Our work with Schools

SCHOOLS

“Sustainable development is not just about environmental or green issues such as switching off unnecessary lights, recycling and buying locally grown fruit and vegetables. In schools it includes consideration of pupils’ well-being, and the school’s contribution to building a sustainable community

” Quote taken from ‘Ofted Briefing to Inspectors 2012’

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Groundwork Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford (MSSTT) is an independent not-for-profit organisation that has an aim of ‘Changing Places, Changing Lives’ through a range of initiatives, often with an environmental or sustainability focus. Groundwork MSSTT works hard to deliver, inspire and improve local areas, businesses and the lives of local people, many of whom live in some of our most challenging neighbourhoods.

Introducing Groundwork...

Contact us for further information:

Visit: www.groundwork.org.uk/msstt

Tel: 0161 220 1020

Email: [email protected]

> Reduce the impact of your building

> Deliver environmental education

> Visit our Eco Park

> Improve your school grounds

> Deliver outdoor education

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Making the most out of your school grounds... Pages 05 - 12

Reducing your carbon footprint... Pages 13 - 18

> Increase volunteering in your school

> Engage better with parents and the wider community

> Develop interest groups and networks

Making links in your community... Pages 19 - 21

Groundwork can help you put sustainable development at the heart of your school by...



Tel: 0161 220 1020


Sustainable development focuses on the need to care for ourselves, for each other and for our environment. it can be effectively integrated into everything you do - teaching and learning, the development of your grounds, management of your school buildings and building relationships within the school and with your community.

Done well, a focus on sustainable development will:

All our services are priced competitively and any surplus we generate is channelled back into our work in local communities.

For more information about any of our services to schools and costs please contact:Email: [email protected]

Tel: 0161 220 1000

> Enhance achievement by making learning more exciting and engaging and adding richness to your curriculum

> Empower your pupils by developing skills such as leadership and communication

> Create a positive climate for learning

> Improve pupils’ behaviour by teaching them how what they do effects others

> Involve parents and the wider community in your school

> Include everyone irrespective of ability or background

> Save carbon and money!

> Raise the profile of your school by offering a distinctive and positive learning environment

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Why encourage sustainable development at your school?

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Introducing Groundwork...Throughout 2011/12 Groundwork MSSTT involved

3,302 young people in our projects.

When we work on school ground improvement projects our priority is to understand the needs and aspirations of your school.

Our Landscape Architects and Community Development team work together to get to the nub of your requirements and to

deliver an inspirational design which meets your brief.

We can take you through the whole process of school grounds design or you can choose the elements you require.

Consultation with pupils, staff, parents and the wider community

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OFSTED “Educational for sustainable Development; improving Schools -Improving Lives” and “the Value of Learning outside the Classroom “ 5

Making the most out of your school grounds...

Feasibility studies

Design

Costing

Accessing funding

Obtaining competitive tenders

Appointing and managing a contractor

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Your school grounds are a critical asset - not just for playtime and P.E but for education throughout the

school day and beyond, they are a natural focus for your sustainable development activity.

OFSTED support the provision of outdoor learning to support pupils’ understanding of the need to care for

their environment and to support physical and mental well-being. They conclude that access to

‘hands on activities’ outside of the classroom contributed to improvement in achievement, standards,

motivation, personal development and behaviour. 1

Our principles for school design:

School grounds should:

- Stimulate interactive play and learning

- Provide educational space

- Be ‘environmentally friendly’ supporting

wildlife using sustainable materials

- Foster a sense ownership

- Make a great first impression

Improve your school grounds

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Our work at St AlphonsusPrimary school in Old Trafford engaged with 80 Pupils and staff, implemented food growing areas toencourage and educate on healthy eating, provided curriculum links to Design and Technology in the construction process and incorporated art projects in the design and implementation of the playground markings.

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AFTER

Before

Broadhurst School

Higher Lane School

Before

After

After


Improve your school grounds

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“ We are very pleased with the work, even after such a short time, it feels it has always been like this ”

Head teacher at Lightoaks Primary School

Lightoaks Primary School

The Light Oaks Primary School project included a consultation package with all users (pupils, staff and parents) in the

redevelopment of the school grounds.

LIGHTOAKS PRIMARY SCHOOL REDEVELOPMENT PROJECT ENGAGED WITH160 PUPILS AND STAFF

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Deliver outdoor education

Making the most out of your school grounds....

Play and education in the natural environment has been shown to be highly engaging to pupils

who are not responding to traditional methods and to reduce the symptoms of attention

deficit disorder.

You don’t need a large area to introduce growing or outdoor education into your school. Even a small

space will allow you to teach all curriculum subjects in a new and exciting way. An outdoor classroom or

growing space also provides a focus for extra-curricular activity.

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Making the most out of your school grounds....

We can offer you support to introduce outdoor education into your school in the following ways:

Consulting, designing and delivering your growing

area or outdoor classroom

Supporting the establishment of a growing team

Devising lessons which help you use outdoor learning to

meet national curriculum targets

Helping you develop a volunteering programme to tender

and care for your outdoor space

Providing basic growing skills training for staff and

volunteers

Providing art workshops linked to your outdoor space

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Deliver outdoor education

“ Every child....born into this world has an innate pleasure..., delight...interest and curiosity in the natural world ”

Sir David Attenborough

Incorporating a growing space and other outdoor learning into your school grounds provides fantastic learning opportunities.

Where food comes from and the role of farmers and growers

Healthy eating and why it matters

Links between the urban and rural environments

How and why we should care for the natural world

Plant and animal care

>Pupils learn about:

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Our education team will help you maximise the value of your school grounds for learning. Outdoor education is cross-curricular.

