Explore the Let’s Go Zero map to see where else teachers, students and school communities are taking action to become zero carbon by 2030.
Let’s Go Zero school action:
Diamond Wood Community Academy, Dewsbury
Diamond Wood Academy has been very active in ensuring the school is as green as possible and that its students grow up knowing the importance of looking after the world. Sustainability is woven into the school’s curriculum and ethos, and the school is an environmental leader in its community. Some of their achievements include:
- Receiving the Eco-Schools Green Flag three times
- Having an active eco-council with councillors from each year group
- Running nature-based mental health workshops for parents and students with the charity S2R
- Getting the students involved in different campaigns, including Switch Off Fortnight and Eat Them to Defeat Them
The teachers and students leading the action:
“With our students being so young, it’s about putting it in really simple terms. We talk a lot about doing little things that will make a big difference.”
Hannah Tombling, Nursery teacher and Eco Schools leader.
What are they doing in their school?
Litter and fly tipping is a big problem in the local area, so the school has organised big community litter picks, working in collaboration with the local library to clear waste and plant bulbs on site. Students have also been involved with planting on the local cycle path called the Greenway.
Sustainability is interwoven into the curriculum; early years students spend up to 75% of their time outdoors, and all year groups have dedicated outdoor lessons. Diamond Wood was also one of the pilot schools for the Ministry of Eco Education and their green curriculum initiative, which seeks to put sustainability at the heart of learning.
Students spend a lot of time outdoors, learning how to plant vegetables and pollinator plants and exploring the local area. The school’s Eco-Council is very active, with members from each year group from reception through to year two. Even though the students are young, they have presented at the local climate festival in Kirklees and have taken part in Fairtrade workshops run by a community interest company called Fair and Funky, which encourages students to think about small steps they can take to change the world. Students help to grow vegetables that are then used in the school kitchens, and take part in bird watching activities to enhance their sense of nature connectedness.
Cymraeg 
English (UK)