A Year of Environmental Impact at Truro School Prep

Truro School Prep has had an active year, working hard to help our environment and to shape our eco-warriors for the future.

This year, our school has been awarded the Eco Schools Green Flag and Plastic Free Schools Status with SAS. We have joined the RSPB in the Big Schools Birdwatch and have also received certificates for their Wild Challenge (more of these can be completed at home, please see the link below). We continue to support the ‘Sussex University Buzz Club Citizen Science Projects’ and their campaign to reduce pesticides and pet flea treatment use that harm other invertebrates.  We have also supported the ‘Wildlife Watch’ activities with the Wildlife Trust.

This year, select Prep pupils joined the Eco-Schools Activity Day at Truro Cathedral, and a new after-school Eco Club began.  The Greenpower team designed their own car using recycled cladding and the TEC girls represented the school with their ‘Eco Homes are Awesome’ designs.  In addition to this, Year 5 completed their Ballerion Award, with a focus on outdoor learning.  This saw them join a beach clean, and many more joined other litter picks, spurred on by the motto ‘pick up three and help save our sea!‘  There has been some brilliant cycling into school with the Sustrans Bike Bus, and the debating team had success with their question ‘The Planet is changing, why aren’t we?’

In the Pre-Prep, Nursery made some short videos to help us use the correct bins and recycle more.  They also showed us how to save water, heat and light energy. We made some changes to become a plastic-free school and some swaps to reduce our plastic waste, including using masking tape or natural string rather than sticky plastic tape.  In Forest School, we continue to keep our site wild and enrich our wild habitats, making animal homes such as bug hotels. We are making a book of all of the species who call Truro School Prep their home, and continue to see the now rare lesser stag beetle around the site.  Our wildlife camera continues to reveal amazing footage of large wildlife such as deer, foxes, rabbits and badgers.

Thank you to all who donated recycled items to update our outdoor learning spaces, and a well done to all of our incredible pupils for their eco-efforts this year. A special thank you to our fantastic Forest School Lead, Mrs Stableforth, for driving so many of these endeavours.

Here are some invigorating wildlife activities that you may enjoy over the Summer:

Merlin Bird ID – Who is singing in the Morning Chorus? Bird song identifier

Big Butterfly Count – Record what you all see in 15 minutes, on any day you choose

Wildlife Watch – Colour in, make animal homes, identify species

Buzz Club – join our citizen science projects

RSPB, Wild Challenge For Families – A variety of challenges to help nature and inspire