Alverstoke Church of EnglandClimate and Sustainability
Alverstoke Church of England Junior School’s Climate and Sustainability Report
By 2025, all education settings are expected to appoint a Sustainability Lead and implement a climate and sustainability action plan. At Alverstoke Church of England Junior School, Miss Ballard serves as our Sustainability Lead.
Our sustainability leadership includes staff, pupils, Governors, and the wider community. Supported by our Global Neighbours Bronze Award (2023) and the efforts of our Green Team, we are committed to delivering our climate plans together.
In recent years, we at Alverstoke Church of England Junior School have made significant efforts to enhance the energy efficiency of our building and to integrate climate and sustainability education into our curriculum. The following areas have been a focus for our work.
Improved drainage
In January 2023 soakways were added at both ends of the school building to prevent groundwater build-up. The roof above one of the children’s exits was reshaped to improve drainage, with water now redirected into a newly installed water butt.
Retrofit Action For Today (RAFT)
In June 2022 we were approached by a company called RAFT, working on behalf of Salix (company who installed the school’s LED lighting) regarding a government-backed decarbonisation initiative for schools. The scheme, Phase 3 Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund (Phase 3 LCSF), paved the way to more innovative decarbonisation projects delivered across the public sector. The Phase 3 LCSF was allocated £14million worth of grants to public sector bodies keen to take a step towards a low carbon future. It was agreed by school leaders and the Governing Body that this aligned with the school’s sustainability goals.
We were awarded approximately £249,500 from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Funds. The funds supported key upgrades:
- - Draught proofing and airtightness improvements
- - Cavity wall and kitchen roof insulation
- - Point-of-use hot water systems
- - Installation of air source heat pumps
The work was finished in December 2024.
Southern Water Raingarden Project
We were selected for a Department for Education project offering free raingarden planters due to either local surface water flooding or rainwater runoff impacting the sewer network. The planters were installed with the help of our Green Team. We have five raingarden planters in total. They are flourishing and are a great addition to our outdoor spaces.
School Allotment
The school’s allotment is cared for by one of our parents. She visits twice a week and involves children in planting and caring for the plot. We have grown: pak choi, beetroot, tomatoes, radishes, courgettes and even cucamelons to name a few.
Food Waste Collection
Kirsty Mountain, from Suez Recycling and Recovery, facilitated a whole school assembly introducing the children and whole school staff to new legislation around food waste collection. In response, we have proactively been separating food waste in to dedicated containers across the site.
Our Curriculum - Sustainability
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Our curriculum at AJS enables children to explore sustainability explicitly through the following units: |
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Year 3 – How do we look after the Earth? |
The children learn about deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. |
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Year 3 - What makes a tradition? |
The children learn about the importance of the River Nile and it’s surrounding area. |
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Year 4 – Is change always necessary? |
The children learn about our changing coast line and the importance of sea defences. |
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Sustainability is also taught implicitly through the Year 5 Enterprise project and the Year 6 Geography unit on Rivers. |
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Our curriculum – Climate
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Our curriculum at AJS enables children to explore climate explicitly through the following units: |
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Year 3 – How do we look after the Earth? |
Biomes and the physical geography of a rainforest. |
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Year 6 – What makes something beautiful? |
Comparison of London and Reykjavik. |
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Climate is also taught implicitly through the Year 3 units: What makes a tradition? and What makes a strong community? Year 5 unit: Should people take risks? |
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Green Team
Our Green Team has been active for the last two-years, inspiring children and classes to play their part in protecting the environment. They promote responsible habits such as ensuring recycling materials in the classroom are placed in the correct bins, and encouraging everyone to switch off lights and electrical devices when not in use to help conserve energy. They also organise litter picking events to ensure the school grounds are kept tidy and clean from rubbish. A cuddly turtle serves as the Green Team’s mascot and is awarded during out Friday Celebration Assembly, by the Green Team, to the class that has shown the most eco-behaviour throughout the week.
Travel Team
At AJS, we are proud to have a highly engaged Travel Team. Our Travel Ambassadors meet twice a month and follow have written a clear Travel Plan, which is shared with all families. The plan highlights safe parking areas near the school, encouraging parents and children to ‘park and stride’ – helping promote safer and more active travel to school. Our Travel Team has earned several awards for their outstanding work overseen by one of school heroes Mr Baker-Jones, including the Silver Modeshift STARS Award. This recognition celebrates their efforts to promote walking, cycling and other forms of sustainable travel through a well-executed Travel Plan, which has successfully reduced car use.
