Property & Development Magazine Issue 427 | Page 14

Education: Home Farm Primary School

BRINGING
LEARNING
TO LIFE
Home Farm Primary School has taken a unique
approach to prioritise pupil involvement with green
strategies to promote sustainability.

“An educational setting is the perfect place to intro-

arating plastics and paper in classrooms, and creating

duce sustainable development, especially in the pri-

a school garden in which to grow fresh produce –

mary sector,” attests Richard Potter, Headteacher at

served at the school dinner table after harvest. After

Home Farm Primary School. “We're able to teach our

securing funding for a polytunnel, fruit and vegeta-

young pupils by example, and make them more aware

bles can now be grown all year round. As a result, the

of their actions on their local environment, as well as

kitchen offers a daily salad with all school meals, and

the world more generally. These practices and sur-

the garden now also has raised beds, rows of fruit

roundings become ‘normal’ for them, and are then

bushes and an orchard.

taken forward into their adult lives.”

The initial introduction of a Building Management

Whilst a primary school's main objective will

System (BMS) allowed the school greater control of its

always, first and foremost, be to educate children,

heating systems, as Potter further clarifies: “If class-

Home Farm Primary School has taken the unique

rooms or study areas are occupied at different times,

approach of incorporating environmental concern

we can set the heating to reach an optimum level at the

within its teachings. With a holistic outlook on sustain-

correct time, and not hours before. It's been invaluable

ability, the school has prioritised pupil involvement

all-year-round, allowing us to provide a comfortable

within its various green strategies over the last five

environment in which to work whilst simultaneously

years with a view to promoting a positive environmen-

reducing our gas consumption considerably.”

tal ethic amongst future generations to come.

With a view to further insulating the building so as

Following the establishment of a student-run Eco

to mitigate the need to for artificial heat sources,

Committee, Home Farm Primary School has taken a

Home Farm Primary School has also installed solar

number a green initiatives of the children's making,

glare film in a number of the classrooms. Fitted directly

including: food waste recycling and composting, sep-

onto existing window panels, the film retains heat in

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