Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
ENERGY
Is there someone in your school who has special responsibility for monitoring the
consumption of energy (electricity, heating etc.) in the school? If there is, who is it?
Are the energy meters (e.g. electricity meters) easily visible to pupils?
Are pupils involved in taking and displaying readings?
Has your school taken any of the following low-cost steps to reduce heat loss
through windows?
Draught excluding strips
Solar reflecting film
Responsible class window monitors
Do the school windows have double glazing, triple glazing or energy-saving glass?
If Yes, then in how many rooms? (If all, write all) only window\frames that have been
replaced in recent years.
Are any external (outside) doors self-closing?
If Yes, then how many doors are self-closing? (If all, write all)
Are any internal (inside) doors self-closing?
If Yes, then how many doors are self-closing? (If all, write all)
Are low-energy light bulbs and fluorescent tubes used in school?
If Yes, then in how many rooms?
(If all, write all) most rooms
Does each classroom have its own heating thermostat?
If No, then how many rooms have a thermostat? (If none, write none)
Are lights and electrical items turned off when not in use?
Does the school have any of the following sources of renewable energy?
Wind generator
Solar water PV heating panels
Wood fuel boiler
Ground source heat pump
X Yes
No
Joe Downing and energy
monitors
Yes
x No
Yes
x No
Yes
Yes
x Yes
x No
x No
x Yes
No
Yes
No
All
x Yes
No
All
x Yes
No
Yes
No
Internal thermostat
Yes
No
x Sometimes but is now
being monitored by
energy monitors
No
No
No
No
Any further comments on energy:
Joe Downing, Site Supervisor records gas and electric meter readings on a weekly basis and Gail Kelly analyses
the results with his assistance to ascertain variances in consumption. The gas meter is in a locked unit within the
grounds. Two mains electric cupboards are situated in KS1 and KS2 and 1 mains electric meter is in the out of
hours block - all of which are in locked rooms and identified as ‘mains intake’. The KS1 and KS2 rooms held 3
separate electric meters each, which are now in the process of being upgraded to a single meter in each room.
For healthy & safety reasons, pupils access site supervisor meter readings only. Energy monitors check what
equipment is left on rather than check consumption figures.
The recording of ‘open windows’ was included in the pupil monitoring sheets in January 2009 to check if the
temperature is too high in a particular room therefore wasting energy.
New light sensors will be fitted throughout school at half term w\c 25 May 2009 funded through the Switched on
Communities successful bid.
Energy monitors continue to check, on a daily basis, to see which classes are energy efficient and each half term
the winning class is rewarded eg popcorn party, extra playtime.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
LITTER
How serious is the problem of rubbish/litter in the school grounds?
Very serious, the place is a mess most of the time
Not too bad, but could be improved
x
The grounds are more or less litter free
Does your school have a clear anti-litter policy?
Are there litter bins inside the school buildings?
Yes
x No
x Yes
No
How many of these are:
Full – overflowing
X emptied daily
About half full
Less than a quarter full
Are there any areas inside the school buildings that are littered where there are no
bins?
Are there enough litter bins in the school’s grounds?
Yes
x No
X Yes
No
How many of these are:
Full – overflowing
About half full
x emptied daily
Less than a quarter full
Are there any areas in the school grounds that are littered where there are no bins?
Yes
x No
Are litter bins generally:
Big enough
X Yes
No
Correct design (holding in litter when windy)
X Yes
No
Clean
X Yes
No
Any further comments on litter bins / location of litter:
Re-cycle bins were donated by T Mobile and have been put into classes and the old black bins removed.
Resources were purchased for everyone to be able to help unfortunately there were a few problems trying to coordinate classes.
Lunchtime staff have had a few problems trying to get a scheme going for the lunchtime litter picks but a system
is now in place over the lunch and also teachers encourage children at break times to litter pick.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
WASTE MINIMISATION / RECYCLING
Does the school carefully control the use of resources such as paper, pencils, ink
cartridges, pens, envelopes etc?
No, there seems to be little control
Yes, but control is not very tight
Yes, control of these materials is very strict
Does the school buy stationery products (paper, pencils, pens etc.) made from
recycled content?
Are hand towels and other disposable paper products purchased with recycled
content?
x
Sometimes
x Yes (where possible
No
x Yes
Some
No
If some, note which products are and which aren’t
Does the school recycle any of the following items of school waste?
x paper
x inkjet cartridges
x cardboard
x vending machine cups
x plastic
x other
Please describe other materials recycled clothing/handbags/belts/soft furnishings/mobiles/batteries/water
What proportion of school food waste is composted?
None
x 1% – 25%
26% – 50%
51% – 75%
75% - 100%
Do you run any other recycling schemes to raise money for the school and / or
involve the local community, e.g. mobile phones, jumble sales?
x Yes
No
Does the school encourage reuse of materials, e.g. water bottles?
x Yes
No
Does the school have any policies to reduce waste?
Yes
x No
Any further comments on waste minimisation / recycling:
Hand paper towels are no longer recycled as they ‘contaminated’ the better quality paper.
