CASE STUDY
Name of School: St Margaret’s CE Junior School
School Post Code:
ME5 7NG
Project Completion Date:
30.10.14
Eco-Coordinator:
Zoe Bushell
Current Award Level:
Silver
Project Title:
St Margaret’s / Mtumbira Litter and Recycling
*Please place photos here.
Eco-Schools Topic: Please enter “X” in relevant boxes
Water:
Healthy Living:
Waste:
x
School Grounds:
Litter:
x
Biodiversity:
Energy:
Global Perspective:
Transport:
General:
x
x
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CASE STUDY
Guidance Notes:
 Please type in the boxes below. The boxes will expand automatically with the text when entered.
 You are more than welcome to separate your projects out into different case studies or cover a variety
of projects within the one template.
PROJECT BACKGROUND
Why did you decide to undertake this project? (I.e. was it a particular issue in school or part of a larger
campaign)
What aims did you have starting out?
St Margaret’s have had an increasing problem with litter within the school grounds and in the immediate area
surrounding the school. When we received communication from our link school regarding this matter, we found
out that the learners, teachers and wider community at Mtumbira were taking responsibility for the amount of
litter within their school grounds. We decided that we had something to learn from our link school as we clearly
had an issue at St Margaret’s. As well as learning from Mtumbira, we wanted to show them how they could
recycle the litter they collected in a way which would support their expressive arts lessons.
Our aims for this topic were:

To reduce the amount of litter found in and around the school grounds at St Margaret’s.

Give the children an understanding of the wider world linked to their immediate surroundings.

Give learners, teachers, parents and members of the wider community greater responsibility in caring
for their school grounds.

Introduce the idea of recycling litter in new and interesting ways for both schools (St Margaret’s and
Mtumbira).
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CASE STUDY
ACTION
How was the project delivered?
Was the project topic integrated into the curriculum? If so, please describe how.
The Eco Committee and School Council discussed the issue in meetings with teachers and the head
teacher of St Margaret’s. We then asked for a litter survey to become a regular part of maths lessons, with a
focus on data handling, in higher ability setting groups in years 5 and 6 (at least twice a year each; four
surveys in total).
Children also looked at litter sculptures to give them an idea of what they could do to recycle in a way that
links to our art and design curriculum.
PUPIL LEADERSHIP
How did you get the pupils involved? How did they have ownership?
The Eco Committee and School Council agreed that litter within the grounds of St Margaret’s was a growing
issue. As both committees have a class representative from each class, they took the minutes from the
meetings back to their own classrooms and discussed the points raised. They asked each child and every
member of staff to be more responsible for their own rubbish ensuring that litter goes into the correct bins
(recycling or non-recycling).
The children in the higher ability maths setting groups in years 5 and 6 were asked to complete the litter
surveys. The year 5 class collected, read and interpreted data and in doing so, formulated an action plan
together.
FUNDING
Did you have to source funding for the project?
The British Council Connecting Classrooms grant has allowed us to take this project into our link school and
share resources in a way that we have not been able to do in the past.
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CASE STUDY
PROJECT SUPPORT
Did you receive any support from parents, staff or outside agencies in regards to the project?
Both parents and staff from St Margaret’s and Mtumbira took greater responsibility in helping to tidy areas in
and around the school grounds.
CHALLENGES
Did you have to overcome any challenges to make the project succeed?
Tools to make litter sculptures in Malawi were extremely limited and are therefore something we hope to
send over in the near future to help them to further improve the art recycling element of this project.
RESULT
How have the pupils benefitted from the project? (E.g. knowledge gained, skills learnt, an improvement
in behaviour, attainment or attendance?)
Have there been any other benefits for the school as a result of the project? (E.g. reduced costs,
cleaner school, etc). Please include any figures and analysis if appropriate.
The pupils have benefitted hugely as they have a better understanding of how we can help to reduce litter
through the litter surveys and through more effective waste management and recycling.
It is no longer just our Eco Committee that want to see less waste, but all staff, students and parents within
the school, as well as people living in the wider community.
The learners and teachers at Mtumbira have some new ideas about how to recycle litter in a way that
supports their expressive arts lessons in addition to improving their environment.
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CASE STUDY
IMPACT
How did you measure and monitor the impact of the project?

The action plan was successfully completed on time.

The children within both schools have thought more reflectively about their own global responsibility.

Litter and waste has been reduced with an increase in recycling already being seen.

There is a greater sense of community involvement at St Margaret’s in tackling litter outside the
school grounds.

Mtumbira is beginning to plan how litter can be recycled and turned into art during expressive arts
lessons.
THE POD
Have you used any of the educational resources or activities on www.jointhepod.org or taken part in
any of their campaigns? (If yes, indicate which activities you have taken part in)
Some teachers have looked at and introduced the bottle garden idea to their classes. It is hoped that the
resource is used by the end of July 2015 for at least two year groups.
OTHER EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Have you used any other educational resources or participated in any local or national campaigns or
events? (If yes, indicate which activities you have taken part in)
‘Walk to School’ campaigns are carried out twice a year led by our local authority which we always take part
in.
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CASE STUDY
LESSONS LEARNED
What advice would you give to schools that want to follow in your footsteps?
Make sure that anything planned or carried out is shared with the whole school – even if it is only taught in one
year group. It helps to develop a wider school understanding. If you are linked to a school in another country,
also share your learning with them as it gives a wider sense of the global community. Being able to visit our
link school and take our ideas into the school ourselves has been hugely advantageous.
NEXT STEPS
Has this project inspired or driven other Eco-Schools ideas? What is the school working on next?
Our next project will be food waste management and recycling by composting. We will then be setting up a
small garden area using the compost from the food waste to help grow produce for our onsite pets.
EXTERNAL SUPPORT
Has your school received any Local Authority support with regards to the Eco-Schools Programme?
No
Please return your completed case study and
any relevant photographs to eco-schools@keepbritaintidy.org
We will endeavour to publish it on the Eco-Schools Case Study page as soon as possible.
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