Wednesday 10 June 2009

Bowbridge Primary School

We visited Bowbridge School to see a school with a focus on sustainability. Their showcase is a new environmentally designed building. I was surprised to see this school has been surviving for the last 50 years in Army Huts and only just got a new building. The huts after being left by the army were then used by displaced people after the war until a council estate was built. The people moved out into their council homes & the children moved into their school. All Bowbridge’s families come from the council estate with 95% unemployment. Bowbridge has very strong links with the community through it’s  adult education programmes. This is one key aspect of all schools we visited – they all offered what was called Extended Services. It could be after school clubs or sport for students or classes for the wider community. Another difference to our system is that schools come under the Department of Children, Schools & Families (which would be like a combination of our MOE & CYFS) and also Local Education Authorities (a branch of local government)

While we were there they were having a ‘Great Outdoors’ Week with students engaged in lots of hands on activities outside. There is plenty around the school that is ‘eco- friendly’ such as it’s wood pellet heating system, playground map made out of recycled jandle plastic, rain water usage monitor, plants growing, amongst other things.

http://bowbridge.primarypodcast.com/

NCSL case study school around the theme of Sustainability. 

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