Caldicot's Castle Park primary school wins top green award

After the official opening of their new eco-friendly plaza building the children looked at how our behaviour can have an impact on the planet. They challenged celebrities in letters asking them what they do to reduce their carbon footprints, calculated their own and looked at how to reduce their energy consumption.

After studying protest songs they wrote their own environmentally themed songs and recorded their music.

Sue Wilsher, teacher at Castle Park said: "This was a project that really captured the children's imagination. The awards are a fantastic way to encourage young people to think about the impact that we are having on the environment and the children have learned so much as a result.

"In a school that is very environmentally aware, it has been lovely to see the children's interest and knowledge grow and to see them becoming active environmentalists."

The school's project 'Our Carbon Footprint' took top spot in the 'Totally Clued Up' category across Wales and Western England.

And then last week twenty seven children aged 10-11 represented their school and joined other regional finalists at the Total Green School Awards ceremony at London Zoo. All of the finalists received a cheque for £1,000 to put towards their school funds. A Nottingham school took the overall prize and won £5,000.

YPTE Director, Peter Littlewood, said: "The children of Castle Park School are becoming regular guests at London Zoo. They have so much enthusiasm and the scope and depth of their work is amazing. They are very lucky to have the guidance of very enthusiastic and knowledgeable teachers."

The Total Green School Awards is a nationwide competition for 5 to 11 year olds, which is run by the Young People's Trust for the Environment (YPTE) in partnership with Total.

The competition, which aims to generate interest in the environment and raise awareness of the need for sustainable energy sources, has received entries from over 54,000 school children.