Wildlife, nature, plants and animals (Science and Geography)

Geometry, pattern and numbers (Maths)

Awe and wonder at the natural environment (PHSE)

Colour and form (Art and literacy)

Risk taking and challenge (PHSE)

Describing, communicating and recording (English, speaking and listening)

Children can experience:

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Reducing energy use has many advantages for schools - it saves money, helps to combat

climate change, improves the learning environment, provides new opportunities for

learning and can enhance a school’s reputation. To maximise success, your approach to

energy management needs to involve the whole school - staff, pupils, parents and governors. Saving carbon is

about so much more than buildings and facilities, it’s about achieving real behaviour change

within the school community to translate global concerns into local action.

Reducing your Carbon Footprint...

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At Holy Cross School they undertook an Energy Conservation Programme

whereby pupils were involved in setting up a practical energy conservation

CASE STUDY

group that carried out tasks such as room temperature awareness training and energy use behaviour patrols. Groundwork helped to

co-ordinate and deliver the required training to staff and pupils which raised the school’s general environmental awareness.

Savings made:

9,979 litres of oil being saved

117.752 kwh of energy

29.44 tonnes of CO2 emissions saved

A TOTAL COST SAVING OF £3,855

Groundwork Environmental Business services (EBS) can help schools save money and the

environment by reducing their carbon footprint and helping to raise their

environmental awareness with both pupils and staff members. Through the

application of environmental training and the conduction of a Resource Efficiency Review,

we can ensure that your school is sustainable and saving money in a time of tight budgets.

Groundwork Environmental Business Services can deliver:

Resource efficiency / sustainablility reviews

Environmental consultancy

Environmental training for teachers and students

Assess and produce Display Energy Certificates

Meet legal requirements and ensure compliance

Support your local Eco-Schools journey

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Reduce the impact of your buildings

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A whole school approach means educating the school community about how individual and collective actions can contribute to

carbon savings.

The approach must:

> Recognise everyone has a role to play

> Encourage the whole school to work together

> Empower pupils and staff to take individual and collective action

> Enthuse all stakeholders from pupils to governors

> Help you achieve learning outcomes


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Delivering environmental education

QUOTE

We can work with you to tailor a package to meet your needs. Our environmental education specialists can offer the

following services.:

Provide support and training to help you through your eco-school ‘Green Procurement Policy’

Support the establishment of a school energy team

Devise and deliver environmental workshops linking into the National Curriculum and learning outcomes.

(These could cover topics such as water and energy conservation, recycling or nature)

Deliver Carbon Literacy training to teachers and pupils (training is certified and meets the Manchester Carbon Literacy

Standard)

Use a participatory approach to develop Energy Saving Action plans for your school community

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Possible activities to involve your

students in:

Identify types of lighting, power

rating, how many, how are they used?

Take meter readings for a fortnight/

month to identify what energy is used

inside and outside school hours

Environmental surveys

Water usage surveys

Waste audits - lights left on, taps

running, waste in the wrong bins etc...

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Bring your classroom to our urban oasis in the heart of Trafford and make use of our Eco Park.

This an excellent venue for day trips that will enrich your environmental education. Your pupils will visit

a beautiful 11 hectare outdoor space in the middle of Europe’s largest industrial park. During a

day here children will be able to draw inspiration, experience a variety of contrasting

habitats and learn about the natural world.

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Visit our Eco Park

Subjects and activities on offer can

include:

- Earthworks (Yr1)

- Plants and animals (Yr2)

- Green plants (Y3)

- Habitats (Yr4)

- Life cycles (Yr5)

- Independence and adaption (Yr6)

The site is equipped with a bird hide and pond dipping platforms. The Education Centre provides indoor facilities including; an ICT suite and microscopes, kitchen area and toilets. There is also a large and scenic picnic area in the park.

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Community is at the heart of sustainable development. Having a strong community within the school as well as positive links in your

local area, helps you to:

At Groundwork we pride ourselves on our ability to work with and get the best out of local communities. We work with local communities across our area of operation to address differential

capacity: building skills, knowledge and confidence to enable those communities to improve their own lives and those of others in their local area.

Making links with your community...

Motivate, enthuse and inspire

Increase parent and community involvement

Enhance your reputation

Use volunteers to increase the sustainability of your activities

Demonstrate the impact of collective action

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“Education for

Sustainable Development enables

pupils to develop the

knowledge, skills,

understanding and values

to participate in

decisions about the way we do

things individually and collectively,

both locally and globally, that will

improve the quality of life

now without damaging the planet

for the future ”

Taken from Ofsted Briefing to Inspectors 2012


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Our Community Development Team can bring 30 years of Groundwork experience to support

you in strengthening your school community.

“ I’m grateful to Groundwork for keeping us informed and making sure throughout the consultation, everyone in the community was involved ”

Sheila Davies, Chair of St George’s Community and Youth Association


We can:

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Help you develop engagement plans and deliver activities to engage parents and the wider community

Support independent consultation and campaigns e.g. in relation to a grounds improvement project

Help you develop and implement a volunteering strategy e.g. to support your growing activities

Support the establishment of community interest groups within the school e.g. Growing or Eco Teams

Support and grow school cluster initiatives >

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“ Groundwork approached the subject matter of green issues in a way that interested the young people. Their way of working empowered the young people to voice their opinion and influence a wide community including their local community, partners and peers ”

Stockport Homes



Tel: 0161 220 1020


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Tel: 0161 220 1020


Documents

Our work with Schools