We have been an Eco school since 2006. We were awarded the Eco Schools' Green Flag in the summer term 2008.
An area of our school field has been designated as a Nature Garden. In our garden the children have made a log pile which is now home to many insects and mini beasts, they have studied these creatures in science helping us to to learn about their environment.
With the help of the Heritage Coast Rangers, we have created a beautiful Wildlife Pond. So far we have spotted a toad, frogspawn and frogs, a newt, dragonflies, damselflies and butterflies (like the red admiral and speckled wood) to name but a few. We have lots of bird boxes in our garden and we have many visitors to these including the blue tit, robin, sparrow and wood pigeon. In our garden we also have a bat box, ladybird box and bird feeding table.
We also have a meadow area which is left to grow wild, so that it creates a habitat for wild flowers that can’t grow anywhere else which then supports a wide range of butterflies and beetles along with birds and mammals. There are some wild flowering plants that are native only to the Vale of Glamorgan. We have lots of nettles in our garden which act as a breeding ground for the butterflies.
To help all the creatures that live around our school the children have planted wildlife hedges around the edge of our field they have also planted British trees such as the Rowan, Silver Birch and Wild Cherry. We know how important it is for the children to learn about ecology and wildlife habitats, to feel and experience the textures and colours of different trees and to respect their outdoor environment.
We have recently been awarded money by the Bio-Diversity department for the Vale to buy identification cards for the insects that visit our garden so that we can take part in a field study and record all the insects and birds that visit us in our Nature Garden. The information will be sent away to help with the study of ‘How climate change is affecting our insect populations’. The Heritage Coast Rangers have offered to make us some wooden plaques to name the areas of the ‘
Global citizenship is a big part of the Eco schools programme last term Class 1 read ‘Handa’s surprise’. They have looked at
We have also had a visit from an Indian lady in the Autumn, who showed Class 1 how to put on a sari and talked about life if
