Sustainability workshop in school’s eco-house

The workshop project made use of plastic straws and bottle caps to create a collage.

The event took place at Boothroyd’s eco-house – the first of its kind to be built in Yorkshire – which was built in 2016 and generates five times as much energy as it consumes.

It features a “double” classroom that is ultra-energy-efficient and costs the academy nothing to heat and light over its 60-year design life. It also generates clean energy and revenue for the school through its solar PV roof.

Recycling is high on the agenda Boothroyd Primary Academy and Thornhill Junior and Infant School get the recycling message by making collages using plastic straws and bottle caps for both schools, which belong to Focus-Trust, a charitable multiacademy trust based in North West England.

Thornhill headteacher Michael Rowland said: “We are all responsible for the future of our planet and as a trust we place a lot of importance on ensuring that our pupils understand how to live sustainably.

“Two of the key themes we focus on at Thornhill are respect and responsibility and this workshop was a perfect way to get the student council – who can then relay the information to their peers – to start to think about how to respect our planet and how to take responsibility for securing its future.”

Kyrstie Joslin, principal at Boothroyd, said: “We work towards a set of values here at Boothroyd which place importance on caring, sharing, being fair and daring to do things differently.

This workshop was a great opportunity for the children to put those key words into practice on an environmental level, and they had a great time doing it!”

Huddersfield-based Fairandfunky runs workshops focused on the topics of Fairtrade, recycling and the environment.