Topic of the month: food and drink.
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T here are devolved responsibilities with a fairly substantial team involved. This extends to the governing body where there is a member appointed to have a direct interest in education for sustainabilit y.
The headteacher is relatively new to the school and whilst he does not take the lead in relation to sustainability he is highly supportive. More direct responsibility is delegated to one of the deputy heads who is well motivated and has oversight of this aspect of the school's provision. There is also a designated Education for Sustainability Coordinator (a significant post that was instituted in 1997). They are further supported by a team with associated responsibilities, an assistant head oversees student participation and several assistant teachers co-ordinate activities such as Fair Trade, links with Brazil or the link with Kenya.
The concept of participation promoted among the students is 'participation based on informed judgement'; thus it involves participation in decision making as well as action to bring about change.
The deputy headteacher and co-ordinator have a well formulated concept of the nature of this aspect of the curriculum, which they communicate to other members of the staff. Overall, they obtain cooperation and enthusiasm from a large section of the staff. Staff professional development, including the induction of new teachers has been carried out since July 2006 to ensure that each appreciates their particular role in delivering education for sustainability.
Education for sustainability and good citizenship underpin the ethos and aims of the school. These are well articulated and have a prominent place in the school prospectus and website. Sustainability is well embedded in the formal curriculum, with geography, science (and its extension, the science club, where there is emphasis on alternative energy) and art (where the principles of 'green' management and use of resources is explicitly practised) being the lead subjects.
'Participation' is an important principle of the school leadership and this extends throughout the school in many different ways. Various initiatives are in place to encourage participation, with oversight from the senior management team. This includes an active student council which provides the 'student voice' with its own website and is linked into Citizenship lessons. One of the central purposes of this is to give students the opportunity to reflect on the school environment and make proposals for its improvement. For example, the senior management are aware that the large number of students attending the school creates considerable traffic problems. These constitute not only health and safety issues but also relates to environmental sustainability. As a result a school traffic plan has been formulated with close participation from students.
Students relate the saving of energy with climate change, or recycling paper with environmental conservation, reducing landfill and the preservation of habitats; and further than that, see how it can impact upon those in poorer parts of the world.
A significant number of students in the school are well motivated to aspects of sustainability, including those among the older ones who in many schools are uninvolved. They are developing a broad understanding of the issues and see the wider consequences of their actions. Concepts of human rights and justice are also part of this understanding. Furthermore there is a strong desire to do practical things both locally and globally to help to bring about change. Here again the link with the school and community in Kenya provides a focus for improved cultural understanding which is extended to include a variety of cultures. Many students are willing to discuss these matters and the issues that these raise with increased globalisation.
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