Sustainability | Queensmead School

At Queensmead we strive to educate our students about how to live a more sustainable life. The whole school community at Queensmead are becoming increasingly aware of their responsibility to promote and practise sustainable development. As a school, we have a special role to play in securing a better and more sustainable future for all young people.

A team of students led by Mrs Oakley promotes sustainable living to other students and the wider community alike. Starting originally as the Gardening Club, the team has gone from strength to strength, winning a range of local and national awards:

Eco Schools Silver Award
School of Excellence Walking Award
Gold Accreditation Level (Travel Initiative)
MODE SHIFT National Award – Best sustainable travel initiative – Education

Queensmead School has been awarded the Eco Schools Silver Award

We are exceptionally proud of this achievement and believe it is an integral part of school life. Teaching the students good ‘sustainable’ habits and learning to live sustainably is vital in this day and age.

The Eco-Schools programme is focused on nine key topics. These are:

Energy
Water
Biodiversity
School grounds
Healthy living
Transport
Litter
Waste
Global citizenship

The Silver award criteria focuses on strengthening pupil leadership and whole school involvement while the school starts to work on at least one of the Eco-Schools topics in depth.

Each year, the committee decide which topics the school will focus on in order to raise awareness and build a more sustainable future.

Sustainable living is integrated into the curriculum and then topped up during tutor periods, school assemblies or external speakers coming in to talk to the students.

Queensmead School has been awarded the School of Excellence Walking Award

Queensmead staff and students visited the Town Hall for a Mayor of London Initiative in sustainable travel and were presented with a School of Excellence Walking Award in recognition of achievements in active and safer travel initiatives.

Queensmead School has been awarded the Gold level Accreditation

Queensmead was presented with a Gold level Accreditation award in recognition of achievements in active and safer travel initiatives.

Gardening Club

Queensmead has a thriving gardening club where students plant herbs and learn how plants grow from seeds. They also look after a number of plants and shrubs around the school. The herbs are used in the dishes produced by canteen staff on a daily basis.