School continues with comprehensive recycling as listed above with the support of parents/carers, pupils, staff
and governors. Recent recycling additions are plastics, cardboard and vending cups. Cans are no longer
recycled.
School kitchen staff are part of Schools Meals Client however they are not, at the present time, able to contribute
to composting.
Items of furniture/equipment (eg chairs) no longer required are donated to stakeholders.
Unclaimed school uniform is collected in with Bags2school and bric-a-brac donated to charities.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
WATER
Is there a water meter to record water use in school?
x Yes
No
Is the meter easily visible to pupils?
Yes
x No
Are pupils involved in taking and displaying readings?
Yes
x No
Are the toilets designed to reduce water loss e.g. low-volume flush, flush on demand
urinals etc.?
Yes
x No
If YES, then how many of the toilets are fitted with such devices? (list, or state All)
Are hand-basin taps of the push-on or self-stopping type?
X Yes
If YES, then how many? (list, or state All)
all
Are taps left running?
No
Always
x Sometimes
Never
Are dripping taps and other leaks fixed quickly?
If NO, then approximately how long do repairs take?(circle)
x Yes
No
2 – 3 days
4 – 7 days
more than 7 days
How often does the school run water-saving campaigns?
Regularly
x Occasionally
Never
Any further comments on water:
The water meter is poorly accessed within the grounds and to read the meter you have to look down 2 foot to try
to decipher the reading. Energy Conservation is looking into improving the meter dials. For healthy & safety
reasons, pupils access site supervisor meter readings only.
The shared art areas that have taps/sinks have also been monitored by the children from January 2009 for water
wastage and no taps were left on last term.
As toilet taps are ‘push on/off’ there is no wastage however monitors have been introduced this summer term to
ensure that urinals and sinks are not blocked by hand towels to avoid flooding.
A whole school ‘water’ assembly was led by Ben Wassall in February 2009 to make everyone aware of issues eg
school and home consumption, flooding, draught, wastage, water butts.
The Site Supervisor has this year achieved NVQ Level 2 and has competency with routine repairs eg valves on
water taps.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
TRANSPORT
Do you monitor how pupils travel to school?
x Yes
No
If yes, how many pupils use the following transport to or from school – note total count of pupils
202 walk
3 bus
0 Cycle
0 share a taxi
0 share a car
63 travel as a single passenger in car
Has this data been mapped?
Does the school have dry and secure cycle storage?
x Yes
Yes
No
x No
If Yes, is there sufficient space for all users?
Yes
No
Does the school offer cycle instruction?
x Yes
No
If Yes, does it include on-road training?
x Yes
No
If Yes, does it meet the national standard
x Yes
No
Does the school have a network of ‘safe routes’ to walk or cycle?
X Yes
No
Does the school have any of the following:
Walking bus scheme
Yes
x No
Cycle train
Yes
x No
Park and stride
Yes
x No
Other similar scheme
Yes
x No
Does the school organise regular ‘walk to school’ or ‘cycle to school’ events?
Yes
x No
Do any of the school transport vehicles (buses, taxis etc.) run on alternative fuels
such as electricity, land-fill gas or vegetable-derived oils?
Yes
x No
Does the school have a school travel plan?
x Yes
No
Does the school have a pedestrian and cycle entrance that is separate from vehicle
access?
X yes
No
Any further comments on transport:
As school overlooks a green belt with no housing stock, there are no traffic issues at the main entrance to school.
The majority of pupils live on the village which is within walking distance to school therefore few use public
transport. A few families use their own vehicles and park at the rear of school in a communal car park.
Chidren’s Services organise taxies for ‘looked after’ children which are petrol/diesel engines.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
HEALTHY LIVING
Does the school provide and promote healthier food at break times and lunchtimes?
x Yes
No
Does the school include education on healthier eating and basic food safety practice
in the taught curriculum?
X Yes
No
Is there a system for monitoring whether children eat a balanced lunchtime diet over
the week?
x Yes
No
Does the school have drinking water easily available throughout the day?
x Yes
No
Is there a whole school approach to the promotion of physical activity?
X Yes
No
Does the school offer all pupils a minimum of 2 hours physical activity a week within
and outside the National Curriculum?
x Yes
No
Does the school have a no-smoking policy for staff?
x Yes
No
x Yes
No
Can classroom and other windows be opened to improve ventilation?
x Yes
No
Are there green plants growing in pots in any classrooms?
x Yes
No
If Yes, is this followed by all staff including carers, parents and staff?
If Yes, in which classrooms?
Which of the following are commonly used by teachers?
chalk
x water based markers
solvent based markers
x a mixture
Does the school use environmentally friendly cleaning products?
Do the school toilets have:
x Locks
x Hot water
x Toilet paper
x Paper towels
x interactive whiteboard
x Yes
x Sanitary disposal facilities
Sanitary product dispensers
Any further comments on healthy living:
Water bottles are available to all pupils.
The Bursar investigated more modern fountains for KS2 however they currently meet the kite standard and
similar replacements were over £400 each.
Air conditioning has been introduced in August 2008 to the office to control high summer temperatures.
New vegetable patches have been built therefore children will be working outdoors more often on special
