South Island School aims to teach students and staff to respect and protect the environment on a local, national and global scale; to engage in green, sustainable practices that minimize our environmental impact, to be involved in activities that make a difference in terms of enhancing and protecting our environment and to become a role model for other schools.

Our aspiration is that students will leave South Island School with a genuine understanding of the necessity for environmental protection and sustainability and equipped with the knowledge and skills to make a difference in their
adult lives.

This is achieved through an inter-disciplinary approach to environmental sustainability education, student and staff involvement in a range of related extra-curricular activities and by ensuring that our school operates with environmentally sustainable practices.

Our Environmental Policy

This environmental policy is published, understood and supported by stakeholders including staff, students and parents. All stakeholders have the ongoing opportunity to be involved in the process of forming and adapting the policy.

The environmental policy is reviewed and revised at the end of every academic year, with the involvement of all stakeholders in student council and PTA meetings.

The South Island School Campus

• The campus is as ‘green’ as possible by making maximum use of available spaces to grow plants.
• Students are involved in the practical work of ‘greening’ the school and maintaining it.
• Green areas are used for educational purposes.
• All stakeholders are encourage to keep the campus clean and tidy.
• Efforts are continuously made to reduce, and make most efficient use of, energy consumption and to monitor this by using ‘ent-rak’.
• The school invests in energy/resource saving technologies (e.g. timer controls).
• Recycling facilities are widely available and all waste is properly separated and collected for recycling.
• Plastic and paper usage are reduced as much as possible.
• The campus is cleaned using environmentally friendly detergents.

The Sustainability Council (SusCo)

The Sustainability Council (SusCo) is South Island’s dedicated environmental awareness group that has been running for years – it is committed to taking steps that drastically alter our school’s dependence on non-renewable energy and things damaging to the environment. The group is made up of students from a range of years that all lead projects they are passionate about, enabling them to make a difference both inside and out of the school.

Throughout its existence, the Sustainability Council (SusCo) has undertaken a multitude of projects. A list of current/past projects the Sustainability Council (SusCo) has collaborated on:

• Partnering with CKP to undergo an audit assessing the school’s environmental impact—examining areas like energy and waste—as part of an ESF-wide initiative to guide future actions and enable cross-school learning.
• Collaborating with Heads of Department throughout the year to audit sustainability content in the curriculum, aiming to promote deeper integration across subjects and embed it into the school’s ethos and values.
• Implementing the Entrak System across all ESF schools to track daily electricity use down to each classroom and display it near the reception and on our VLE homepage to raise awareness and encourage energy reduction.