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VIEWS & OPINION
Why Dalmain Primary School has committed to going green
Comment by ERIKA EISELE, headteacher of Dalmain Primary School
Climate change, pollution and our ecological footprint affects each and every one of us. With the efforts of COP26, and various other international and national events, conferences and pledges, it is our responsibility to promote environmental awareness in education from a young age. Doing this will ensure every child is equipped and empowered with greater understanding, and the knowledge and skills, to drive more sustainable behaviours that can safeguard our planet and support long-term, positive change. At Dalmain Primary School, we place
high importance on outdoor learning, understanding the environment, and the ways in which we can collectively make a difference. This year, we ran a series of activities and initiatives relating to climate change and the environment. This included smaller incentives like learning about how our rubbish impacts the lives of animals, and how it can cause them great harm, to visitors joining the school to help us with litter picking, and external trips to gain broader experience and learn from others. For example, in tandem with Earth Day, children participated in a debating competition held by social mobility charity, Debate Mate. Three teams of pupils from Dalmain Primary School travelled to Goldsmith University to debate whether “humans should focus on building a civilisation on another planet rather than trying to fix the problems on Earth”. As well as sparking pupils’ creativity, the debate tested their communication, research and teamwork skills while also providing an inspirational day for the debate teams. Some of our other pupils have also participated in film-making
workshops during which they were introduced to film equipment and production processes. Having taken part in practical hands-on filmmaking activities to learn how to operate the equipment and frame shots, the pupils were challenged to create a film examining the problems facing the planet, such as water waste and wildfires, and potential solutions to these global issues. Reflecting on the experience, one of our Year 4 pupils told me, “It
was really good watching other children creating films about all the terrible things that affect our environment and also being shown how to change our behaviour. We learnt a lot from each other”. Another pupil commented on how they had made a film about not wasting water, which is something they hadn’t thought much about and would make change in the future. It is these opportunities which encourage children to think about the bigger picture and consider factors they may not have thought of until being taught or taking part in an activity that shows real-world consequences and solutions.
Outdoor learning As mentioned, learning outdoors is an important part of our provision and really encouraged at Dalmain as it helps our children develop key
skills including increased sensory awareness, improved mental and physical health, as well as greater self-esteem and independence. Through lessons with our trained Forest School practitioner, children build dens, immerse themselves in nature and create environmental art. We also have an allotment and a wildlife garden, where pupils grow vegetables, observe lifecycles of animals such as frogs and butterflies and learn about ecosystems. Having a stronger awareness of the environment is vital in understanding the role they can play in making positive choices that will benefit our planet and tackle climate change.
Beyond lesson time Our efforts extend beyond teaching and learning in the classroom, including recent renovations of the school’s buildings and retrofitting a new heating system to replace the
gas boiler. This has helped us reduced carbon emissions by 60 per cent. We are also working with social enterprise, Retrofit Action for
Tomorrow (RAFT) to create a new rain garden and outdoor classroom in response to the London Borough of Lewisham declaring a climate emergency in 2019, with a commitment to making the borough Net Zero Carbon by 2030. This included tackling risks such as severe flooding, scarcity of water resources and increased heat risk, should the climate crisis reach a peak. With children being one of the most at risks groups, and considering the local context, it was important for Dalmain Primary School to build awareness and enhance climate resilience amongst our pupils and the wider school community. Collaboratively funded by Thames Water, Grow Back Greener and
the Department for Education, the school’s project has involved creating more sustainable drainage measures, improving water quality, increasing biodiversity by providing new habitats for local wildlife and expanding access to green space for more children to learn outdoors. All these environmental activities form part of Dalmain Primary School’s strategy – as well as the Borough’s action plan – to become more environmentally friendly and reduce our environmental impact. As a result, we’ve noticed how knowledgeable our pupils have
become in learning about the environment and the issues affecting us on both a local, and global scale. They are incredibly passionate when it comes to discussing, learning, and debating topics such as climate change and what actions need to take place in order to protect the planet. It’s certainly reassuring for us to know that we are in safe hands, with the next generation of Dalmain children being able to confidently speak out and make a difference. Now, it is our responsibility as teachers, parents and guardians to instil the same passion and awareness in every child so that together we can build a happy and sustainable future for them to live in.
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www.education-today.co.uk
July/August 2022
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