We are a Green School

Our commitment to sustainability runs deep through every aspect of our school community. We recognise our responsibility to prepare our students not just for academic success, but for stewardship of our planet’s future.

Our Climate Action Plan

We have developed a comprehensive Climate Action Plan that sets ambitious but achievable goals for reducing our environmental impact. Key initiatives include:

Taking steps to improve our energy consumption and reduce our carbon footprint
Improving biodiversity within the school grounds and local area
Implementing a school-wide recycling and waste reduction program, with the focus on decreasing the amount of litter on the school grounds
Creating sustainable transport solutions, including a “walk to school” initiative and ‘bike bus’
Integrating environmental education across our curriculum, ensuring students understand climate science and sustainability principles

Climate Action Plan

Reading Climate Action Pledge

We are proud signatories of the Reading Climate Action Pledge, joining local businesses and community organizations in a collective commitment to combat climate change. Through this partnership, we:

Share best practices with other local organizations
Participate in community-wide environmental initiatives
Report our progress transparently
Support student-led climate action projects
Collaborate with local businesses on sustainability initiatives

Reading Climate Action Plan: The Heights Pledge

Our Achievements

Our dedication to sustainability has already yielded significant results:

Installation of solar panels and a ‘green roof’.
Creation of a school garden area that has supplied our cafeteria with fresh produce
Participation in a funded project with the Earth Trust centre in Abingdon
Working with local community groups on projects in Mapledurham Playing Fields
Fundraising that will enable the planting of over 300 trees (in other countries)
Progress towards gaining our Eco-Schools Green Flag award with Distinction

Eco Council

Our pupils are at the heart of our sustainability journey. Our Eco Council meets regularly throughout the year to discuss and implement new environmental initiatives, while our Green Ambassador program enables children to lead sustainability projects across year groups.

The Eco Council is made up of children from Years 2 to 6 who meet with staff every term to discuss topics that they wish to raise on behalf of themselves and the other children. The School Councillors work on a range of topics including fundraising and reviewing the school lunches. The Eco Councillors have been working on developing a Climate Action Plan.

Here is the Eco Code created by the Eco Councillors. This is a whole school pledge of our school commitment to help protect the environment.

A huge thank you to the amazing School and Eco Councillors, and also our School Ambassadors who work very hard in their roles.

Modeshift – Sustainable Travel

We are actively involved in the Modeshift Stars National Awards Scheme that has been established to recognise schools that have demonstrated excellence in supporting cycling, walking and other forms of sustainable travel. The scheme encourages schools across the country to join in a major effort to increase levels of sustainable and active travel in order to improve the health and well-being of children and young people.
We are delighted to have achieved our Modeshift Gold Award for sustainable travel to and from school.

The Heights Primary School Travel Plan – April 2023

Looking forward

We continue to evolve our sustainability strategy, setting new targets and finding innovative ways to reduce our environmental impact. We invite all members of our school community—students, staff, parents, and local partners—to join us in this vital mission to create a more sustainable future.

To learn more about our sustainability initiatives or to get involved, contact our Sustainability Lead at anna.cahill@theheightsprimary.co.uk.