for, and successfully received, Eco School Grants for amounts of up to £450 from Stafford Borough Council towards their eco projects in 2011.
The projects were all excellent and below are brief descriptions of each of the projects taken from the schools' feedback reports.
There is also a selection of photographs of some of the projects.
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The grant was used to purchase additional resources to enhance the teaching and learning of life cycles and pond and insect life around the school pond and wild life area. These resources include lockable outdoor display panels for displaying posters and children’s work.
A grassy (mostly muddy) area of approximately 10 square metres has been slabbed over to enable the provision of a water butt to harvest rainwater and existing guttering has been replaced to include the down pipe for the water butt. The area is being used for storage of outdoor play equipment and the storage of plastic recycling bins. It also enables easy access to two new composting bins located on adjoining land.
A lot of progress has been made on the development of a woodland area in the school grounds and the school has met with Staffordshire Wildlife Trust for advice on how best to proceed. Seating will be included in the woodland area and, at the time of writing, the school is currently waiting for Staffs Wildlife Trust to deliver twenty log stumps. Some bushcraft tools have been purchased along with tarpaulins, flints and steels and a fire pit to be sourced locally. There is an area of grounds due for redevelopment where it is planned to plant bluebells or wildflowers amongst the established trees.
The funding was used for the building of a raised bed for growing vegetables which were planted by the children. The benefits the beds have brought include an interest in gardening amongst the children and they will learn how food grows and be encouraged to eat healthily. Parents are involved and often provide plants and help with the heavier garden work.
The eco grant was used to purchase a composter to enable the school to put their waste to good use. This will be used by school pupils for both garden and kitchen waste.
The eco funding was used towards the creation of the eco/ wildlife garden and seating area. This included a pond, which was designed and built by the children which will have a fence and gated area around it. Fruits and vegetables will be grown by the children and a wildlife garden with bug hotel is to be included. There are many advantages in having the new outdoor seating area.
The funding was used to plant a 40th birthday orchard and sensory garden and covered the cost of the purchase of trees including fruit trees, bench/es, bird bath and feeders and a veg trug and planters and associated items.
The children have been growing their own fruit and vegetables and looking for the different forms of wildlife in the pond. They have also started a Really Wild Club each week for children from 4+ which has been a great success. A member of the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust has visited them and given them lots of tips to develop the area and the school is now planning to incorporate a sensory seating area, grow flowers to attract bees and butterflies as well as fruit and vegetables and plans to make a bug hotel.
The funding helped to pay for curriculum work for the early years foundation stage for purchase of resources which included a road sign set, traffic lights, 2 novelty litter bins and some plants for a sensory garden. A focus week was arranged on the topic “People who help us” and members of the local community were invited to go in, including the lollipop lady. The children further developed their understanding of road safety and rules of the Green Cross Code.
An excellent project where the funding was used for growing areas which have been created for the children, with a mini beast hotel and sandpit cover. Some good pictures of this included. The quiet area in the KS2 playground shows the newly painted fencing and bird boxes which have been put up around the school. A sensory garden was created by children from years 3 and 4. Parents, children and staff worked together to create an allotment which now contains runner beans and broad beans which children in Y5 and 6 grew from seed at home and then brought back to school. Also planted were peas, radish, carrots, rhubarb and strawberries which the children will sell at a later date.
The funding helped to pay for a new water butt and new guttering which was erected onto the new shed to collect rainwater. The rainwater runs into the water butt and is used for watering plants and vegetables. Herbs have been planted next to the school kitchen and new hand tools are used for weeding and planting.
The funding has really helped to kick start development of the Key Stage One Garden by the creation of a multi texture gravel pathway and an area to attract minibeasts which was planned with the help of three men from TDG, who dug a wavy pathway going through the garden. Different textures of gravel were used to fill the pathway with help from some fantastic parent volunteers who gave up their Saturday to help.
Some decorations to hang from the pavilion and seeds to grow plants that will attract butterflies were also bought with the funds.
Funding was given to build four raised beds and lay a new slabbed area within the school grounds. The feedback report from the school stated that where possible the building materials were used from the old garden and attractive wooden planters have been ordered. New insect-attracting plants will be planted to encourage more wildlife.
Funding was provided for the purchase of five refurbished children’s bikes, five cycle helmets and ancillary equipment for KS2 children. The bikes were purchased from Back to Bikes. The bikes are also intended to be used for cycle training courses and in September an after school cycling club is planned.
The grant paid for work with the Redstone Centre to create a living willow sphere on the mound that is in the school playground and an arbour by the school garden/allotment. Two internal storage bins have been ordered for cardboard recycling.
The project is called “Learning without Walls” and grant funding was used to build some raised beds for the school outdoor learning environment and several excellent photographs showing the progress of the building of the raised beds were sent with their feedback report. The new outdoor learning environment has seating for 30 children, a roof and its own water butt. A picket fence and gate was later added to secure the area. The raised beds are to be filled with sensory plants.
Funding was requested to build a sedum roof upon a shed which had been supplied by Viking Sheds, who had very kindly reinforced the roof to allow for the weight of the sedum roofing. The children enjoyed doing most of the work themselves. The Gardening Club helped by lifting bags of gravel, laid the turf and planted the sedum onto the roof. Help was given by parents to dig out weeds from the bottom of the school field ready for the children to lay the wildflower turf and plant extra wild flowers.
The funding enabled the creation of an Early Years bird feeding station, including bird feeders, bird table, feeding station kit, bird’s bath, binoculars, books, trellis and bird food.
The funding was used to redevelop the school pond area, which had become overgrown and difficult to manage. Staffs Wildlife Trust was asked to assist, with the help of some of the parents. Parents and staff built the decking around the pond and cleared the brambles around the area so that benches could be put in for the children to work at.
The project has been part of the development of the school grounds in order that they become part of the learning environment for the children and this involved the installation of a school pond, which can be used for studies based around mini beasts.
The funding was used to improve the environment in two areas of the school. In the first area a picnic bench and new bins were provided. In the second area trees were planted by Y7 students, (as part of an environmental science topic in the curriculum), in a far corner of the grounds to provide a quiet and natural area.
