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The Environment​

The Climate Action Team

The Climate Action Team was formed back in 2018 by a small group of students who wanted to prioritise action on climate change within our school.  Students wanted to reduce the carbon emissions of our school and community, empower young people to make positive change and have influence over larger scale projects and events locally, nationally and internationally.

Since its infancy, the team has seen significant growth in membership and we currently have 36 active members who meet weekly and work on numerous projects in sub-teams.  As a result, the team has been very productive and achieved a lot since starting.

The team is currently led by two DofE students who are using the valuable work experience that they are gaining from this role as the volunteering element of their Duke of Edinburgh award.  This formal volunteering role within the team has worked successfully for the last two years and you can read more about it here.  The team being student led comes from our school Change and Create programme, which has been running in Chew Valley School since 2006, empowering students to learn how to lead and make positive change.

To find out more about the development of the team and their historic achievements click here.

Projects to Date

Workshop with Bridget Petty, Green Party councillor for Backwell

2019

School strike for climate on College Green, Bristol

2019

Attendance at the Bristol University Climate Change Conference with key note speakers including Thangam Debonaire MP

2019

The first staff clothes swap

2019

Implementation of climate-friendly travel and trip guidelines for the whole school

2020

Workshop with Bristol University Innovation Department on how to implement our ideas

2020

Appearance on BBC Breakfast discussing our work Breakfast live team interview

2020

School Strike For Climate March and attending the speech by Greta Thunberg in Bristol

2020

Hosted an environmental film festival for KS3 during Enrichment Week

2021

The second clothes swap, for staff and Sixth Form

2021

Whole school assemblies on our work as a team

2021

Achieving the eduCCate Global Bronze Award

2021

Planting 108 willow, hawthorn, oak, hazel and crab apple trees on the bottom field

2021

Attendance of the B&NES Young Persons Climate Change conference hosted by Hayesfield School

2021

Creation of the no-mow area behind the Music Block

2022

Whole school staff training in an update in climate change education

2022

Hosted the second annual environmental film festival for KS3 during Enrichment Week

2022

The third clothes swap (staff and Sixth Form)

2022

Departmental pledges of sustainability (displayed on the lower corridor)

2022

Lobbying against the Bristol Airport expansion

2022

Achieved the Bath in Bloom Silver Prize for schools

2022

Launched the school lights off campaign

2022

Achievement of the eduCCate Global Silver Award with 19 members of staff being certified ‘climate change teachers’

May 2023

Free Prom wear event for Year 11

2023

Rivers workshop with Bristol Avon Rivers Trust

2023

Recycling relaunch

2023

Working with local residents on campaigning for the reduction in our local area bus service

2023

Collaboration with the Rotary Club

2023

Fourth clothes swap (staff, Sixth Form and Year 11)

2023

Working on achieving the Green Flag award

2023

Year 6 Open Evening presentation

Coming Sept 2023

Meeting with buildings manager to discuss environmental improvements and requirement. This includes plans for new school hall and toilet renovations

2023

Termly nominations and handing out of eco-hero certificates for students and staff

Ongoing

Termly carbon buster challenges for the whole school community

Ongoing

Relaunch of school recycling message

May 2023

Bee Bold Award Shortlisted Applicants

June 2023

Bristol University Workshop - Craftivism

July 2023

Completion of Educcate Global Silver award

July 2023

Awarded the Green Flag award 2023 with Merit

September 2023

Relaunch of 'pick and run' weekly litter picking group

September 2023

Regular nominations and delivery of 'eco hero' certificates to staff and students

WEEKLY

WORLD FIRST youth rotary club on climate change started at our school

October 2023

Awarded £1000 from WECA for improving pollinators on site

October 2023

Whole school week of assemblies on climate action

November 2023

Launch of the Climate Action Team training programme

December 2023

Whole school free clothes swap 

Coming January 2024

Mrs Taylor trained 100 PGCE students in Climate Change Education at Bristol Uni and 120 at Bath Spa University  April 2024
We have received a Thank You video from MEER our international charity that we support.   https://vimeo.com/user152947453/review/940044567/aebf4b0afc May 2024
8 students trained with teach the teacher June 2024

4 students trained 6 teachers on Climate Change education at Southville Primary School in Bristol

3 students trained 17 teachers on Climate Change education at Bristol Eco conference at UWE

The team were ambassadors at Chew Valley Nature Fest and raised £367 for MEER

A new committee was elected for our Interact team

Achieved a distinction in the 2024 green flag award

The team are holding a 'wrong shoes' day to raise money and awareness for MEER 

July 2024

 

 

Please click here for our Environmental Visions and Values

Gallery

The Climate Action Team have received a Distinction in the Green Flag.

           

No-mow area                                         Student volunteers receive the eduCCate Bronze Award

 

                  

Tree planting effort celebrated in the local paper                    Staff clothes swap

 

           

                                                                                 Protesting in Bristol with School Strike for Climate

              

Mrs Shuttleworth talks to BBC Breakfast about

the important work of the Climate Action Team

 

                    

One of the entries for our                                Preparing to deliver an assembly

'turn off the lights' competition

 

                

Virtually attending BANES Climate Change               Workshopping with Bristol University 

conference during Covid                                              Innovation Department

 

             

Meeting Bridget Petty, Green Party Councillor          Mrs Taylor and the team at the Bristol

                                                                                         University Climate Change Conference

 

Chew Valley School has been awarded the EduCCate Global Silver award!

Following on from our success achieving the bronze award in 2021/2022, the team was scaled up from the 5 staff members who helped achieve the bronze award to 19 members of staff who formed the silver award team. Each member of staff undertook a number of different training courses to update and enhance their knowledge and understanding of climate change science and systems. These course included Climate Change and Gender, Climate Change and cities, Climate Change and children, Climate Change legal systems etc.  

In addition to our team of 19, all staff members undertook group training in climate change and climate change education. Following this training, all departments pledged ways in which they would actively respond to the climate crisis through focusing on the key areas of culture, curriculum, campus and community, which were set out in our school’s environmental visions and values. The curriculum as a whole was also looked at to track and embed all learning associated with climate change and the environment from Y7-Y13 in all subjects.  

We are thrilled to have achieved this award as it means that our students will have access to a very high level of climate change education empowering them to act and make positive differences across their school and wider communities. 

Get in touch

If you’re interested in finding out more about our work or want to collaborate on a project, do get in touch.

Email Rose Taylor – rtaylor@chewvalleyschool.co.uk

Twitter- @cvsenvironment

Blog - Rose Taylor – Medium