‘growing’ projects which will involve planting, tending and weeding.
No
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
BIODIVERSITY
Do the school grounds staff use chemical pesticides and herbicides?
X Often
Occasionally
Never
Does the school have any plants in containers, pots or beds in the school
grounds?
x Yes, lots
Yes, some
No
Does the school have a wildlife, or conservation area?
x Yes
No
x Yes
No
If Yes, is the area protected by fences or school rules, or both?
Does the school maintain any of the following?
Bat boxes
x Bird boxes
X Bird baths
x Woodland area
Squirrel feeders
x Butterfly-friendly plants
x Species records (endangered)
x Bird feeders
x Pond
x Log piles for invertebrates
If any of the above are ticked Yes, are pupils involved in looking after them?
Does the school have links with any local or national environmental
organisations?
If Yes, then with whom? (list)
Durham Wild Life Trust
Northern Kite
Washington Old Hall
Ground Work East Durham
Any further comments on biodiversity:
There will be ‘pond dipping’ when the new memorial garden project is complete.
x Yes
X Yes
No
No
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
SCHOOL GROUNDS
What proportion (percentage) of the school’s grounds are?
Grass playing field, short grass
80
Long grass
Woodland
1
Tarmac/paths/roads
Conservation or wildlife area
1
Flower/vegetable beds
Water or wetland area
1
Seating area
Activity play area
2
Other
0
14
1
1
What proportion (percentage) of the school boundaries are……..?
Hedges and trees
Wire or railing 100%
Open
Does the school recycle garden or fruit/vegetable waste in a composter or
wormery?
x Always
Occasionally
Rarely
Never
Do you ever hold lessons or part of lessons outside?
x Yes
No
Have pupils looked into the heritage of the school grounds?
X Yes
No
Any further comments on school grounds:
The remaining unpainted fence in the out of hours block was ‘multi-coloured’ painted at February 2009
half term by staff and volunteers from the Karate Club.
The foundation stage yard was resurfaced during the February 2009 half term and children soon asked
for paintings to be drawn on the tarmac. They picked a selection of creative markings (parking bays,
number circles, ladybird, roadway and counting snake). These will be painted w\c 25 May 2009 half
term (weather permitting).
A new path has been laid for parents/carers to walk into school safely as only a road existed previously
to gain access to the main entrance.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
GLOBAL PERSPECTIVES
Do pupils consider how actions taken within the school affect people and the
environment locally and globally?
X Yes
No
X Yes
No
If so, please give examples:
Local Action
Local Effect
Global Effect
Children emailed a
charity in Africa and
sponsored horses and
meerkats
Animal welfare
Compare abroad
Whole school water
assemblies
Conservation
Climate change
Eco Ranger events
12-22 May 2009
Reduce, reuse,
recycle, water
conservation and
chemical pollution
Compare abroad
Of the Eco-Schools topics that you may have looked at in the past, have you
explored how these issues might be approached in other parts of the world?
If so, please give examples:
Eco-Schools topic
Location(s) looked at
First African/American
president
USA comparing with UK domestic
policy ie infrastructure (roads,
renewable enegy) and compared local
Washington to Washington DC
Biodiversity
Meerkats in South Africa
Are the opportunities for considering global environmental issues maximised
through the curriculum?
Yes
x No
Has the school made use of materials from other organisations to help with
this topic?
Yes
x No
Have the pupils considered other issues, such as
Human rights and ethics?
Fair Trade?
Conflict Resolution?
X Yes
Yes
X Yes
No
x No
No
Any further comments on global issues:
To further develop communications with Africa to learn about crops, seasons, animal welfare etc.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
PUPIL PARTICIPATION
Do any of the issues considered in this environmental review feature in
school assemblies?
X Yes
No
X Yes
No
X Yes
No
If Yes, then list those in the last term, detailing the topic covered.
Water – February 2009 assemblies
General Eco School assemblies – May 2009
Are special environment-related lessons or visits undertaken by classes or
groups e.g. paper making, visits to environmental venues etc?
If Yes, then list those in the last term, detailing the topic covered.
27 April 2009 Broomhouse Farm – caring for animals
26 February 2008 Y5 to Beamish Museum – looked at food, packaging and
compared it with the 3 r’s
19 May 2009 Forbidden Corner - outdoor environment with mazes, trees,
garden area
12 May 2009 Sealife Centre – animal species
5 June Y5 “Redesign your school” workshop delivered by Education
Business Connections as part of Sunderland’s Environment Week for pupils
to underst5and the environmental impact of their school and redesign an eco
friendly school
Are pupils involved with local waste/recycling/conservation etc. projects
outside school time or via links with schools abroad etc?
If Yes, then list some examples:
The Eco/gardening club – maintain gardens\grounds, empty recycle bins in
school, compost bins, plant seedlings, maintain the notice board tree leaves
with hand written developments
Nurture Group – new season of ‘Plot to Plate’ with some weekend
involvement
Bag 2 School
Woodland Trust, Christmas card recycling
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
Comments / Notes for Action
On completion of the Environmental Review fill in the following boxes with any comments
relating to each topic and list possible actions that could be taken. Some of these actions
can then be used in your Action Plan
Energy


