Eco School

As a Green Flag school, we are very keen to ensure that our children care for our environment and become responsible citizens.

You will find everything you need to know about how eco issues are covered throughout St John Vianney

St John Vianney was awarded the first Green Flag in the summer term 2017. Eco Schools praised all our time and effort that has been invested in environmental education at school.

“Your award is well deserved and reflects the hard work the school has put into the programme so far.”

“The strengths appear to be the love of their environment, the caring for each other and the high thinking and analysing skills of the Eco-Committee. They have good links with other Eco-Schools and sharing good practice. Well done and keep up the great work.”

Our second Green Flag was achieved in the summer term 2019. The assessor said,

“This is a good school and very active in many environmental aspects. Their work is being transferred into the community and in their homes. There is a strong caring feel in the school and I particularly liked how the older children have been nurturing younger children in their environmental interests. I loved the work done on clean air, this is to be commended. I particularly liked the statement said to me by Isabella. “It is about improving all the time” and this is so right.”

Our third Green Flag was achieved in the summer term 2021. For our third green flag, due to covid restrictions, unfortunately an Eco assessor was unable to visit school. We sent all our evidence to be evaluated and were awarded our third green flag in June 2021! We are absolutely delighted!

This year, our school has taken part in a range of activities to help us learn about and care for nature. We joined the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, where we spotted lots of pigeons and seagulls. In Eco Club, we made bird feeders as part of our topic on British birds. We discussed what birds need during the colder months and created feeders by mixing peanut butter with cereal and spreading it onto cardboard rolls before hanging them in the school grounds.

During lockdown, Year 6 explored the positive environmental changes they noticed, such as clearer skies and changes in wildlife behaviour. They reflected on how we, as a community, can continue to protect the environment and even wrote a letter to the local MP, Mr Scott Benton, to share their thoughts.

We also received fruit trees from The Woodland Trust, which Year 3 planted together with members of our parish. Year 4 visited Leighton Hall, where they watched a bird of prey display and enjoyed a woodland nature walk. In Year 5, pupils observed the full transformation of five butterflies and named them, as well as dissected flowering plants to examine them under a microscope. Year 5 and 6 also learned about how humans affect grasslands and suggested ways to protect different biomes.

During ECO Week, Reception children made nature bracelets, while Year 6 studied the work of Sir David Attenborough. Blackpool Park Rangers and Blackpool Better Start supported our learning by sending us a Nature Explorers Box to encourage outdoor discovery. As part of our Parents in Partnership programme, Year 3 visited The Grange with their parents to explore local wildlife.

In school, Reception also takes care of two guinea pigs, Reggie and Chomper, helping children learn about responsibility and animal care. Additionally, a Year 1 child designed and created a guinea pig house out of recycled materials for their guinea pig, Preston.

Year 6 Energy Monitors check classrooms daily to ensure that lights are switched off and that windows and doors are closed during the winter to help conserve heat and reduce energy waste. As a school, we also take part in Switch Off Fortnight each year, raising awareness about the importance of saving electricity. During Eco Week, Year 3 made a pledge to avoid using electricity for up to one hour every day for a week.

Our caretaker, Mr Cowgill, who is passionate about sustainability, regularly monitors the school’s energy consumption and shares updates with the Eco Committee. Over time, the school has taken several important steps to improve energy efficiency. The gas heating system has been recalibrated, and we have reduced the number of stand-alone electric heaters, which previously accounted for around 30% of our annual electricity usage. On sunny days, classroom radiators are turned down or switched off to avoid unnecessary heating.

We have also upgraded our boilers to more efficient combi systems. Rainwater is collected from the school roof and used to flush the toilets, saving approximately 70–80% of water usage—around one million litres each year. In addition, fluorescent lighting has been replaced with low-watt LED units, and in some areas, such as the SEN and Headteacher’s offices, sensor lighting automatically switches off after five minutes of inactivity. Reception and Key Stage 1 external doors have also been fitted with self-closing mechanisms to help retain heat and conserve energy throughout the school.

In March, our school took part in CAFOD’s global Walk for Water campaign. Each day for a week, we walked for 10 minutes and reflected on how this compared to the hours Abdella spends walking each day to collect water. To support this cause, every child was invited to contribute a £2 donation. Our Reception classes also celebrate cultural festivals such as Diwali and Chinese New Year, helping children learn about and appreciate different traditions from around the world.

We encourage our school community to support others in practical and meaningful ways. Families are invited to send in any unwanted glasses to be recycled by Vision Aid Overseas, where the components are reused and the proceeds help to improve access to eye care for those in need. Each year, for our Harvest celebrations, we collect food and toiletries for Blackpool Street Life, as well as making food parcels to support families within our own school community.

On 27th May, children wore sportswear or football shirts in memory of Jordan Banks, who was a keen footballer. Through this event, we raised £800 for Counselling in the Community, a charity that Jordan and his family care deeply about. Mindfulness is also an important part of wellbeing in our school; every class received a Mindfulness Box during lockdown, and mindfulness techniques continue to be taught through PSHE lessons.

We celebrated Global Learning Week in March 2020, and in both September 2020 and March 2021, pupils explored the Sustainable Development Goals using Oliver Jeffers’ books Here We Are and What We’ll Build to help develop understanding of our responsibility towards the planet and each other.

