Green Gorse at The Stephen Longfellow Academy

Our Eco Schools Action Areas

Bio-Diversity

At The Stephen Longfellow Academy we are fortunate to have a nature garden on site containing a number of species of trees, plants and is home to our resident bee colony. We ensure that this area is litter free, regularly weeded and students can create animal habitats to encourage different species of mammals and insects to make their homes at TSLA. We have had fellow GORSE Academies visit our bee colony and various students across the trust have carried out bee hive inspections over the summer months.

Energy Saving

Working with the Energy Sparks initiative, we aim to reduce the amount of electricity that our school uses and to make our students aware of ‘bad energy habits’. Our students have created various energy saving promotional materials as well as light switch reminders for classrooms. Over the last two years, a culture of energy saving has been embedded in our academy and as a result, vast savings have been made with our gas and energy usage being reduced. We aim to climb the league table showcased on the Energy Sparks website where other schools compete to be the best energy saving school in the Country.

School Grounds

In our nature garden we have planted various vegetables and fruit bearing trees which have flourished in recent years. Fruits and vegetables have been harvested and used in our Food Technology lessons. We have constructed our very own shed during our work experience drop down days and this is where we keep all of our gardening equipment. Recently, we have installed signs in our taxi drop off area encouraging drivers to turn off their engines whilst idling.

At The Stephen Longfellow Academy our aim is to reduce the carbon footprint of the school as well as becoming more environmentally sustainable to help protect our community.

With our partnerships with Eco-Schools, Energy Sparks and the wider Gorse Academies Trust, we are pledging to create a more sustainable and less wasteful future for all.

Our Green GORSE Ambassadors have selected three areas that we are going to work on to achieve this; Bio-Diversity, Energy Saving and School Grounds.

What is Eco Schools?

Delivered by Keep Britain Tidy, Eco-Schools England is the biggest environmental education programme on the planet!

1.4 million pupils at 4,300 schools around the UK are already taking action on climate change thanks to the award-shortlisted programme.

The Eco-Schools seven-step framework offers a simple way for nurseries, schools and colleges to integrate environmental learning into the curriculum and everyday activities.

It is also the fun and easy way to deliver a green curriculum and equip pupils with essential green skills.

Pupils taking part in the programme develop a sense of responsibility and cultivate a sustainable mindset that they can take with them throughout their lives.

For the past 3 years, The Stephen Longfellow Academy has taken part in the Eco Schools programme and have been awarded the prestigious ‘Green Flag Award’ each year we have been subscribed. This award recognises the range of activities and initiatives we have introduced at our Academy which have inspired pupils to reduce their carbon footprint and to try and inspire others to follow in their foot steps.

Eco Schools

The Eco-Schools programme is to unite young people to make changes and positive impacts to our planet. Pupils will have the privilege to learn about impactful environmental actions in order to make a difference in their school and local community.

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Energy Sparks

Energy Sparks helps schools become more energy efficient and help to fight climate change. The programme is designed to help schools reduce their electricity, gas usage and carbon emissions through smart meter data analysis to help in addressing the climate emergency.

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Our Bee Hive Inspections