As window frames need replacing – purchase double glazed units and replace the plastic with
glass
Continue with pupil monitors and reward systems
Litter
 New Policy to be agreed

Whole school litter pick (which includes involving children’s families) to be introduced into
Health & Safety Week on Friday 19 June 2009
Waste Minimisation / Recycling
 A dedicated ‘Green Day’ to be held in June 2009 covering all aspects of sustainability
 New Policy to be agreed
Water



Health & safety week commencing 12 June – “save water” campaign
Monitors to check for towels blocking plug holes and causing flooding at the end of
break/lunchtime
Measures will be introduced to install water saving devices in the toilets to reduce water usage
in summer 2009 funded by school.
Transport
Due to staff shortages at the LA last year, we have now managed to arrange a site visit with a Travel
Plan adviser for 29 April 2009 to:
begin the process of tendering for a suitable cycle shelter built to the Friends of Barmston
specification

discuss the most suitable location within the grounds for erection of shelter

apply for planning permission

when the cycle shelter is built, market an advertising campaign to encourage pupils to cycle to
school and use the new facilities
Healthy Living



Bid for funding to provide an extra study support sport/exercise class
The Healthy School Award expires in July 2010.
School will again apply for the PECCL Award.
Barmston Village Primary School Review 28 April 2009
Biodiversity

The pond will be used for ‘dipping’ for pupils to investigate plant life and animal species.
School Grounds







The perimeter fence at the front of school would look very appealing with multi coloured paint
similar to the Out of Hours block.
Matthew’s memorial garden is looking ‘tired’ and needs a makeover
The area located around the flags outside the KS1 hall fire exit door has few living plants
Access to the rear of KS1 hall is poor due to the amount of steps – Bursar to investigate
installation of ramp to DDA regulations
Foundation Stage outdoor musical garden needs updating
Year 6 artist project to remaining ‘empty’ wall summer 2009
A new memorial garden project is underway in memory of Jacqueline Robson, a treasured
volunteer who died last year. The garden will consist of a pond with solar fountain (and frog
spawn), water plants, plaque, bench and a variety of flower pots and plants.
1.
Global Perspectives

Develop further links with Africa and communicate regarding crops, climate and animal
welfare
Pupil Participation



Monitors will be changed each term to enable more children to take part in the activities
Introduce a waiting list for the Eco/gardening club to keep numbers manageable
Children to communicate by email with Meerkat Magic
Date of Review: 28 April 2009
Review carried out by: Gail Kelly