Eco-Schools :: Handbook

TOWARDS THE GREEN FLAG AWARD
To achieve Eco-Schools status secondary schools must:

	Set up a programme which embraces the ‘Seven Elements’ of the Eco-Schools programme (see the next page and the main Eco-Schools guide)
	Participate in a range of activities to promote sustainable development and environmental protection and enhancement (one of which MUST be litter prevention)
	Monitor and evaluate the outcomes of their Eco-Schools Action Plan to measure progress and facilitate forward planning
	Maintain an ongoing commitment to renew their Green Flag Award every two years until eventual ‘permanent Eco-School’ status on the Award of a fourth Green Flag

For secondary schools, the challenge is to make the Eco-Schools programme more appropriate, more attractive and more relevant to staff and pupils in the secondary sector.

In addition, this approach should allow pupils coming to secondary education from the ever-increasing number of active Green Flag-awarded primary schools to continue their interest without being faced with ‘more of the same’.

The secondary programme combines:

1.	The original seven elements of the current Eco-Schools programme
2.	The four ‘priorities for Scotland ’ as laid out on page 12 of ‘Choosing Our Future’ - Sustainable consumption and production - Climate change and energy - Natural resource protection and environmental enhancement - Sustainable communities
3.	The six principles of sustainable development education as outlined in ‘Learning for Our Future’ (Scottish Executive – 2006) - Interdependence - Diversity - Carrying capacity - Rights and responsibilities - Equity and justice - Uncertainty and precaution
4.	The opportunity for older pupils to become familiar with and contribute to the Scottish Government’s ‘Greener Scotland’ strategic objective
5.	The opportunity for schools to engage with the aspirations of Curriculum for Excellence and to explore SDE using a cross – curricular approach.
6.	The opportunity for pupils to obtain accreditation for the skills and learning they develop within the Eco-Schools programme.
7.	The opportunity for a secondary school to showcase and be given credit for the extensive amount of SDE already going on in classrooms around the school.
8.	The opportunity for pupils to become aware of the range of ‘environmental’ HE/FE courses and employment opportunities as outlined in Scotland’s ‘Green Jobs’strategy, and Career Scotland’s ‘The Path is Green’.

Four Sources of Evidence
For secondary schools evidence towards an Eco-Schools Award can be gathered from:

	Evidence of practical action by pupils in support of the four priorities for sustainable development.
	A demonstrable willingness to support pupils in gaining accreditation for their involvement in Eco-Schools and other Sustainable Development activities.
	Awareness-raising among pupils of the wide range of career opportunities in the Green Jobs sector.
	A detailed subject audit across all departments of SDE content to allow schools to give themselves credit for current curricular delivery of SDE. (See Appendix 6 for subject audit support materials.)