Last week saw students from The Marches School in Oswestry take part in another Futures Week. During these special fixtures the students spend time on Citizenship, PSHE and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. This time to coincide with the United Nations’ Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the theme has been all about climate.

Throughout the week, students were involved in a wide variety of activities designed to develop their understanding of climate change, with the aim to inspire students to become future leaders and be part of the solutions. Lessons took on an eco-twist. In Art, students learnt about pollution from the fashion industry and used natural products to dye fabric. In IT, they enjoyed learning about eWaste and considered the alternatives to buying a new phone. In History, groups examined climate justice and the inequality of poor and black communities being most affected by the effects of climate change. Students in Science modelled the effects of carbon dioxide and investigated whether they should invest in electric cars.

Teacher of Science, Miss Price said; “We have had some amazing discussions about what the effects of global warming are and how we can make sensible solutions to try and halt the negative effects”.

On Wednesday, students spoke to local and national organisations at the school’s Climate Solutions Fair. Organisations such as the Environment Agency, the Wildlife Trust, and local businesses such as Aico attended, and showcased an electric car, a flooded valley and a model of a sustainable home. Oswestry Town Council invited students to pretend that they were Town Mayor for the day and challenged students to suggest proposals for tackling climate change – presenting the winners with fruit trees to plant. While OsNosh showed students how they can reduce food waste by creating delicious meals from food that would normally be thrown away by supermarkets.

John Ogle from Zero Carbon Shropshire, who also attended, added; “It was really encouraging to meet so many young people who really understood the issues around climate change and their positive enthusiasm to make change happen. The Marches School is to be congratulated for instilling this positive attitude as well as for organising such a valuable event.”

At the end of the week, students pledged their own actions, sent messages to world leaders and voted on measures that The Marches School could take to become zero-carbon. The week concluded with the school holding their very own mock-COP26, entitled The Marches Climate Summit. Students from Year 7 to 13 represented different countries from across the world, with all students making outstanding contributions and showing themselves to be real leaders and the future of international cooperation. They brokered deals to finance the immediate curtailment of coal, as well as deforestation and the growth of renewable energy.

Speaking about the week, organiser and Teacher of Geography, Dr Helen Renwick said; “It has been wonderful to see students bursting with ideas about how to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and how we can support and empower them through education.”

Pictured: Students learning with OsNosh.