May Newsletter
The submission window for Eco-Schools Green Flag applications is now OPEN!
The team is eagerly reading and approving applications. It’s amazing to read about the brilliant activities that young people are delivering and see all of your wonderful pictures and videos. It’s truly an inspiration and we can’t wait to hear your story! So, read on for more information about our simple application process, our digital awards pack and news on an incredibly exciting project: the development of a comprehensive schools’ carbon footprint calculator.
Completing and Submitting your Eco-Schools Green Flag Application
The submission window for Eco-Schools Green Flag applications is now open, and will remain open until 31st July!
Once you’ve hit 100 points, follow the instructions in the video linked to in the button below to submit your application. We can then assess your application and send out your Eco-Schools Green Flag and accreditation as soon as possible.
If your application is not quite ready, you still have time to work on existing projects, deliver new ones, and then add them to your application. Our Eco-Schools online quiz features 30 ideas for eco-actions that schools can deliver. Additionally, at the start of the year, we pulled together a list of activities and events that you can do up until the July 31st deadline to get your application over the line, check it out here.
And see the bottom of this e-mail for our response to two common questions we’ve been asked by schools keen to submit their application!
A Tree Planted for Every Green Flag Eco-School
We’re incredibly excited to announce that we’re partnering with JUST ONE Tree this Summer. Each school that achieves the Green Flag award will have a tree planted on their behalf by the team at JUST ONE Tree, supporting our planet’s biodiversity and extracting carbon from the atmosphere. It’s one of the ways we’re saying, ‘Thank You’ for all you do to educate and inspire young people across England.
The Digital Awards Pack
To further celebrate your success, we’ve compiled a pack of additional content and offers. The pack includes social media assets that you can use to celebrate online, an editable press release, certificates for your Eco-Committee and discounts from some of our amazing partners such as the RSPB and Magic Cat Publishing.
What Happens When We Submit Our Application?
You will receive confirmation that your application has been received and will now be assessed by one of the Eco-Schools’ Team. If your application is successful, you’ll receive confirmation that your application has been approved and detailed feedback via e-mail. If your application needs a little more work, we’ll get in touch and offer constructive feedback so that you can edit your application and resubmit before the end of the window. But don’t worry – we’ve designed the application form carefully – if you can answer most of the 7 Step questions, then you can be pretty sure that you’re in a good place to submit!
When Do We Pay For Accreditation?
A Green Flag Alternative
A number of renewing schools have noted that they don’t need a new Green Flag this Summer and would like an alternative. We’ve listened and made a change. This year, renewing schools have the option to select a dated, all-weather wall plaque that you can display anywhere on your school grounds. You will be prompted to choose what you would like to receive when submitting your application.
Twinkl’s Eco-Adventurers
Finally, don’t forget that Twinkl has a great set of classroom resources that connect directly to our Eco-Topics – the Eco-Adventurers. The team at Twinkl are also really interested in your feedback. You can let them know your thoughts by filling in the survey here.
Can You Help us Build a Comprehensive Carbon Footprint Calculator for Schools?
Eco-Schools is teaming with Let’s Go Zero and one of the UK’s leading Net Zero Carbon strategists to create a comprehensive carbon footprint calculator for schools. The calculator will map your school’s emissions across key areas including Operations, Travel, Food, and Procurement. It will then produce a report on your emissions and guidance on the steps you can take to reduce them, whilst also advising where you’ll need help and support (from local authorities for example) to make changes that are outside of your sphere of control.
We’re very excited about this project and we need your help! So far, we’ve been working with schools to help us shape the calculator, but we’d like more to get involved. We’ll be running a series of focus groups in the last half of June and we’d like you to be involved. If you’d be interested in taking part, please fill out this simple, two-minute form here.
Application FAQs
What if I have answered ‘No’, ‘N/A’, or ‘0’ on one or more questions on the application form?
This will not be a barrier to Green Flag success, we judge applications in their entirety, not on individual questions – in fact we don’t expect many schools to be able to answer all of the topic questions in Step 6: Monitoring and Evaluation, so don’t worry too much if you’re having difficulty answering all questions.
One of our projects isn’t quite complete, can I submit my application anyway so we can get our Green Flag before the end of the academic year?
Yes, as long as we can see a project has future plans in place, or is in progress you can successfully apply for an Eco-Schools Green Flag, after all combatting the climate crisis requires sustained action!
You can also sign up to Eco-Schools Training here, to find out more about the application and assessment process.
