Born out of a desire to encourage nature connection and climate activism, Eco Week builds on the previous eco-conscious actions of the school to provide over twenty engaging activities, such as plant propagation, making bird feeders, letter writing, a clothes repair workshop and so much more. The week is made possible by the charitable spirit of the school in Norwich, with twenty staff and a collection of determined Climate Crew members coming together to make this possible.

The week started with an assembly introducing a new and exciting eco partnership. The University of East Anglia, Climate Psychology Alliance and Norfolk and Waveney Mind have joined forces to create the ‘sUStain’ project to address anxiety about climate change. In school, we will be using their Active Hope programme to respond to climate concerns, including creating space for students to share feelings and worries about climate change in dedicated ‘climate cafes’ and exploring ways to feel more positive and active about climate change in a series of assemblies.

Throughout the week, there was a huge variety of activities for students to get involved with, from science experiments to getting outside in nature. We made excellent progress planting vegetables in the allotments at Dingly Dell, one our outdoor learning spaces which includes a heritage orchard and pond alongside the freshly dug allotments. Our green-fingered students also had a chance to take home some new houseplants through a plant propagation workshop on Monday.

As well as nature related activities, students and staff were also encouraged to think about how to reduce waste and live more sustainably. On Wednesday, students ran a pre-loved clothes and book swap in Eaton Grove Hall, while others learnt creative clothes mending techniques in Thursday’s workshop. There was also a chance to get creative and try their hand at upcycling waste products, including turning old plastic bottle tops into funky keyrings and jewellery in the DT lab.