Energy
 Are the lights and whiteboards left on in the classrooms when people aren’t in them?
N
 Are low-energy light bulbs and fluorescent tubes used in school? Y (following Eco
Award all light fittings in each classroom were changed to LED)
 Are computers turned off when not in use? Y
 If it gets too hot in the classroom, is the heating thermostat turned down before
opening a window? Y
 Is there someone in your school who has special responsibility for monitoring the
consumption of energy (electricity, heating etc.) in the school? And if so, are the
results recorded on graphs and shared with the rest of the school? Y
The door handles to classrooms have been changed, where access is required to gain
access to the toilets thus allowing the doors to be opened from the outside. Previously
these doors had to be left open allowing heat from the class to escape. Eco Warriors
do spot checks and leave a note on the class ‘traffic light’ behaviour chart.
TARGET Eco Council will accompany the caretaker as he takes readings once a
month. This data is already available and has been collected for a number of years
and will be used by Year 5/6 as part of their maths lessons. They will share their
findings with the rest of the school
TARGET The Eco Council continue to make unannounced visits twice a term to
monitor if lights, monitors etc are switched off and whether the thermostat is on while
the class door is open. In November the school received its first Feed in Tariff from the
solar panels (£759) and the classes that perform well are rewarded with funds from
this tariff.
Litter
 Is there too much litter around the school grounds? N
 Are there enough bins inside and outside the school? Y
 Does your school have a clear anti litter policy? Y
 Is the amount of litter collected monitored and weighed? And if so, are the results
recorded on graphs and shared with the rest of the school? N However the paper /
clothing are weighed.
There is very little litter around the school grounds. Twice a term Llandudno Lions Club
visits the school and do a litter audit. Based on what they see and all being well we get
a golden star. If we get 6 golden stars in a year they give us a cheque for £200. Almost
all litter around the school is blown in from the town.
Only fruit can be eaten at break times so there is no litter from snacks. However litter is
blown onto the school grounds from the town and often we find litter that a member of
the public has thrown onto the school grounds.
TARGET While there are enough bins around the school and in each classroom we
have decided to remove all bins. We feel that we have worked so hard on encouraging
everyone to recycle that we have no need for rubbish bins in our school and want to
become a rubbish free school. So as of October 2012 all bins were removed from the
classrooms and from the staff room.. Two years ago we removed both 1100 litre bins
from the school and saved £840 a year. We now only have a 240 litre bin to serve the
whole school. This has saved the school a considerable amount of money and enabled
us to establish Wyau San Sior
Our three point litter policy is very simple.
It says:
Don’t Drop Litter!
Recycle in school…
…or home to the bin!
Basically the only rubbish that can’t be recycled will be from packed lunches
and the children are encouraged to take all litter that cannot be recycled home.
Dog fouling on the school field continues to be an issue and the Foundation
Phase has set up a Community Group with the PSO office Chris Perkins. The
group organised for the Council Ambassadors to attend the Christmas fair to
distribute free dog fouling carriers and leaflets to parents.
TARGET All children took the policy home to share with their parents and were
challenged to create posters and return to school for a prize. Even the teachers were
asked to take part. The Eco Council have also created posters to be displayed around
the school.
Waste/Recycling
 Are paper, inkjet cartridges, and plastics, cardboard or other materials recycled? Y
 Is your food waste composted? Y
 Where possible, does the school buy paper, pens, pencils etc made from a recycled
source? Y (The school council is looking at sourcing branded recycled pencils and
pens)
 Is the reusing of materials e.g. Water bottles encouraged? Y
 Is the amount of waste collected monitored and weighed? And if so, are the results
recorded on graphs and shared with the rest of the school? Y The companies send
us results detailing how much paper and clothing is recycled.
In 2014 we won the Keep Wales Tidy ‘Recycling Innovation Award’. And also Community
Education ‘Green Schools Sustainability Award’.
We recycle paper. We recycle plastic. We recycle metal. We recycle food. We recycle chicken
waste. We recycle the reptiles’ old bedding. We recycle clothes. We recycle kitchen oil. We
recycle batteries. We recycle cardboard. We recycle our pencil shavings. We recycle old
inkjets from the printers and photocopiers. We recycle everything we can……… We have
created a link with North Wales Joinery and exchange eggs for their waste product of wood
shavings which we then use as bedding for the hens.
We have converted the greenhouse made out of coca cola bottles into a chicken coop.
