Easton Royal Academy achieves Eco Green Flag Award with Distinction

Easton Royal Academy is celebrating the award of Eco Green Flag with Distinction which recognizes the school’s outstanding efforts in sustainability and environmental stewardship. This accolade marks the culmination of months of dedication by students, staff, and the wider school community, who have united under the banner of their “Eco Royal Warriors” to transform the school into an eco-friendly haven.

In order to achieve the award, the school embarked on three major projects: creating a nature and wildlife reserve on the school grounds, improving recycling efforts, and reducing food waste through enhanced composting systems.

One of the many highlights is the flourishing pollinator patch, where wildflower seeds were sown to attract bees and other pollinators. “We’ve loved watching it grow and seeing how much the bees love it,” remarked one student. The meadow has also provided an interactive learning experience for children, who have enjoyed identifying the diverse range of flowers that change with the seasons. Meanwhile, the bug hotel, maintained by Squirrel’s Gardening Club, has provided a cosy home for insects—and even some baby rabbits!

In a move to engage the entire school, every student planted a sunflower seed, which will soon be transferred to the school grounds. The Gardening Club also took sunflower seeds home which created a sense of ownership and pride in the project.

The overhaul of the school’s composting system has been very successful. At lunchtime, food waste is now meticulously sorted into compostable, recyclable, and general waste bins. The school’s compost caddy is emptied daily, and over the past four months, students have composted an impressive 112.5 litres of food waste every three weeks. This adds up to a projected 1,462.5 litres of food waste being composted annually. Furthermore, recycling efforts are projected to save the equivalent of 10 full bin bags of packaging waste from going to landfill every school year.

Easton Royal Academy’s success has also been supported by generous contributions from local businesses and donors. The Bee Friendly Trust provided plants and pollinator colouring books, Whitehall Garden Centre donated compost for the sunflower project, and a school governor gifted a new bug hotel after being inspired by the students’ presentation—the first-ever children’s presentation to the board!

“We are so proud of all the hard work and ideas the children put into this project and we’re pleased that this was recognised with a distinction!” said Clea Sambrook, staff lead. “With our Green Flag flying high, Easton Royal Academy is truly leading by example and showing that small changes can have a big impact on the environment and future generations.”