Green School

We received our seventh Green-Schools flag in June 2017. We received our flag for our work on the theme of Global Citizenship: Energy. This was a two-year programme.

Green-School Committee
A new Green-School committee is elected every school year in our school. It is their job to help with all aspects of the Green-School Programme. They wear special badges so we know who they are!

Litter and Waste

We make a big effort to keep our school and our school grounds looking nice. We have a Litter-Picking rota in rotation in the senior classes at lunch times.

We have a recycling centre in the school. Waste materials are recycled by the Green-School committee members. These materials include paper, cardboard, cartons, plastic bottles, toilet roll inserts and batteries.

Energy

Our Lady of Mercy Primary School is dedicated to implementing energy efficient policies, recognising that this is essential to provide a leading example to our pupils and the wider community. We hope to focus on savings which can be achieved by good house-keeping i.e. no-cost measures and some low cost measures. Our Lady of Mercy Primary School is committed to the responsible management of energy and water. By efficient management of these resources, the school community aims to minimise expenditure and environmental impact, while maintaining health and safety standards and an acceptable comfort level for the staff, pupils and other building users.

In our school we make special efforts to conserve energy. Each classroom has our Energy Charter displayed beside their room door. The Green-School committee members remind us all to turn off lights and computers when they are not required, to close doors etc.

School Garden / Outdoor Classroom

We have a small garden at the front of the school with some vegetable and fruit patches. There is also an insect hotel if you look carefully! A gardening committee operate the garden in the summer term. They update us on their work on the Garden Noticeboard. Beside the garden is our outdoor classroom.

Mercy Polytunnel

Installed in February 2017, the Mercy polytunnel, situated beside the outdoor classroom, has brought learning alive in our school. The children from the various classes, and the gardening club, have grown vegetables such as tomatoes, broccoli, onions, garlic, peas, french beans, strawberries and even grapes from our very own grapevine!

The children, and even the teachers, find the polytunnel a peaceful haven. We can see first hand that gardening has improved the students’ wellbeing in terms of self-esteem and personal achievement. As we engage in producing our own food, the children learn about sustainability and good  healthy eating habits.

We have been awarded many times by Tidy towns and AgriAware, recognising our efforts in increasing the children’s awareness of their role within society and the local community.

We are currently at the planning stages of creating a sensory garden/ space.

Watch this space!