“The Earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1)
Caring for God’s Creation
At Archbishop Runcie CE First School, stewardship is central to our Christian vision. We believe that caring for the world around us is part of living out our faith and enabling every member of our community to flourish.
Our Commitment
As a Church of England school, we are committed to the Church’s Net Zero by 2030 vision. We aim to be a school that not only teaches sustainability but lives it daily, helping children understand their responsibility to care for God’s creation.
What This Looks Like in School
- Reducing waste, energy use, and our carbon footprint
- Developing our Forest School and outdoor learning
- Caring for wildlife through planting, habitats, and litter picking
- Encouraging walking, recycling, and responsible choices
Sustainability is woven through our curriculum, worship, and daily life.
Supporting Flourishing
- Our approach to stewardship supports the flourishing of the whole child:
- Spiritual development: experiencing awe and wonder in nature
- Personal development: building responsibility, respect, and care for others
- Community impact: encouraging pupils to make a positive difference in the world
Children are given opportunities to lead change through pupil groups such as our Green Team and School Council, ensuring their voice is heard.
Our Vision in Action
Through stewardship, we are nurturing children who:
- Care for the environment
- Understand their role in God’s world
- Take action with courage and hope
Together, we are learning to walk gently on the earth, guided by faith and love.
School Culture
As a Church of England school, our care for the environment is rooted in our role as stewards of God’s creation, guided by our vision ‘to be courageous and strong and do everything in love’. We believe the world is a precious gift, and looking after it requires real determination to make sustainable choices every day. Driven by love for the Creator, for nature, and for our global neighbours, we stand up to protect our planet. Through daily actions, we teach our children to be courageous advocates for the Earth, facing environmental challenges with strength and hope. This commitment reflects our deep responsibility to care for all living things and secure a fruitful future for generations to come.
Reflection area
Green Team
Our Green Team meets weekly to bring our school vision to life through hands-on environmental action. Driven by love for nature and a determination to protect our planet, these nominated leaders take responsibility for our school environment. Their work includes clearing litter, planting new life and feeding local birds to support British wildlife and biodiversity. Demonstrating real practical leadership, the team also manages school food waste and actively monitors our energy usage to reduce our carbon footprint. WE have negotiated with the LA grounds team about having unmown areas in school to support biodiversity. Through these tasks, our pupils prove themselves to be courageous and strong caretakers of God's world.
Green Team, Dream Team! 2025-26
Staff actions
Our staff lead by example, showing determination and love for God’s creation through sustainable daily habits. To reduce our school's carbon footprint, teachers and support staff have switched to using unbleached paper, where possible, refillable pens and they actively recycle all glass packaging. We have significantly reduced plastic waste across school by choosing reusable cups and installing refillable soap dispensers. Furthermore, staff champion our uniform recycling initiative to cut down on textile waste and support our families. Through these everyday actions, our staff model the courageous and strong leadership needed to protect our environment.
Pre-Loved Uniform Library
Our pre-loved uniform library embodies our school vision, providing an easy way for families to share resources in a spirit of love and community. We offer logoed school uniform items available to exchange, loan or take in exchange for a small donation - or entirely for free.
Choosing pre-loved items shows a shared determination to reduce textile waste, protect God’s creation, and look after our planet's resources. By embracing this scheme, our families act as courageous and strong role models, proving that small, sustainable choices make a massive difference to our environment.
Managing Waste
We show love and respect for God’s creation by managing our daily waste with care and determination. Every classroom across our school is equipped with dedicated food waste and recycling bins to ensure we sort our rubbish correctly. This setup allows our children and staff to take immediate, practical responsibility for their environmental footprint throughout the school day. By turning recycling and composting into an effortless daily habit, our entire school community stands courageous and strong in our shared mission to reduce landfill waste.
Food
We tackle food waste with real determination, partnering with the Eat Smart programme to build healthy, sustainable habits across our school community. We have carefully adapted our school menus to feature meals the children love, while tailoring portion sizes to suit different age groups so less food is left behind. In the dining hall, staff gently encourage children to try new tastes and clear their plates, showing love and respect for the resources God provides. Any uneaten items from packed lunches are sent home so parents can monitor what their child eats, while remaining plate waste is sorted into dedicated food waste bins for composting. Through these mindful daily choices, our pupils act as courageous and strong protectors of our planet's resources.
