Eco-Schools and Education Business Partnership

We’d love to hear your stories!

Please share your school’s successes with us so we can celebrate together. Teachers, feel free to submit stories written by your pupils or highlight any achievement you'd like to celebrate – we’d love to hear about it!

For inspiration, meet some of the eco-club members from Nanstallon Primary School, who are proudly celebrating becoming an Eco-School with distinction.

Well done Nanstallon Primary School.

Ben, Charlotte, Archie, Seren and Charlie

A school in Cornwall is celebrating some fantastic news for its community, after being awarded the title of Eco-School – thanks to the work of their pupil-led Eco Club.

Pupils at Nanstallon School, near Bodmin, have joined children at thousands of schools around the UK who are already acting on climate responsibility thanks to a ‘simple seven-step programme.’

Charlotte Clarke ran the Eco Club at Nanstallon Primary. She explained: “As part of the Eco Schools programme, schools can choose from 10 eco-focussed topics to explore. They then focus on three of these topics over the course of a year.”

15 pupils at Nanstallon School focussed on waste, biodiversity and energy, with activities created around these topics to expand the learning opportunities of everyone in the school.

Charlotte added: “Nanstallon School held assemblies, planted vegetables, trees, set campaigns for families to take part in, made bug hotels, nominated eco monitors, created bird feeders and went on bug hunts!”

Involving children in the Eco-Schools project in the UK offers numerous benefits that extend beyond the classroom. Participation fosters environmental awareness and education, equipping pupils with the knowledge to make sustainable choices and develop eco-friendly habits.

Charlotte added, “Engaging in these activities enhances academic performance by integrating practical applications of subjects like science and geography, making learning more dynamic and relevant.”

“This early exposure to environmental issues also encourages responsibility and leadership, as children take active roles in decision-making and community projects.”

Collaborative decision making and the authentic voice of the child is central to the ethos of Nanstallon School.

Ben Stephenson, Headteacher at Nanstallon Primary School, said: “This project has deepened the children's sense of purpose, responsibility and ownership of their environment.”

“The process of forming a democratic group and then evaluating how we do things now, so we can improve things for the future through action and evaluation, as part of our curriculum, is also a genuine way to dovetail doing good and being ethical with a learning process.”

Eco-Schools is a growing phenomenon which encourages young people to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it.

The children at Nanstallon ‘galvanised’ each other to make positive changes, through reducing food waste, managing waste, making the school environment greener and engaging the community to evaluate their habits and make positive changes.

One of the biggest moments was the planting of 20 new trees in a new orchard at the school, working closely with local gardener George Kestel, and with the help of parents the children, Ether Clarke and Leon Gilbert. This was supported by Cornwall Council with Ben Norward supplying three different species of tree to suit the school grounds.

Ben added: “This was all about engaging in a national project of global value that connects environmental education and action and demonstrates how a small cog, at a local level, can make a big difference."

“It’s about questioning the everyday practises you can change such as: 

How much food do we waste? 

How do we encourage nature to thrive on our grounds? 

Do we buy and use products that harm human health and the waterways? 

Do we need to use so much paper and printing?”

“Collectively, schools can make a huge difference just by asking the right questions and giving children the autonomy, ownership and guidance to make these happen”.

The Eco-Schools programme is designed to be pupil-led and the Eco-Schools Green Flag is an annual accreditation which celebrates the efforts of young people in that community.

Nanstallon school has now been awarded Green Flag with Distinction status, funded by Cornwall Council, which the pupils are rightly proud of.

Eco Club’s Seren, from Year 4, said she ‘just loves learning new things’: “I have learnt so much about taking care of the environment that I will keep doing forever. I’d love to continue to do things like composting in the future; it’s easy and really helps you to live positively.”

The children have also already planted pumpkins for the autumn. Archie from Year 3 said: “Eco Club is also about making things and it’s great to be arty while learning about the environment.”

Charlie, from Year 5, added: “You learn so many new things like what lives in bug hotels, how to plant trees. I never knew trees were so easy to plant!”

Eco Club gives all children a voice, helping those who are quieter develop the skills to express themselves and speak out.

Charlotte highlighted a huge change in the children’s confidence. She said: “One child was too shy to speak in an assembly, but after a term of learning about sustainability, that same pupil confidently stood before the entire school and led the assembly. It was one of the most rewarding aspects of Eco Club.”

Charlotte concluded: “Promoting Eco-Schools in Cornwall is crucial because it installs a strong sense of environmental responsibility in our young people, ensuring they understand the importance of sustainability from an early age.”

“Through this programme we not only benefit our children’s education but also contribute to a more sustainable and vibrant Cornwall.”

Tremendous Truro

Congratulations are in order across both the Prep and Senior sites as we celebrate being awarded a prestigious Distinction in the Eco-Schools Green Flag Campaign!

Since 1994, the Eco-Schools Green Flag 7-step programme has been empowering schools across the UK to take action on critical environmental issues. With many pupils passionate about protecting the planet, the programme helps young people turn their concerns about climate change, biodiversity loss, and plastic pollution into meaningful, hands-on solutions.

Truro School is proud to have collaborated with Eco-Schools 7-Step programme in 2024 and to be recognised for our efforts with a prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag, which our pupils are proud to display.

On receipt of a Distinction for our hard work, special recognition goes to Sustainability Prefect Megan Day, alongside Ben M. and Yuqi L, who head up the school’s Eco Committee. Eco Schools praised the school’s efforts, stating, “Well done for creating such a large Eco-Committee! Pupils in your school are clearly very passionate about environmental issues and willing to go above and beyond to create positive impacts in their local community and beyond.”

As part of the 7-step Eco-Schools programme, our Eco Committee conducted a comprehensive review of the school’s environmental impact and created the ‘Truro School Eco Code,’ which has been adopted by both pupils and staff across the Prep and Senior sites.

T – Turn off lights and suitable switches

R – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

U – Understand climate change

R – Reinstate wildlife

O – Only you can make a difference 

Our passionate staff, working together across both sites, have fostered a sense of shared purpose around our eco initiatives, which include:

• The Prep School’s achievement of a John Muir Award, an environmental recognition that encourages everyone to connect with, enjoy, and care for wild spaces.
• Energy-saving stickers designed by student Isso, now displayed throughout the Senior School, encouraging everyone to turn off lights and switches when not in use to conserve energy and reduce waste.
• Engaging World Earth Day activities every April.
• Extra-curricular, environmentally-focused clubs, such as the Biodiversity and Gardening Club, open to all pupils.
• Organised beach cleans involving our boarding community, day pupils, staff, and families.
 • Hands-on learning experiences through geography and geology trips across the stunning landscapes of Cornwall.

As schools nationwide strive towards more eco-friendly practices, having dedicated teaching staff like Mrs. Luxton and Mrs. Udry, who head up our Eco Committees, is essential to driving these initiatives forward. In the feedback from Eco-Schools upon receiving our award, it was noted: “Our only concern is that we might not have expressed in words just how impressed and grateful we are to have educators who go so far above and beyond to engage young people in environmental action. Congratulations on your Eco-Schools Green Flag with Distinction!”

 Story submitted by Truro School