Eco School

Christian Values

At Canon Burrows, our Christian values underpin everything we do.

We believe that God created our wonderful planet and made us stewards of its care. 

As a Christian eco-school, we take this responsibility seriously. We believe that children at our school should be able to develop the knowledge, values and skills to participate in the decisions about the way we do things both individually and collectively, locally and globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future.

The aim of Education for Sustainable Development at Canon Burrows is to give pupils a greater understanding of both natural and human systems through a range of immediate environmental experiences which engage their senses, emotions, and thinking. It enables pupils to develop a life ethic which values all people and the natural environment, and to become aware of the actions that they ought to pursue in order to live more a more sustainable life both now and in the future. We have many initiatives which we regularly work on to help our school contribute to making God’s wonderful world a greener and happier place to live.

Eco in our classes

At our school, ECO is embedded in everyday classroom life. Each class elects an Eco Representative who leads class council meetings and shares ideas in preparation for whole-school Eco Committee meetings. Every classroom proudly displays its ECO Code, reminding children of their shared responsibility to care for the environment. During our Agent of Change month, classes also nominate WOW Ambassadors and Power Rangers who help track sustainable travel and encourage everyone to power down devices so we can power up our planet.

Eco Committee

At Canon Burrows, our children don’t just learn about making a difference — they lead it. Pupils elect councillors to join our school committees, where they play an active role in shaping the future of our school. The Eco Council meets every half term and gives children a powerful voice, sharing their peers’ ideas and leading positive change to help our school stay environmentally friendly. Eco councillors also lead collective worship and assemblies, and proudly represent Canon Burrows at community events — inspiring others and showing that even small actions can make a big difference.

ECO Schools - Green Flag Winners since 1998

Leading the Way to a Greener Future!

Canon Burrows has been a pioneer in environmental education and sustainability for over two decades. We were the first school in Tameside and the whole of the North West to be awarded a Green Flag in 1998, a milestone that marked the beginning of our journey as trailblazers in eco-education.

In 2011, our work to inspire others on the path to sustainability was recognised when we were awarded Eco-Schools Ambassador status. Today, Canon Burrows proudly holds Eco Ambassador Legacy School status and continues to achieve Eco School Green Flags with distinction every year.

Our dedication was further celebrated when we received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Eco-Schools, recognising the school’s enduring commitment to environmentally sustainable practices. Children from our Eco Committee, alongside staff, attended the awards ceremony to represent our school and its remarkable journey. Looking ahead, we are passionate about sharing our experience and inspiring other schools and businesses to adopt the sustainable methods we have developed over the years.

At Canon Burrows, our children and staff work tirelessly to love, respect, and cherish the wonderful world God created. Every action, from small daily steps to long-term projects, reflects our belief that we all have the power to make a difference and that together, we can build a greener, brighter future.

Plastic Free School

In 2020, Canon Burrows proudly joined schools across the world in the Plastic Free Schools campaign led by Surfers Against Sewage. This initiative shows children just how powerful their voices can be. By taking real, meaningful action to reduce single-use plastics in school and across the wider community, our pupils inspire change — in themselves and in others. The School Council and Eco Council work together to make a difference, leading positive changes and hosting an annual Plastic Free Week every January during our Month of Action. We also celebrate Plastic Free July to continue spreading awareness all year round. As a result of this work, Canon Burrows has a no single-use plastic policy, and we encourage our whole school community to choose reusable water bottles and containers for drinking water and healthy snacks.

Together, we’re building lifelong habits that protect our planet and shape a more sustainable future.

WOW - Walk to School on Wednesday

Step into action with WOW – Walk on Wednesday!

For over 10 years, Canon Burrows has been inspiring children to walk, scoot, or cycle to school, not just for fun and fitness, but to help protect our planet! WOW is a pupil-led adventure where children log their journeys each day using the interactive WOW Travel Tracker. Travel sustainably more than once a week, and you’ll earn a recycled WOW badge, but our goal is even bigger: we’d love children to walk, scoot, or cycle every day wherever possible, helping us cut our carbon footprint and make a real difference to the environment. It’s more than just getting to school, it’s a movement for our planet! Families and the whole community can join in, making walking, cycling, and scooting the number one way to travel to school. Every step counts toward a healthier, cleaner, and greener future.

ParkSmart - Park and Stride

Situated on a busy road, the safety and health of our pupils is our top priority. To tackle parking congestion and improve air quality, in Spring 2019 we launched the ‘PS Park Smart’ campaign. The campaign raises awareness about the dangers of parking near the school, especially on surrounding streets, and encourages parents to find safer places to park if they need to drive.

We actively ask families to “park and stride” whenever possible — leaving the car a short distance away and walking the rest of the way. This simple action keeps our children safe, supports cleaner air, and strengthens our ECO values and Clean Air policy. It also promotes active travel, helping our whole community stay healthier while reducing our impact on the environment. Every step counts, and together, we can make our school streets safer and our planet greener.

MEEN - Manchester Environmental Education Network

Canon Burrows is proud to be an active member of the Manchester Environmental Education Network (MEEN), which began in 1994 as a voluntary, teacher-led initiative to bring environmental issues into the classroom. In May 2019, after attending the MEEN Climate Change Conference, eight enthusiastic Eco-Warriors were thrilled to accept an invitation from the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, to attend his second Green Summit at the Lowry, Salford. Since then, our ECO Committee representatives have continued to attend MEEN conferences twice a year, presenting activities and sharing their ideas on the conference themes. On many occasions, our children have returned inspired, ready to take action and make Canon Burrows even greener and more sustainable, showing that young voices really can make a difference.

Global Goals for Sustainable Development

Pupils learn about global issues such as deforestation and global warming and how these affect the planet. Each year, children also participate in an annual event, ‘The World’s Largest Lesson’, which introduces the Sustainable Development Goals to children and young people everywhere and unites them in action.

Sustainability

Children and staff spread the message of the benefits of sustainability by both inviting people to see what we do at the school and by explaining what we do to others. Canon Burrows was the first school in Tameside to have a fully qualified Climate Change Teacher, a scheme introduced in partnership with the United Nations and Harwood Education.

Clean Air Campaign

As part of our initiative to improve the local community, Canon Burrows was a pilot school in the project run by The University of Manchester, Global Action Plan and The Phillips Foundation's. The Clean Air for Schools programme aims to support schools to improve air quality. We were one of 20 schools in Greater Manchester helping to develop the Clean Air for Schools framework – a blueprint of scalable actions that all UK schools can take to tackle air pollution.

RHS School Gardening Award

We are proud to be completing levels of the RHS School gardening award which we work towards when children come outside and use tools to garden, grow plants and vegetables, and maintain our green school grounds.

Useful ECO Websites

https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/

https://www.wwf.org.uk/what-we-do/promoting-sustainable-living

https://friendsoftheearth.uk/climate/live-sustainably-how-be-conscious-consumer

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/findoutmore/blue-peter-apply-for-a-green-badge

https://www.ecofriendlyhabits.com/zero-waste-living/