Oundle School was awarded a Bronze Eco-Schools award this September, under the guidance of a newly formed environmental Action Team. The school applied for the award based on its pre-existing achievements, since it had already fulfilled all the necessary criteria. For example, the school runs a successful recycling scheme, with collections made at least monthly.

The Eco-Schools programme is an international project run in 46 countries, and is based around nine key issues, such as water, litter and transport. It aims to decrease schools’ environmental impact, to draw attention to global issues within schools, and to promote healthy living. The number of schools taking part in the program is growing, as more and more schools seek to improve environmental awareness and cut costs (UK schools spend about £450 million a year on energy).

The Action Team’s new target is a Silver award, which will build on the progress made when working towards the Bronze award. The Action Team conducted an environmental review of the school, and developed an action plan in response to this. It must be able to identify progress made on a large scale project, and ensure that environmental issues are covered within the school’s curriculum. Student leader of the Action Team, Santiago Andany said, “We are hoping to achieve the Silver award by Christmas.”