Green Credentials

“I feel really proud that I am making a difference in helping to make our school greener.” Gabriel, Year 8 Eco Prefect

Our pupils are environmentally aware and understand how their actions impact the planet. They were keen to have their voices heard in this regard so, alongside the various other child-led committees, Team G was conceived.

The Chair is a Y8 pupil and the different year groups nominate a member of their class to represent them and put forward new ideas. The group meets regularly and each representative feeds back to their class and teachers about the latest initiatives. The Chair meets regularly with the Head and the Chair of Governors and comes to staff meetings.

Team G are currently working towards our first Eco Award and different pupils have the responsibility of checking lights and taps are switched off and litter is picked up. We had a recent environmental poster competition and the winners had their designs made into our recycling bins.

Last year, Team G also wrote to our local MP, Sir Michael Fallon, to ask about recycling facilities in Sevenoaks and our carbon footprint. They then raised money through a home clothes day and other pupil-led initiatives like our own trick or treating day and Green Week. They donated some of this money to a local well-woman charity and also sent some to help people after the Australian bushfires and to sponsor koalas. The rest of the money will be used to create a sensory garden which will be a calming area to help relieve stress, at the same time creating homes for wildlife and giving pupils a real-life science interest. Team G has investigated what type of design and plants would be best for this.

Next year, there will also be a "Green Fingers Challenge" in school. Each class will be given a spider plant at the start of the year and they will have to look after it and see how it develops and grows smaller duplicates (‘spiderettes’). The form with the healthiest and biggest spider plant at the end of the year will be the winner.

We hope that both of these initiatives will help the pupils to be more environmentally friendly and to a have a new place to relax at school. 

At Solefield we are careful to use environmentally-friendly products whenever possible and to limit our use of plastic to an absolute minimum. The food for our school lunches is locally sourced and organic.