Baines’ Endowed Eco Council is made up of one pupil from each KS1 class and two pupils in each KS2 class, supported by Mrs Littler (Leader), Mrs Cookson (Governor), Mrs Cooke (Trust Business Lead) and Mr Reynolds (Site Supervisor).
The Eco Council meets regularly to discuss and plan how pupils at Baines’ can develop a sustainable education for all pupils.
Each year the Eco Council conducts an environmental review that allows them to identify key areas to develop through an action plan. Since 2022 the Eco Council has developed weekly paper and plastic recycling, weekly litter picks in the community and the abolishment of non-recyclable milk cartons. They have also introduced recycling points for hard to recycle items such as batteries, ink cartridges and sweet tubs.
Marine conservation is at the forefront of the Eco Council’s aims, based on the coastal location of Baines’. In 2022 the Eco Council led a Marine Conservation day in which every class learnt about ways in which they can reduce their impact on marine life. They also sign post regular beach cleans to all pupils.
In 2022 Baines’ was awarded an Eco Schools Green Flag with Merit award, in recognition of the work that pupils have done to develop ecological awareness in school.
The Eco Council works closely with companies including Enveco, The Sea Life Centre, Cool Milk, Blackpool Council and Living Streets.
In 2023 the Eco Council is launching a Walk to School initiative to increase the amount of pupils choosing a healthy way to travel to school. This is the result of a successful funding grant with Living Streets. The Eco Council will also be improving the school grounds, planting additional trees and overseeing the whole school planting programme, in which every year group will grow a produce that can be used in their DT curriculum.
