Super Hero Schools Feature - Field Lane Junior and Infants School
Each term we will share a Super Hero School or Academy Trust who are taking great strides towards integrating sustainability into their curriculum.
Field Lane JI&N are our Super Hero Feature this term.
We chose Field Lane as our Super Hero School this term due to their outstanding efforts to deliver sustainability education and instil life skills for their pupils across many areas. We visited them last year to deliver our Energy Heroes programme, and we were impressed and inspired by their work. We hope that you enjoy reading the interview below, with Zainab Motara (pictured right), the school’s Science Lead.
What activity has taken place to build sustainability into the curriculum and into day to day school life?
We build sustainability into our curriculum in and out of school. Using a cross curricular approach, we read books, such as William Kamkwamba- the boy who harnessed the wind. Children learn about the 17 goals of Sustainability and we link them to our actions thinking about our own global responsibility. We have donated food to the local food bank linking to the goal of zero hunger. The information children learn (about sustainability, eco work, recycling and looking after our planet) has been presented in assemblies for the whole school and parents in the community, so that everyone can learn about the eco schools/sustainability work we do. In our DT lessons- we look at healthy living. Children learnt about the Eatwell plate and the different food groups. They designed a healthy sandwich making sure they have a protein, a fat/oil, a carbohydrate and some vegetables in their sandwich. Children followed a specification, they had to: make it super tasty, super healthy, colourful and make it look appealing. Children learnt different wrapping techniques. They then enjoyed their healthy wrap and evaluated it!
Developing our school grounds is an ongoing project. In our geography lessons, children surveyed different areas around school. They looked at: ground without plants, water areas, flowers and food, hedges and bushes, vertical features, trees and Microhabitats (homes and help for nature). They then mapped out the school grounds using loose parts and created a 3d map of the school grounds and its biodiversity.
As well as this our after school gardening club is very popular and attended by over 60 children as well as their parents. The children look after plant flowers, vegetables and fruit. We take part in composting. Students engage in planting, cultivating, and harvesting food from the school grounds. They subsequently utilize the produce to create nutritious meals in conjunction with their Design Technology classes. Some students prepared a rhubarb crumble using rhubarb sourced from the school garden. They harvested the rhubarb, washed it, prepared it, and accurately measured all the necessary ingredients. The students expressed great enthusiasm and enjoyment while making the rhubarb crumble. They sampled some in class and also had the opportunity to take some home to share with their families. This initiative significantly contributed to the students’ well-being and positively impacted their mental health.
After a weekend ‘Digathon’ (in September), where children harvest everything that has been grown, following this they bake the potatoes over a campfire and enjoy them as a family. Children also plant and look after a community garden, where the community can come along and help themselves to homegrown produce.
Our school has also been part of a project to transform a local space that was attracting litter and anti-social behaviour. With the help of local councillors, our gardening club has transformed this space into a lovely garden which the local community can now enjoy. This project has also been featured in the local newspaper.
Currently we are taking part in a project with Asda, where children will continue to work with the community to become heroes and save our planet. Our children have become Junior Travel ambassadors, where they have started surveying how children travel to school. Their aim is to make everyone consider environmental impacts when travelling to school.
What is your motivation to do this work within school? Can you describe your own personal journey to where you are now?
Our school is committed to saving our planet. We want to make a positive impact on the environment for their families. Children enjoy learning about people from different parts of the world. They feel empowered when they take part in activities such as litter picking. They feel a sense of pride when they feel like they are doing their part. Inviting people from different companies into school motivates children and they think about their careers. Sharing their knowledge and taking part in activities with their families gives them a sense of joy. Our eco/sustainability is real to our children and something that they all relate to. We have made it a mission for it to become a part of their day to day lives.
These activities and initiatives in school have started to make children think about their global responsibility.
What advice do you have for other schools wanting to improve sustainability in the school and curriculum?
Involving children with sustainability work is what motivates children. When they lead discussions, come up with solutions, they feel empowered and this can be a driving success.
