Step 6 Monitoring and Evaluation

• Your Eco-Committee monitors the effectiveness of their Eco-Schools topic actions: via data collection, our topic specific National Call to Action surveys (or other national surveys), before and after photographs etc.
• Monitoring and Evaluation outcomes are communicated to your whole school and on display on your Eco-Board.
• Evidence and data collected has been analysed and evaluated to help your pupils develop further topic actions.
• OPTIONAL FOR FIRST GREEN FLAG: Some of your monitoring and evaluation data has been used in the curriculum, for example creating graphs and charts or statistical analysis in maths lessons (this also supports Step 4: Curriculum Links).

Your methods of monitoring will depend on the targets and measurement criteria set out in your Action Plan.

• Meter readings to show the effects of energy/water-saving activities.
• Litter/waste audits to show the effects of litter/recycling initiatives.
• Calculating financial savings from bills to show the effects of energy/water-saving initiatives (where meters are not accessible).
• Questionnaires to show changes of opinion from other students, staff, residents or members of the local community. Carrying out this type of measuring helps with Step 5 Informing and Involving too.
• Before, during and after photographs as visual evidence including seasonal photos of your schools grounds.
• Listing evidence of wildlife/species to show the effects of school grounds maintenance such as mowing grass.

Graph Template

Pie Chart Template

Remember to log in to your Eco-Schools account for more resources too.

How do we monitor and evaluate?

You can monitor and evaluate in a variety of ways, some of our suggestions include: before and after photographs, surveys, charts, tables, reports or meter readings. Any way that you can generate numerical data that can then be put into graphs and charts is the most straightforward way.

One of our actions wasn?t successful, what should we do?

At Eco-Schools we understand that not every action you work on will be a success, especially at the start of your journey to Green Flag. If your school has implemented an action and it hasn?t been a success, learn from it and still use this as evidence towards your Green Flag application.

One of our actions isn?t finished yet, can we still apply for Green Flag?

Some of the actions that you are working on may take a long time to complete. As long as you have started the actions and can provide evidence of this then please do not hesitate to apply for your Green Flag Award.

What evidence do we need for the monitoring and evaluation for Green Flag?

During the final stages of your Green Flag application, you will be asked to provide a photograph of your Eco-Board. Evidence of Monitoring and Evaluation on your Eco-Board could include: before and after photographs, surveys, charts, tables, reports or meter readings. You will also be asked to briefly list some examples of the monitoring and evaluation you have carried out on your online Green Flag application.

How much evidence do we need?

We request evidence for each of the three topics in your Action Plan for first Green Flag applications and evidence of monitoring and evaluation for all five topics for Green Flag renewals, this evidence should be presented in a variety of ways i.e not all the same graph.