Wrecclesham school gets royal recognition and UK top spot for green attitude

Staff and pupils at a Wrecclesham school with a green uniform and outlook are feeling royally chuffed as their eco-minded attitude has left them top of the class nationally.

St Peter’s Primary has been named “School of the Year” for its energy-saving measures for 2023-24.

The accolade is part of a double success as the school won a Green Flag award with distinction from Eco-Schools, while they’ve also received a congratulatory letter from King Charles.

“We are super proud of our achievements and work on making the school as eco-friendly and sustainable as possible,” said Year 3 teacher, Jackie Edmonds.

The school carries out regular checks on its energy efficiency and encourages classes to compete in weekly competitions.

“The year six students came up with the competition,” added Jackie.

“We all have to make sure there are no windows open if a radiator is on, our lights are off and have blinds open to make the most of natural light.

“Classes have lots of live plants and we even had a ‘no energy day’ in the summer where we did lots of outdoor learning and didn’t use lights or computers or white boards at all!”

St Peter’s also has a Forest School while their green vision also extends to the car park with hedgerow planting and a rewilding area.

Jackie added: “This is our long-term three-to-six month project during which time we hope our school will also have a 20mpg limit on the road outside.

“We have approached our local councillors for support.”