To promote healthy eating, fresh fruit is available daily in classrooms and on the playground, and a salad bar is offered at lunchtime to encourage balanced meal choices. Healthy lifestyles are taught across our PSHCE and Science curriculum. Year 4 take part in Fit2Go with Blackpool Football Club Community Trust, and both Year 4 and Year 5 have enjoyed activities such as the high ropes at Stanley Park and a mini Olympics event on the school field.

Reception children have been learning to identify healthy and unhealthy foods and can explain the reasons for their choices. Many classes also participate in the daily mile, helping children stay active and develop positive habits for physical fitness and wellbeing.

Year 2 have been busy helping to care for our school environment. They spent time collecting litter from around the school grounds and worked hard to make the area clean and pleasant for everyone to enjoy. We are grateful to everyone for using the bins provided and encourage all members of our community to continue disposing of litter responsibly.

During Eco Week, Nursery and Reception children learned about the impact of litter on our oceans. They explored this by removing plastic items from water trays, helping them understand how important it is to protect our oceans and care for the environment around us.

We encourage children to bring their lunches in reusable containers and to use refillable water bottles in order to reduce the amount of single-use plastic in school. Year 5 and Year 6 have been learning about different biomes, including marine environments, and exploring how human activity can negatively impact ocean life.

As part of Schools Alive, a dance festival held at The Grand Theatre and hosted by Blackpool Council, our Key Stage 2 performance, Something Worth Protecting, focused on raising awareness of ocean pollution. The performance opened with a speech by Sir David Attenborough, reminding us of the beauty of our blue planet and the difference we can make by choosing to protect it.
You can watch the performance here:
Schools Alive 2020 – St John Vianney Catholic Primary School

We are also currently reviewing our use of plastic straws for milk in Key Stage 1, with the intention of replacing them with paper straws in order to further reduce single-use plastic waste.

Kids Club brightened their outdoor area by reusing old wellies and recycled plant pots that were no longer needed. They worked hard to care for the plants throughout the summer, creating a colourful space with a cheerful, festival-like feel. To reduce energy use and make the most of our surroundings, we held an Empty Classroom Day, where as many lessons as possible took place outdoors. Reception children used the parachute outside during PE instead of using the hall, and Year 5 took their maths lesson outdoors, linking shape to real-life contexts and making the learning experience more enjoyable.

Our Reception area features a bug hotel designed to attract a variety of mini beasts, as well as birds that make use of the nearby bird boxes. Children have been observing the changes closely and have already noticed spider webs forming. We aim to support biodiversity in our school grounds by creating habitats and encouraging wildlife to settle here. We also compost our daily fruit waste, vegetable peelings from the kitchen, and tea bags from the staff room to reduce waste and enrich our garden soil.

Year 1 planted seeds and observed their growth over four weeks, naming the parts of the plant and examining how leaves change across the seasons. They also explored twigs and identified thorn trees, observed colours in nature around the school grounds, and learned about Arctic animals. Reception children work weekly with garden volunteers from our parish, developing gardening skills as they grow vegetables such as spring onions, red onions, leeks, radishes, and peas. They also care for their outdoor space by planting using recycled plastic bottles as planters.

Year 3 enjoy taking part in Forest School activities, and across the school, Eco Homework challenges encourage children to become Eco Warrior Designers, thinking creatively about ways to care for the environment.

From 19th–30th April, we took part in the Sustrans Big Pedal, the UK’s largest inter-school cycling challenge. Throughout the two-week event, children were encouraged to cycle, walk or scoot to school, and each class recorded how they and their families travelled. We were delighted that 79.33% of our pupils took part, completing a total of 4,789 active travel journeys. A fantastic achievement—well done everyone!

Year 3 also learned about air pollution, exploring its causes, its effects on people and the environment, and ways to reduce it. They wrote thoughtful letters to Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, sharing solutions and raising awareness of the importance of cleaner air for all.

To reduce waste in school, teachers use Smartboards for independent work instead of printing worksheets, helping to lower our carbon footprint. Reception children used recycled materials to create flowers from egg boxes for Our Lady’s Altar during the month of May, showing how everyday items can be reused creatively. Pupils are reminded to return their used batteries to school in the collection tubes so they can be disposed of safely. There is also a clothes bank in the car park for families to donate clothing they no longer need, supporting reuse within our community.

Across the school, children have taken part in a range of activities to encourage recycling and creative re-use. We have created artwork using bottle tops and taken part in recyclable homework challenges, asking questions such as “What can you make from junk materials?” and “How could you reuse a single-use plastic bottle?” During Eco Week, the whole school wore green to celebrate, and we discovered that some of our clothing was made from recycled fibres. Year 1 made models from junk materials, and Eco Club enjoyed learning more about recycling through a practical sorting game.

To reduce waste in school, teachers use Smartboards for independent work instead of printing worksheets, helping to lower our carbon footprint. Reception children used recycled materials to create flowers from egg boxes for Our Lady’s Altar during the month of May, showing how everyday items can be reused creatively. Pupils are reminded to return their used batteries to school in the collection tubes so they can be disposed of safely. There is also a clothes bank in the car park for families to donate clothing they no longer need, supporting reuse within our community.

Across the school, children have taken part in a range of activities to encourage recycling and creative re-use. We have created artwork using bottle tops and taken part in recyclable homework challenges, asking questions such as “What can you make from junk materials?” and “How could you reuse a single-use plastic bottle?” During Eco Week, the whole school wore green to celebrate, and we discovered that some of our clothing was made from recycled fibres. Year 1 made models from junk materials, and Eco Club enjoyed learning more about recycling through a practical sorting game.