St Joseph’s Pre-school is committed to complying to the Department for Education’s (DfE) requirement for education and child services systems in England, including early years, to reduce our environmental impact, particularly in the drive to achieve net zero by 2050.
DfE and the education sector have a joint responsibility for preparing children for the challenges and opportunities they will face – with appropriate knowledge, skills and pastoral care. As part of the DfE’s net zero aims for 2050, all education settings are required to have a sustainability lead, Natalie Clark has taken on this role, and put in place a climate action plan (CAP) which outlines our approach to sustainability through the following four key areas:
- Decarbonisation
- Adaptation and Resilience
- Biodiversity
- Climate Education and green careers.
It should be noted that as St Joseph’s Pre-school rents the Pre-school space within the Leigh Building, there are some elements with regards to sustainability and climate change that we have to defer to St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, and thus are outside our influence.
Decarbonisation – reducing our carbon footprint
- move to LED lighting and using energy-efficient appliances where feasible;
- encouraging energy saving habits by turning off lights and devices when not in use – reducing the number of items on standby;
- when inside we will keep heating to a minimum and encourage parents/carers to dress their children in additional warm clothing and provide outdoor waterproofs. Staff will also wear warmer outdoor clothing when appropriate, this will alter as season’s change. There will be limited use of heating appliances in warmer weather.
- we will minimise waste by encouraging the children to help us recycle:
o inspiring them to reuse materials in learning and play.
o We will ask parents/carers to make their child’s lunch in washable tubs.
o We involve children in sorting and recycling materials from pre-school packaging, we have a box for recycled material that the children can use and explore.
- We will limit the use of paper products, ensure that by default we print double sided and, where practicable, maintain records digitally.
- We will reuse and repair as much as is practicably possible. For example:
o repaint or refurbish toys or equipment/structures within the outside area;
o offer pre-loved uniform items to parents/carers (for a small fee).
Adaptation and resilience – preparing for a changing climate
- talk to the children daily about weather patterns and seasonal changes;
- integrate more outdoor learning experiences to connect the children to nature, no matter what the weather;
- encourage water conservation through mindful use in daily activities:
o the children bring to pre-school their own reusable drinking bottles;
o we teach them to turn off taps, and discuss how water is a precious resource;
o on rainy days we encourage the children to catch rainwater using various containers so that they can use it in their play;
o we will re-use water from water play for washing outdoor play equipment and watering plants, whenever possible;
o not overfill kettles.
- create a sustainable pre-school environment with eco-friendly resources;
- within the setting we have a number of age related stories about the world we live in, and use these as part of the curriculum for information and stories.
- Through play and learning we teach the children about the wider environment, and their local communities.
Biodiversity – enhancing nature at our setting
St Joseph’s Pre-school is signed up to National Education Nature Park
- Developing green spaces in our outside area. We have a number of raised beds where the children gain learning experiences through planting and growing food, nurturing seedlings and plants.
- Planting in the garden, using collected seeds and recycled plant pots.
- Encourage wildlife conservation in our outside area by:
o keeping our bird feeding station filled with food and getting the children involved in monitoring its usage;
o providing homes for insets and birds.
- In the summer term we have an activity which provides a unique educational experience for the children:
o watch chicks hatch from pathogen-free eggs (www.livingeggs.co.uk); or
o watch ducklings ducklings provided by an ethical provider of high-welfare hatching kits (www.incredibleeggs.co.uk); or
o watch live caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies (www.insectlore.co.uk)
Climate education and green careers – nurturing future change makers
- Teaching children about climate change through stories, discussions and hands-on projects;
- Planning monthly activities which teach children about nature and the natural world.