Ringwood School
Teaching Awards 2009 Winner
The DCSF Award for Sustainable Schools in South of England
Ringwood School, RINGWOOD
Shoppers who are earning points on their supermarket loyalty cards for re-using carrier bags probably have pupils at Ringwood School to thank for it. One of the most successful sustainability exercises at the school has been to lobby stores to make plastic bag re-use worthwhile.
Ringwood has done some outstanding work as part of the sustainability agenda, and it is engrained in the curriculum and the whole ethos of the school. Students have wholeheartedly embraced the philosophy, and disseminate the message far and wide to the community and other schools.
Ringwood has a strong commitment to caring, whether it is for the individuals within the school or the community at large. A large environment group of 150 pupils leads the school’s commitment to the cause of sustainability. Every member of the school is expected to participate in the recycling programme, for example, and litter problems are a thing of the past.
One pupil is measuring the school’s water consumption, while the ‘Making a Mint’ project involved pupils planting mint seeds and using their skills to make and sell products. The outcome included candles, drawer liners and car air fresheners, which were sold at car boot sales.
The school’s climate change garden examines ways of using rainwater wisely while creating an outdoor study area. Meanwhile, energy audits have been carried out around the school to monitor consumption, and campaigns launched to urge savings. Sixth formers have built working models of a wind turbine and solar-powered water-heating systems, which may be used to inspire new installations of the real thing in the future. Students have also been active in promoting Fairtrade products.
The success of the school in sustainability has already been acknowledged far beyond its own locality. Ringwood registered for the Eco-Schools programme in 2003, and has now achieved two Green Flag awards. It is also a Healthy School and an International School, and was presented with the Gold Tree Award from the Woodland Trust earlier this year (2009). It is thought to be the only secondary school so far to have achieved this accolade.
Judges said: “Sustainability suffuses the school. From the moment a visitor walks through the door, the message is everywhere. There was a breathless whirl of enthusiasm about it.”
