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

Please click here for our Environmental Visions and Values

Gallery

           

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