As part of Great Big Green Week which ran from 18 - 26 September, Member of Parliament for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes MP, visited students and teachers at Ysgol Dinas Brân in Llangollen to learn more about their week of activities to encourage awareness and to listen to students’ climate change concerns.
During the week, each department hosted climate-focused activities. This included:
- Form time: Pupils found out about Climate Cymru’s campaign and Journey to COP, as well as about COP26.
- Assemblies: The Energy Officer from Denbighshire County Council Martin Smith, delivered assemblies to KS3 pupils about the school’s new solar panels and how this project helps us in our goal to drastically reduce our carbon footprint.
- Art: Pupils took part in a design a postcard to send to our leaders competition.
- Business: Pupils in years 10-13 learnt about sustainable business and ‘doughnut economics.’
- Design Technology: Pupils have been making bird boxes that will be installed in the school grounds.
- English: Pupils took inspiration from Greta Thunberg’s How Dare You speech, and wrote a 26-second speech telling our leaders the action they want to see on climate. They also wrote some amazing poems!
- Geography: Pupils carried out a flora and fauna survey of the school grounds, and designed posters.
- ICT: Pupils created a logo for our next Go Green week.
- PE: Encouraged as many as possible to cycle/walk to school!
- Science: KS4 pupils are currently studying green technology and green energy systems and this week carried out a study into the output generated by our solar panels. KS3 pupils researched renewable energy and took part in a design a poster/leaflet competition designed to educate their peers on ‘what can be done.’
- Restaurant: The team created a display on how far the food has travelled in relation to reducing the school’s carbon footprint.
- Year 13 students attended Energy 21 at Chester Racecourse. An Energy Industry event discussing how the sector plans to meet Net Zero targets.
- Students from the Eco-council helped to deliver some of the activities above and were key in showing around and presenting to our guests! Three of our year 13s were also interviewed about the week, our solar project and COP26 for Heart and Capital Radio.
Andy Wallis, PSE Coordinator at Ysgol Dinas Brân, said:
“As we have Eco-Schools Platinum status, sustainability has been at the forefront of our students' work over a number of years. They have worked with the teachers and with our local political representatives to get their voice heard on what they regard as their key issues; climate change and single use plastics.”
Simon Baynes MP said:
“I was so impressed to see first-hand the huge effort made by teachers and staff at Ysgol Dinas Brân who put on a fantastic series of events for pupils as part of Great Big Green Week. I was particularly impressed to hear from pupils about their priorities for the COP26 Climate Conference and their ideas about how to reduce the school’s carbon footprint. And it was a pleasure to answer their questions.
“With COP26 just around the corner, we have a historic opportunity to act and create real change. And I am glad to see schools like Ysgol Dinas Brân leading the way when it comes to educating pupils and encouraging our young people to come up with the solutions to the great challenge of our age.”