We did try to recycle the tins by depositing the tins as a scrap yard. This meant we did not
have to pay the council for collecting the tin and made a small amount of money when we
deposited the tin cans at the scrap yard. However we found it difficult to take the cans each
month so have asked the council to collect the cans from the school.
We have discarded all the bins from the classrooms and staff rooms so there should be no
rubbish at our school, or very limited rubbish.
We make excellent compost which we put on our vegetable plots. We now have five large
recycling pits. We even use the chicken waste because it improves the soil. We plan to sell
surplus compost in 2015.
We make a real effort to photocopy and print double sided. We have a sibling list by the
photocopier and older pupils who have a younger sibling don’t get a letter to take home. We
also send letters by e-mail and encourage parents to receive e-mailed letters over paper
letters. To date this has been poorly received. We also offer a texting service to parents.
Whenever possible we reuse old envelopes.
TARGET We will put a tray by the photocopier to collect single sided photocopies so we
can use the paper for drawing.
TARGET We will again write to parents to encourage them to take e-mailed letters over
paper letters. Our aim will be to have paper free communication.
TARGET As part of the work we do in class we will monitor the amount of rubbish that is
recycled (Year 4 do this as part of their class project)
Water
 Is there a water meter to record water use in school? Y
 Are there push-on or self stopping taps in the toilets? Y in some
 Are there water saving devices in the toilets? Y (Hippo bags)
 How often does the school run water-saving campaigns? N
 Are pupils involved in taking and displaying readings? And if so, are the results
recorded on graphs and shared with the rest of the school? N
The push taps are ineffective as the children in the infants push them too hard and they run
for longer than if they were ordinary taps.
TARGET We will record the water meter every month and ask the caretaker to assist with
this.
TARGET Reconnect water butts to the school guttering
Transport
 Does the school have dry and secure cycle storage? Secure but not dry
 Does the school organise regular ‘walk to school’ or ‘cycle to school’ events? Y
(WWF campaign)
 Does the school have a school travel plan? N
 Do you monitor how pupils travel to school? And if so, are the results recorded on
graphs and shared with the rest of the school? Y (Year 4 class project on
transport)
TARGET Eco council will carry out a survey and see how the children get to school
and the mode of transport used. This will be displayed as a pie graph around the
school and we will see if we can increase the number of children that walk to school
through walk to school activities.
Healthy Living
 Does the school provide and promote healthier food at break times and lunchtimes?
Y
 Is drinking water available in class? Y
 Do the children take part in daily exercise? Y
 Do you monitor whether children eat a balanced lunchtime diet over the week? And if
so, are the results recorded on graphs and shared with the rest of the school? Y
In 2014 15,399 eggs were laid by the school’s flock of chickens. The eggs are sold at
Bodnant Welsh Food Centre as well as to parents in clear recycled transparent boxes. We
now also sell ‘school-made’ chutney at Bodnant and in 2015 we hope to sell our honey at the
centre and at Conwy Honey Fair. The school has planted apple trees and the crop of apples
is used to make a school apple and rhubarb crumble (school grown rhubarb); surplus apples
are also used in the chutney. Cherries from the cherry tree in front of the school were shared
among all pupils and parents.
TARGET Increase the range of products for sale at Bodnant Welsh Food Centre.
TARGET Place two bee hives at the school and ensure key staff ae trained in a Bee
Keeping course
The SNAG group is firmly embedded in the life of the school and meets monthly, the
Masterchef club is oversubscribed. In December the school was awarded School of the
Month’ by Jamie Oliver’s Kitchen Garden.
Biodiversity
 Does the school have any plants in containers, pots or beds in the school grounds? Y
 Do the school grounds have a wildlife or conservation area? Y
 Do you monitor how many different types of wildlife visit your school grounds? And if
so, are the results recorded on graphs and shared with the rest of the school? Y
The school has three quite distinct gardens
Gardd y Ddraig has recently been redesigned by planting plants to attract bees and
butterflies. A lovely mural made with recycled tiles depicts the story of the Welsh dragon.
Seating allows the children to enjoy the area and indigenous Welsh varieties of apple trees eg
Afal Enlli have been planted here.
Gardd Gloyn Byw now has an oak framed structure and can be used for a variety of lessons.
