Earlsfield Primary School

Sustainability pledge

At Earlsfield Primary School, we are committed to creating a more sustainable, healthy, and environmentally friendly school community. Our sustainability strategy supports pupils to become informed, responsible caretakers of the planet. By working together, we aim to build a greener future for everyone—starting right here in our school.

We are proud to be part of the Eco-Schools programme and hold the Eco-Schools Award with distinction, which recognises our ongoing efforts to protect the environment and embed sustainability across school life. Our School Travel Plan promotes active, safe, and sustainable travel choices, while our Bronze Healthy Schools status highlights our commitment to pupil wellbeing—both physical and mental.

As part of our wider approach, we embed the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into our curriculum. These 17 global goals are a blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable world by 2030. Several of the goals directly relate to protecting the environment, including:

• Clean Water and Sanitation
• Affordable and Clean Energy
• Responsible Consumption and Production
• Climate Action

In addition, we focus on key environmental priorities such as:

• Decarbonisation – 

We are future proofing our building through replacing current fixtures with energy efficient technologies to reduce our energy consumption and minimise our carbon footprint.

• Adaptation and Resilience – 

We are actively planning for the future by working with the PTA to ensure our school buildings, outdoor spaces, playgrounds, and operations are resilient to changing weather patterns. As part of this effort, we are exploring sustainable solutions such as installing solar panels and creating living roofs to enhance environmental performance and long-term adaptability.

• Biodiversity – 

We are working to increase biodiversity on our school site through use of our outdoor learning spaces, ensuring our grounds support nature and provide meaningful opportunities for our children to learn from and care for the natural world.

• Climate Education and Green Careers – 

We will ensure that at least 80% of the curriculum subjects will have sustainability links, in order to empower students to understand the challenges and solutions related to climate change and consider future roles that support a more sustainable world.

At the heart of all of this is our belief that pupil ownership and understanding is vital as we move forward in the modern world. Our ECO Warriors play an important role in leading change, raising awareness, and encouraging others to take positive environmental action.

Through learning, action, and shared responsibility, we are building a brighter, healthier, and more sustainable future at Earlsfield Primary School.

PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMenT

At Earlsfield we are create opportunities to raise the profile of travelling safely through planned, Travel Safety activities and events such like: Road Safety talks, Pedestrian training, Bike-ability workshops and Scootering skills. We link the importance of safe travel to the curriculum through interactive games and workshops with the aim of educating students about pollution and climate change. This highlights how transport and lifestyle choices do not just influence our planet, but also the air we breathe, day to day.

We are fortunate to have great communication and support from our Parent Governor which has enabled us to have regular stake holder support (Ian Ody)  and also also STARS; Lindi Lowe Travel Planner and Sustrans Raphael Younger, where we share and learn new and refreshing ideas together to raise attention to current and new issues through platforms like Parent Mail, Newsletters and informative displays.

Our Travel Heroes inspire, inform and influence pupil learners. They act as ambassadors for Travel Safety and spread the word by speaking clearly and with confidence to the school community and stakeholders.

We know that at Earlsfield we are confident that 90% of children staff and carers are making healthy choices when travelling to school. We measure and gather evidence from hands-up surveys which involves staff, pupils and parents. We additionally gather evidence through PSE ‘book looks’ where we identify clearly defined links to Travel Safety and Environmental Awareness. We collate what pupils have learnt and help appreciate the growth in their knowledge and understanding. At present TFL has expressed there being a 21% shift away from cars since baseline Spring 2 2019. Consequently, pupils can speak confidently about healthy lifestyle choices and how their choices can help towards bettering the cleanliness of their community.

We achieved silver accreditation September 2019/20/21.

What do our pupils tell us?

What Travel projects have you done in Earlsfield to raise awareness of the effects of travel on the environment?

Sustainable Art competition. YR 2 pupil: “Don’t be a fool, bus, cycle, scoot or walk to school!” Year 6 pupil: “There is no plan B, it’s a new year and pollution is still here! In this resolution we must find a solution!”

Meetings with STARS and SUSTRANS. What is a healthy street?

P “Stop polluting!” Walking, scootering and biking is healthier for you!”

J  “Schools streets will keep us safe from cars.”

Yr 6 pupil: TFL workshops were about the consequences of what might happen if you do not behave when travelling on public transport. Clips were shown demonstrating reckless behaviour.

Yr 6 Travel Hero pupil: “We discussed how we can keep Earlsfield free from pollution and how we can be more active when travelling to school.”

Yr 5 “Sustainable ways to go to school are walking, cycling skate boarding, bus and train.”

Yr 2 “When you drive around and around you pollute the air!”