On Monday, we were joined once again by Bethany from the Green Schools Project, who began the session with a whole-school assembly about climate change. We explored what climate change means and discussed the different factors that contribute to it, helping us to deepen our understanding of the impact humans have on the environment.
We also reflected on the excellent work of last year’s Year 5, who organised a whole-school book swap. This initiative helped reduce the need for new resources and highlighted how small, school-led actions can make a real difference to our carbon footprint.
During the workshop, we focused on the idea of ‘green jobs’. We considered how different careers can be adapted to be more environmentally friendly, thinking carefully about transport, food, energy use, and building materials. Working with our learning partners, we took on the roles of architects, chefs, and football club managers, and developed ideas for how each job could support a more sustainable future.
We were also joined by Sam and Edel from Erith, who shared insights into their work within the construction and built environment sector. Sam works on construction sites in London, helping to ensure that environmental rules are followed, reducing waste, saving energy and materials, and finding new ways to make building projects more sustainable. Edel’s role focuses on integrating community engagement into planning, working closely with site teams, and ensuring that projects are carefully planned, delivered, and reviewed so that both people and the planet are considered at every stage.
Once our visitors had left (after we gave them a tour of our playground), some of us were able to present our ideas and take on questions too!
We are looking forward to exploring case studies from around the world that show the real-life impact of climate change. This will help us build our understanding further and begin to think about how we, as a school, can take action to reduce our own carbon footprint. Later in the project, we will also be planning and organising our own events to support this important work.
A big thank you to Bethany, Sam, and Edel for their time and inspiring us with their knowledge and experience. We are really looking forward to continuing this project and putting our ideas into action.
