Woodlea Primary School is committed to educating its pupils about caring for and respecting the environment and developing responsible citizens who are able to make valuable decisions.

As part of our responsibility to the environment and as an Eco-School we aim:

• To develop an awareness of environmental issues
• To promote environmental issues and raise awareness amongst the wider school community
• To become more sustainable in the school environment and reduce the environmental impact of the whole school
• To link environmental issues within the curriculum

Woodlea Primary is proud to continue its membership of Eco-Schools and annually works towards the Green Flag Award. To find out more about Eco Schools, click this link: Home - Eco Schools.

 For our work in 2025, we gained the Green Flag with Distinction. 

The whole school works together to ensure that the Eco-School principals are embedded in the daily life of the school and the whole school community. The staff ensure that work on the 10 Eco-Schools topics is woven creatively through the curriculum. The children are responsible for electing an Eco-Champion for their class, who are then encouraged to act as an eco-role model to the rest of the school, to encourage recycling, reduce litter in the playground, eat healthily and conserve energy. 

Eco Council 

Our Eco-Council meets regularly to discuss the focus of the work for each academic year. We start each year by carrying out an environmental audit based on the 9 areas of focus for Eco School. From the audit, the children select three key areas to focus on for the year and develop an action plan for the year.  

In 2024- 2025 Eco Council concentrated on: 

• Energy – specifically reducing the school’s energy use
• Biodiversity 
• Waste which includes promoting Surrey’s Rethink Waste Scheme

What have we been up to?

Hedge and Tree Planting 2024/25

We have planted some trees which will form a mixed hedge by the outdoor classroom. Apparently, a hedge can support over 200 different species. Woldingham is full of non-native laurel, which is not the best at supporting wildlife, so Woodlea children are doing their part to improve the local habitats.

Pond Clearing 2024-25

Time has also been spent clearing the pond area for all the creatures that live in here. 

Creating homes for mini-beasts – Dead Hedging and Bug Hotels

To create new habitats and define new paths within the newly cleared science and nature area, we started creating Dead-Hedges. We used some of the Willow sticks we had cut down as uprights and then lay sticks and branches from trees or shrubs which had been cut back. The children also worked together to build bug hotels in several places around the school grounds. 

Litter Pickers

New litter pickers have arrived which the children are very excited about.  The children are helping to clear any litter on site.

As part of our award in 2025, a tree was planted to celebrate the work and the impact.