Hartlepool school ‘over the moon’ after winning Eco Schools award

West View Primary School, in Davison Drive, has received an Eco-Schools Green Flag with merit after caring youngsters from Reception up to Year 6 came together to create environmental awareness and make changes across the school.

Children in the Eco group, led by nursery teacher Laura Wears, choose three areas to focus on during the school year after completing an environmental review.

Youngsters then took part in a range of activities to bring positive change to the environment, including participating in the Great British litter, building their own wormery to help with composting and planting wildflowers to help butterflies and bees thrive.

West View Primary also took part in No Mow May and has since kept an area at the school grouynds which won’t be mowed anymore to help wildlife.

Mrs Wears has praised children for their hard work and passion, adding they were “absolutely over the moon” with the win.

"We live in a world where lots is changing. It’s always important to raise awareness for the children, and the staff and the parents, “ she said.

"It did allow the children to become quite independent and choose what they wanted to focus on. It was very much left to them to drive it forward.

"They drove a lot of the change. They really took ownership of it and really went with it. The passion they displayed was amazing.”

The school will get to keep the recognition for two years, before having to reapply again.

Mrs Wears has said plans for future environmental projects are to be put in place.

“We are planning to get together again in September. I think we’ll do the review again and see what areas we’d like to focus on,” said Mrs Wears.

She added: ”We’re really over the moon to have won it, and not just the green flag, but with merit as well. I think it’s a real credit to the children who have worked so hard and driven it forward.”

Earlier this year the school’s clothing bank became the first to raise more than £1,000 as part of a recycling scheme.

More than 4,500 kg of textiles have been donated to the clothing bank so far.