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Sustainable schools

Some children gardening

By 2025: all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan.

By 2030: through the National Education Nature Park and cross-government collaboration, we will have significantly increased the biodiversity on the education estate and implemented ‘Green Corridors’ for access to education settings, improving climate resilience, physical and mental wellbeing, and protecting and enhancing wildlife and ecosystems along the routes between nurseries, schools, colleges and universities.

Find out more at GOV.UK.

Here you can find all the information a school needs to start their journey towards being a sustainable school.

National Education Nature Park

Find out about the National Education Nature Park programme.

Southampton resources and ideas linked to the Ten Eco School Topic Areas

On these pages and the links below you will find information about what Southampton City Council is offering schools, general information about the topic and helpful links and case studies to other examples of sustainable schools in action.

Biodiversity SHOW

Global Citizenship SHOW

Healthy living SHOW

Litter SHOW

Marine SHOW

School grounds SHOW

Transport SHOW

Waste SHOW

Energy SHOW

Water SHOW

Hedgehog boxes

We visited St Mary’s school in their ecology and sustainability week to teach a class of children about hedgehogs.

They also then received and placed a hedgehog box on their school site.

For more information visit biodiversity for schools.

SMS HH 1
Giving a talk to a group of pupils
SMS HH 2
The inside of a hedgehog box showing an opening and a divider that runs partly up the middle of the box
SMS HH 3
Two people holding the hedgehog box
SMS HH 4
The hedgehog box in place, on bare earth, beside a fence
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Congratulations

Several children celebrating in a shower of confetti

Sustrans’ Big Walk and Wheel

Congratulations to the following schools for their amazing work during Sustrans Big Walk and Wheel 2024.

Small Primary Schools – out of 651 schools nationwide

  • Swaythling – 98th with 73.14% daily average score

Large Primary Schools – out of 897 schools nationwide

  • St John's Primary and Nursery School – 126th - 72.48% daily average score
  • Moorlands Primary School – 216th - 66.86% daily average score
  • Bitterne Park Primary School – 258th – 63.94% daily average score
  • Highfield Church of England Primary School – 284th – 62.41% daily average score
  • Fairisle Infant and Nursery School – 337th – 59.25% daily average score
  • Newlands Primary School – 474th – 52.45% daily average score
  • Kanes Hill Primary School – 539th
  • Freemantle Church of England Community Academy – 689th
  • Shirley Infant School – 691st
  • Mansel Park Primary & Nursery School – 696th
  • Shirley Warren Primary & Nursery School – 751st
  • Oakwood Junior School 801st
  • Sholing Juniors – 853rd

Secondary Schools – out of 47 schools nationwide

  • St Anne’s Catholic School – 12th – 44.67% daily average score

Combined Primary and Secondary Schools – out of 20 schools nationwide

  • St Mark’s CofE School 12th – 28.56% daily average score

The top three Southampton schools were awarded prizes for their supreme efforts (based on daily average score):

  • Swaythling – Full day scooter workshop and stunt show with Terry Price
  • St-Johns – Scooter pod
  • Moorlands – Scooter plus helmet

Hedgehog boxes

Congratulations to the following schools for installing their Hedgehog box, creating gaps for hedgehogs and agreeing to manage their grounds in a friendly way for hedgehogs:

  • Bitterne Park Primary School
  • Foundry Lane Primary School
  • Freemantle CE Community Academy
  • Glenfield Infant School
  • Hollybrook Infant School
  • Hollybrook Junior School
  • Ludlow Junior School
  • Moorlands Primary School
  • St Anne’s Catholic School
  • St Mary's Primary School
  • Shirley Infant School
  • Shirley Warren Primary and Nursery School
  • Swaythling Primary School

Swift boxes

Congratulations to the following schools for installing swift boxes:

  • Foundry Lane Primary
  • Kanes Hill Primary, who have installed a swift call system to encourage the birds to come and investigate the boxes!
  • Redbridge Community School
  • Regents Park Community College
  • St John's Primary and Nursery School
  • Shirley Infant School
  • Shirley Junior School
  • Swaythling Primary School

Calendar of events

See the calendar of events.

Further information

Read about the healthy eating for schools.