On Friday 13 March, pupils from 10 primary and secondary schools across Stourbridge gathered at Oldswinford CE Primary School for a conference on Climate Change and Sustainability.
The conference was organised by Headteacher of Oldswinford, Ellie Game, who chairs a group of Stourbridge headteachers called SLP (Stourbridge Learning Partnership) which meets regularly and organises pupil events. Each year they hold a school council conference with representatives from local schools attending. This has a theme each year, with this year’s conference having a Eco focus.
Ellie said:
“We had guests from Let's Go Zero, the Diocese of Worcester as well as some architects who help make sustainable buildings. It was a brilliant morning, and we all learnt lots about how we can help be more environmentally friendly. Afterwards, the representatives went back to their schools to look at putting things into action based on what was shared.”
Spencer Morris from the diocesan Education Team and Lee Westcott, our diocesan Net Zero Carbon Project Manager spoke to the students about food and soil. The session asked the students to think about where their food comes from, what might be healthy ways of eating and why soil health is so important.
Lee said:
“There were over 70 students in attendance who asked some really thoughtful and challenging questions, which led to some really good discussions. I was thrilled to see just how seriously the children took the subjects discussed and how much they already knew. This is a great way for schools to collaborate and encourage each other. Thank you to Oldswinford Primary for all their hard work organising this great event and all the students who came along and joined in!”
At the end, Spencer and Lee gave a small gift of some vegetable seeds, sustainable compost and planters to the schools. They are looking forward to seeing how these are used and what the children learn from growing them.