Battery recycling
We invite our families to join us in our environmental mission by recycling household batteries at our school collection point in the main entrance. It takes real determination to change daily habits, and this simple act prevents toxic chemicals from harming God’s creation. By bringing your used batteries into school, you help us model love for our planet and teach our children the importance of keeping the Earth clean. Together, our community can be courageous and strong in finding every opportunity to reduce waste and protect our local environment
Appreciating God's creation - outdoor reflection area
Energy
Our children take a courageous and strong stance on energy efficiency by having dedicated Energy Champions in each class. Driven by love for our planet and a determination to reduce our carbon footprint, these pupil leaders take charge of reducing our daily power use. They ensure lights and screens are switched off when classrooms are empty, and they help keep doors closed to conserve heat. By taking real responsibility for our energy consumption, our Energy Champions show how small, thoughtful actions protect God's creation and preserve the world's precious resources.
We have further strengthened our commitment to sustainability through significant lighting upgrades, demonstrating our determination to protect God’s resources. We recently installed energy-efficient LED lighting across the entire school to drastically reduce our electricity consumption and carbon footprint.
All fridges and other electrical items are switched off during periods of school closure.
Sensor lights in classrooms
Natural light and ventilation where possible
Switch off fortnight
Smart Metre
Blinds fitted
Indoor reflection areas
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Indoor reflection areas
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Indoor reflection areas
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Indoor reflection areas
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Outdoor courtyard
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Indoor reflection areas
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Outdoor reflection area
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No-mow area
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Outdoor courtyard
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No-mow area
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Harvesting fruit
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Harvesting fruit
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Appreciating creation
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Outdoor reflection area
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Curriculum
Our curriculum actively weaves environmental stewardship into everyday learning, inspiring pupils with a determination to understand and protect God's world. Children explore biodiversity through visits to nearby sites, investigating ecosystems and learning how to preserve native wildlife. In the classroom, lessons on food miles teach our students the global impact of consumer choices, fostering a deep love and respect for distant communities. We also proudly promote green careers, showing our pupils how they can grow up to be courageous and strong leaders in engineering, conservation and sustainability.
- Year 4 climate change unit in Geography
- Year 1 Creation unit in RE
- Year 4 Wildflower unit in Art (Unny Hall)
- SEMH Noticing Nature
- 6 -weekly forest school sessions
- Year 1 Seasonal changes unit and weather
Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
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Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
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Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
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Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
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Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
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Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
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Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
7/13
Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
8/13
Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
9/13
Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
10/13
Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
11/13
Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
12/13
Green Team attended the NCC Net Zero Heroes event at the Civic Centre
13/13
Transport
We show love for our local community and a determination to reduce air pollution by actively promoting sustainable travel through the WOW walk to school challenge. This project motivates our children to choose healthy, green travel options, tracking their journeys to earn badges while cutting down on vehicle emissions around our school gates. By swapping car journeys for walking, wheeling, cycling or scooting, our families take a courageous and strong stance against climate change. These daily choices keep our air cleaner, protect God’s creation, and ensure our children start their learning day active, energized, and connected to the world around them.
We have installed electric vehicle charging points on our school grounds to actively support our community and visitors who drive low-emission cars. When planning educational visits, our staff use the Metro whenever possible, keeping buses off the roads. By embracing public transport and electric infrastructure, our school family makes courageous and strong choices that keep our local air clean and protect God’s creation.
Bikeability
ASDA park and walk
Asthma awareness
Scooter & bike storage
WOW walk to school challenge
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WOW walk to school challenge
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WOW walk to school challenge
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Water
We demonstrate a clear determination to eliminate water waste by monitoring our usage and introducing smart conservation habits across the school. We have installed auto-stop push taps in our cloakrooms and toilets to ensure no water is left running or wasted. We also ask all children to bring their own refillable water bottles to school each day, promoting personal responsibility and reducing the need to run taps continuously.
Planting our new trees - April 2026
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Planting our new trees - April 2026
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Planting our new trees - April 2026
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Planting our new trees - April 2026
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Biodiversity
We show love and determination for enhancing biodiversity by actively creating a safe, vibrant haven for God's creatures across our school grounds. We have a beautiful wildflower garden and designated no-mow area to allow vital insect habitats to thrive naturally. Through our regular Forest School sessions, pupils develop a deep connection to nature. They enjoy observing wildlife and have hung bird boxes and bird feeders around the site. To keep this ecosystem clean and safe, the children also carry out weekly litter picking. These practical actions empower our pupils to be courageous and strong defenders of local biodiversity, ensuring our school celebrates the fullness of creation.
Green Team 2024-25