Colquhoun Park Primary has become the first school in East Dunbartonshire to receive 10 Green Flag Awards, having dedicated more than 20 years to learning for sustainability.
Environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful presented the Bearsden school with its 10th Green Flag Award – the top international Eco-Schools award – last month.
It is one of only a handful of schools to achieve this consistent accolade and has done so by consistent and continual awareness raising and implementation of our Eco targets. Pupils lead Climate focused assemblies; the school promotes regular ‘litter-free school’ campaigns, areas within the school grounds are developed to improve biodiversity and attract wildlife and Interdisciplinary Learning is planned to include specific themes around sustainability and global citizenship.
Andrea Gabriel, Education and Learning Manager at Keep Scotland Beautiful, said, “Every year our Eco-Schools Awards allow us to celebrate the very best of the brilliant work pupils all over the country are achieving in environmental education.
“We’re proud to have run the international Eco-Schools programme in Scotland for more than three decades and have presented many Green Flags. But there aren’t many schools which have consistently received a Green Flag Award time after time. It is wonderful that Colquhoun Park Primary has achieved its 10th Green Flag recognising longevity in this vital education programme – which empowers and inspires young people to take action to combat climate change, tackle litter and waste and restore nature.
“We love working with the thousands of children, young people and educators in schools across Scotland involved in Eco-Schools and it is so inspiring to see such a broad variety of activity every year as we review award submissions.
“We continue to support Scottish Government priorities including the implementation and achievement of the Target 2030 Action Plan for Learning for Sustainability – and all Eco-Schools are supporting this vision with their work.”
Earning 10 Green Flags represents over twenty years of commitment to environmental education and is an excellent accomplishment. It means that hundreds of children have learned about sustainability, climate change and other environmental issues along the way which is so important
“Congratulations to the current Eco Committee and everyone at Colquhoun Park Primary School and a nod too, to the previous classes of young people and staff who have worked hard to keep the Green Flag flying. It takes a great deal of effort and dedication to reach this milestone, so well done all!”
Headteacher Claire Loney added, “I am so proud of our pupils in our Eco Committee who have led with such enthusiasm and dedication, and to our staff Mrs Hollie Stimson and Mr Niall MacDonald who oversee our Eco Committee and submitted the application on our behalf. This of course, is a whole school community effort and all individuals across the school have contributed to this wonderful achievement over the last twenty years. Together, we are cultivating a resilient environment where every pupil feels equipped to protect and preserve our planet for future generations. Our pupils are proud of their school and passionate about looking after our environment.”
Eco-Schools is the largest sustainable schools programme in the world with almost 20 million children, young people and educators engaged worldwide in 101 different countries. In Scotland almost 900 schools currently fly the Green Flag proudly.
More information can be found on the Keep Scotland Beautiful website.
