Keep up to date with all the latest news happening in school at the moment.

• KS2 Climate Change Poster Winners

  Mon 15 Nov 2021

  Well done to our Key Stage 2 Climate Change Poster competition winners! 

  
  They have given us lots of ways in which we can make small changes to look after our planet!

   

  Which ones will you try? 

  

• Year 5 - Generation Green Residential

  Thu 04 Nov 2021
  

• Year 3 - Year 6: Competition Time!

  Thu 04 Nov 2021

  At the moment, world leaders are gathering in Glasgow for COP26 – an important meeting to discuss climate change.

   

  To coincide with this important meeting, we have 10 copies of the Horrible Geography: Planet in Peril book to give away! 

   

  To be in with a chance of winning a copy of this book, all your child has to do is to design a poster encouraging other children / adults to make small changes to protect the planet. 

   

  Rules:

  • This competition is only open to children in Year 3 - Year 6
  • The poster needs to be no bigger than A3 sized (twice as big as A4, photocopier paper)
  • It can be drawn, painted, collaged or even designed on the computer (but must be printed out)
  • It must have your child's name and class on the back
  • It must be handed in to your child's class teacher by 9.00am on Friday 12th November. 
  • Winners will be announced, and winning posters displayed, during w/c 15th November. 

   

  We will be looking for the most eye-catching posters, which provide clear information and give other children / adults a few ideas about small changes to protect the planet.  

   

  The BBC website also has a number of short videos which explain climate change to children and give some ideas about the small changes that they can make to protect the planet: 

  Climate Change: What is it and why is everyone talking about it?

  How does Food Impact the Environment?

  Climate Change and Plastic Pollution

  Climate Change: Your Questions Answered

   

  Parent / carer information about COP 26 and Climate Change is available here -> Climate Change Information

  

• COP26

  Wed 03 Nov 2021

  At the moment, world leaders are gathering in Glasgow for COP26 – an important meeting to discuss climate change.

   

  What is climate change?

  When we talk about climate change, we are talking about global changes in the Earth's average temperature.

   

  The Earth's average temperature moves up and down naturally, but it has been increasing more rapidly than it usually does.

   

  This change is impacting on the planet's environment - which is everything natural around us; rivers, trees, plants, animals... everything!

   

  What is causing it?

  Scientists say many of the changes to the Earth's climate are caused by things that humans are doing, including:

   

  • Burning of oil, coal and gas - These are used to power / heat our homes and factories, as well as fuel for cars, trucks and planes. When burnt, these release substances into the atmosphere, including a gas called carbon dioxide, which trap heat from the sun and warm up the Earth.

   

  • Deforestation - deforestation is when a forest or tree-covered area is turned into something else (for example a farm). At the moment, the main reason forests are cut down is to make space to grow food to feed to animals which can be slaughtered so that humans can eat meat.

   

  • Waste - The way waste is disposed of often adds to these harmful emissions. Even food waste creates another greenhouse gas called methane when it rots.

   

  What is the impact?

  Many people could be forced to leave their homes and their countries, wildlife will be endangered and the amount of land to grow food on will be reduced – making food much more expensive.

   

  Poorer people, areas and countries in particular are likely to be more seriously affected.

   

  What are we doing at Pirton Hill?

  As a school, we recognise the need to make changes to protect our planet. We have already:

  • Introduced a meat-free Wednesday for school dinners;
  • Replaced all of the lighting in the school with low-energy lighting that goes off automatically when you are out of the room;  
  • Planted more trees in the school grounds;
  • Replaced the old projectors in each classroom with energy efficient boards;
  • Introduced pre-ordering for hot school meals, to reduce waste; and
  • Improved our windows in Reception and Year 1 – to improve insulation.

  
  We are also having an Air Source Heat Pump installed (you might have seen the big, white box appear in the staff car park this week). This will take warmth from the air and warm the school – a bit like a fridge in reverse – reducing our reliance on gas heating.

   

  We will also be looking at ways in which we can reduce our use of plastic in school over the next few months.

   

  What could you do?

  There are lots of things you can do to help save the planet… Could you try:

  • Having one extra meat-free meal at home each week?
    • The process of making just one beef burger generates about the same carbon dioxide as driving a car 10 miles
    • If every UK citizen cut out one chicken based meal every week – it would reduce Britain’s carbon emissions by the same amount as taking 100,000 cars off the roads.
  • Try replacing one litre of cow’s milk with one litre of soya / oat / almond milk each week.  
  • Turning lights off when you are not in the room.
  • Turning off TVs, Playstations, Xboxes etc. rather than leaving them on standby.
  • Encouraging your child to turn off the tap when they are brushing their teeth.
  • Turning the thermostat for your heating down by just 1 degree.
  • Try to minimise what you throw away:
    • Only buy the food you need and make sure you eat it before it goes out of date!
    • Repair and reuse.
    • Give unwanted items a new life by donating them to charity or selling them on.
  • If you have a car, walking or using the bus for one extra journey each week.
  • Try to avoid buying things in plastic packaging or made of plastic.