Growing Greener: Lionheart’s commitment to sustainability and recycling

Over the years, we’ve taken a centralised approach to promoting sustainability; encouraging both staff and pupils to recycle as just one example. We have installed energy efficient LED lighting within our schools and also reduced single-use plastics; eliminating plastic cups and plastic cutlery at lunchtimes. 

This ethos is also embedded in our teaching and learning, where we ensure our young people are educated about these key issues. In June 2024, for example, as part of our acclaimed Global Issues Curriculum, children at all our schools explored the social and environmental implications of climate change.  

To reinforce learning from these lessons, later that month, we held our first Lionheart Eco Rally at The Cedars Academy in Birstall. Here, pupils sampled a host of activities – both educational and interactive – that inspired them and strengthened their collective understanding of climate change and wider ‘green’ issues. There were live speeches, information stalls and a live cooking demonstration which taught pupils how to make the most of leftover food thus reducing what goes to landfill. Elsewhere, children penned letters to parliamentary leaders, constructed placards with environmental messages and created their own bee bombs. 

Alongside Trust-wide initiatives, our individual schools also host Eco Clubs as part of their extra-curricular offering; here, pupils are encouraged to take an active interest in combatting environmental issues.  

Read examples below of how our schools are embedding awareness and action into school life. 

 

Sir Jonathan North Girls’ College, Knighton 

Leicester’s only all-girls’ multi-faith state school are proud to follow the Eco Schools programme, selecting three environmental areas to work on each academic year. For 2023/24, they chose school grounds, water and healthy living, undertaking a broad range of activities in all these areas. 

They enhanced the college pond and added nest and bat boxes to improve the school grounds and make it more environmental-friendly for wildlife. They collected plastic water bottles and transformed them into miniature flowers and introduced home-grown food onto the lunch menu as part of the ‘mealbarrow’ competition. 

The school was recently awarded the Eco Schools Green Flag with Merit as recognition for their hard work. 

 

Beauchamp College, Oadby 

The College’s Eco Club have completed similarly important work; introducing bird boxes in the outdoor area, participating in the Energy Sparks project and growing their own food, which they too incorporated onto the college menu. 

Environmental consideration has also been introduced within the curriculum. Year 7s, for example, look at Global Warming from fossil fuels – and the importance of selecting renewable forms of energy – in their Science lessons. In Geography, Year 8 students examine why glaciers and sea ice are melting, whilst Year 9s focus on how climate change affects biodiversity.  

Like Sir Jonathan North, Beauchamp were also successful in their application to Eco Schools, receiving a Green Flag to acknowledge their environmental efforts. 

 

Martin High School, Anstey 

Student members of the Eco Club have been equally as busy, working hard on a number of initiatives to increase environmental awareness both in school and also in the surrounding community. They took part in a fly tipping clearance and rewilding of Holgate Woods to create an outdoor classroom, planting native woodland bulbs, wild flower seeds and creating hedgehog highways. 

Learners were also invited to be stewards at ‘BlossomFest,’ a local village festival. Prior to the event, they used recycled plastics to create colourful flowers, before using their designs to decorate a beautiful willow arch. On the day of the festival, learners conducted a litter pick and hosted a ‘blossom making’ recycling workshop. 

Elsewhere, they visited a Solar Farm as part of a trip funded by Energy Sparks, made bat boxes for Dr Jane Goodall, completed an archaeological dig at Beaumanor Hall and participated in the Duracell Big Battery Hunt, where they collected batteries to recycle. 

 

Hallam Fields Primary School, Birstall 

At primary level, some of our younger pupils have been equally as involved when it comes to promoting sustainability.  

Waddling all the way from the South Pole, the children have welcomed the Penguin of Power into school. An incentive to encourage pupils to turn off lights and electrical equipment when not in use, each week, the most energy efficient class are given the penguin to look after. 

The Eco Ambassadors also took part in two key initiatives. As part of the Wildlife Friendly Schools Project, children planted hedgerows, created a pond area and took part in multiple wildlife workshops. The whole school then participated in the Less Litter for Leicester campaign. Each class conducted a litter pick of the school and, by working together and demonstrating commendable teamwork, Hallam Fields collected over 25kg of litter! 

Children also brought in old plastic bottles from home. They each then decorated them and constructed a stunning mural of the Hallam Fields logo which was displayed at the Trust-wide Eco Rally. 

 

Ultimately, these initiatives – both at a centrally and at school level – highlight our commitment to a greener future, demonstrating that even small actions can lead to a significant environmental impact. As we continue to grow, so does our responsibility to protect the planet for generations to come.