Eco-School Green Flag Award

Grove Academy has recently be awarded its 5th Green Flag. The Eco-School Green flag is given in recognition of the school’s commitment to Learning for Sustainability (LfS). Eco-Schools is the largest sustainable schools programme in the world and is run in 67 countries.

It is centred on 10 topics:biodiversity, energy, food and the environment, global citizenship, health and wellbeing, waste minimisation and water. This shows that it is more than ‘all things green’ as it is built around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that the world is trying to meet by 2030.

Every Department at Grove Academy supports aspects of LfSthat help our pupils become better informed global citizens. We have a commitment to social justice and improving our own health and well-being, as well as that of our planet. We offer opportunities for engagement in getting your hands dirty in our school grounds and community gardens, in tackling racism and sexism, learning about the refugee crisis and the circular economy. Pupils learn about Fairtrade and where their food comes from, consider the ethics of shopping.  We have raised a lot of money for local charities through the Cyclathon, YPII (Youth and Philanthropy Initiative), school charity fundraisers each year and other sponsored events. We help build community through the Prince’s Trust groups, the varied program of entertainments for older people run by the Music Department. We have young people developing the science skills and IT that may help them become the leaders and innovators in the future, something the whole world is in need of right now. 

Special thanks go to the team of pupils who form the Eco Group and keep a record of what the school is achieving, creating action plans for meeting the SDGs, setting challenges and keeping a record of our whole school successes and areas for improvements. They are also part of the ‘getting your hands dirty’ squad that helps keeps our gardens growing.

Feedback from Keep Scotland Beautiful, Grove included “A massive congratulations on achieving your 5th Eco-Schools Green Flag Award! I must commend the work that Grove Academy has been doing over the last few years or so. It is a joy to read how the pupils, the school, and the local community have been getting involved with your Eco-Schools Journey. We also noticed aspects of your work as being examples of good practice. We may use these on our website and social media as case studies to support other schools with their EcoSchools Scotland work.”

We need to think about what the next 2 years of our journey will look like. Knowing Grove pupils and staff, there will be plenty more examples of good practice.