The oak was sourced locally. The pond is rich in wildlife and children use it regularly for pond
dipping activities. A number of bug boxes have been installed and the bird tables are used to
attract birds. Electricity points have been installed allowing moth traps to be used more
flexibly. The footpaths have been redone with different materials allowing partially sighted
children to enjoy the experience more. Whenever possible photos of insects caught in the
traps on found ion the school grounds are recorded on the school web site.
Over 3000 snowdrop bulbs were rescued from a building site in Mochdre and were replanted
in the school’s Butterfly Garden. Further snowdrop, bluebell and daffodil bulbs have also been
planted in this area.
The school has a flock of 150 chickens and around 450 eggs are collected each week. The
school has what is known as Wythnos Ieir (Chicken Week) and Wythnos Amgylchedd
(Environment week). A different class each week is responsible for the hens and another has
Environment Week. The teachers adapt their planning during these week to incorporate
elements that will raise standards in literacy / numeracy, using the environment / hens as a
stimulus. The school has won Llandudno in Bloom several years running, winning the overall
competition in 2013 and again winning the school’s section in 2014
TARGET Set up an Apiary in the Butterfly Garden and arrange training for staff. Join
Conwy Beekeepers Association and link with Ysgol y Bont Faen in the Vale of Glamorgan
who also keep bees
TARGET Re-establish the Gardd y Ddraig by planting bee friendly plants and re-gravel the
surfaces
TARGET Make more resource boxes and fill with bug boxes, magnifying glasses, etc
Gardd Cudd has an oak framed structure and is used by the children during many lessons
and is also an area they can sit quietly to contemplate. The steps leading to this garden have
recently been redone. The sycamores have been thinned and additional trees planted.
Vegetable plots, recycled greenhouse and compost bins are used daily. Eggs from the
chicken run are used by the children for cookery activities and by the school kitchen.
Orchard is now developing nicely with indigenous Welsh varieties of fruit trees, apples, plums,
pears. Willow tunnels have been planted as a feature of the orchard. More oak, beech and
birch trees have been planted on the school field
School Grounds
 Are lessons or part of lessons ever held outside? Y
 Does the school recycle garden or fruit/vegetable waste in a composter or wormery?
Y
 Are there seating areas in your play ground? Y
 Is the amount of time spent outside in the playground doing curriculum activities
monitored? And if so, are the results recorded on graphs and shared with the rest
of the school?
TARGET While not monitored the children spend a good portion of the week outside. The
teachers will now record how they will use the school grounds each term to enrich their
curriculum
TARGET Build an outdoor classroom in the Butterfly Garden
TARGET Replace some of the plastic bottles in the greenhouse
Global Citizenship
 Do pupils consider how actions taken within the school affect people and the
environment locally and globally? Y
 Have the pupils considered other issues, such as Fair Trade? Y
 Are the amount of Fair Trade products that the school uses monitored and
evaluated? And if so, are the results recorded on graphs and shared with the rest
of the school? N
The school council have asked the teachers to purchase fair trade tea, coffee and
sugar products for the staff room.
The school has links with schools in Uganda and also raise funds to help the
Madagascar Development Fund. Fairtrade activities are embedded in the curriculum
planning.
Green Procurement
 Does the school have a green procurement policy? N
(NB: There will be a requirement to develop a green procurement policy from Jan
2013)
 Does school ensure that all products and services purchased have a minimal impact
on the environment (i.e. Green Procurement)? Y
 Does the school buy local products? Y whenever possible
 Does the school buy products that are recycled or that can be recycled? Y when
possible
 Does the school buy products that use fewer chemicals? Y
 Does the school buy products that are energy saving? Y
TARGET Write a green procurement policy.
TARGET Continue to lobby the teachers and secretary to purchase recycled paper and
books made with recycled fibre and explain why this is important,
Pupil Participation
 Do any environmental issues feature in school assemblies? Y
 Are there special environment-related lessons or visits undertaken by classes? Y
 Are pupils involved with local environmental projects outside school time? Y
The school has an Eco Club that meet every week to maintain the school gardens and to
undertake ecology type projects e.g. pond dipping, moth trapping
Teachers record how the school grounds / school menagerie are used each term to enrich the
curriculum. A timetable is created to ensure that a class a week work with the hens /
environmental activities (to include menagerie)
School won Welsh Assembly Government sponsored ‘Enterprise Troopers’ in 2014 as the
best Primary Enterprise in Wales in respect of the ‘Wyau San Sior’ enterprise.