Environmental Sustainability

Our Eco Committee plays an important role in life at St Michael's, innovating and promoting projects which are integral to the sustainability and environmental awareness of our school and community. 

We are proud of our commitment to sustainability and environmental education. This year, St Michael’s achieved the WilderKent Bronze Award, recognising our work to protect and restore nature, reduce carbon emissions and inspire environmental action. Kent Wildlife Trust praised our tree-planting initiatives, outdoor learning opportunities, school gardens, active Eco Committee, recycling programmes and energy-saving measures.

We are also delighted to have been awarded the Eco-Schools Green Flag with Merit once again, recognising our continued commitment to environmental issues including biodiversity, energy, waste, transport, water and global citizenship.

Environmental awareness is embedded throughout life at St Michael’s. Our Environmental and Sustainability Leads oversee a wide-ranging eco programme that encourages pupils to make a positive difference both in school and within the wider community.

Our Eco Committee, which includes representatives from every year group, meets regularly to lead projects and promote sustainable practices across the school. We are particularly proud of the enthusiasm shown by our pupils, who regularly take part in initiatives such as beach cleans and community conservation projects. Our Years 7 and 8 pupils also lead sustainability initiatives, helping  to make St Michael’s more sustainable and environmentally aware.

We are dedicated to nurturing environmentally aware young people who are empowered to play an active role in creating a more sustainable future.

During our 150^th anniversary in 2022, we introduced many initiatives to make our school more sustainable. These included:

• Planting 150 trees
• Creating wildflower meadows
• Recycling locally: paper, cardboard, plastic, food waste, glass, wood and batteries
• Changing the lighting across the whole school to LED
• Installing sensor lights in classrooms and communal areas
• Having beehives in the school grounds
• Introducing environmental awareness activities in Geography, Science, PSHE and assemblies
• Installing double glazed windows in the Prep and Pre-Prep buildings
• Using ground heat source pumps in the Pre-Prep building