A new Award Scheme for Primary Schools provides opportunities for high profile and financial rewards for participating schools.

'I am sure you will agree that if we encourage our children to conserve our natural resources, recycle everything that can be recycled and respect our environment then their children will have a better chance of living on a 'living planet' rather than one that is slowly dying.' With these challenging words Steve Vosper, Chairman of the Cornwall Lecture Awards Steering Group invited Jonathon Porrritt,Chairman of Forum for the Future and the Prime Minister's Advisor on Sustainable Development, to announce during the Cornwall Lecture the Schools who had won through to the final stage of the Cornwall Lecture Awards 2002 sponsored by the County Environmental Trust.

Teachers and children undertook a Waste Audit in 2002. Teachers and children working with their local communities are now undertaking a range of projects to be adjudicated in April 2003.

The nominated schools...

• Beacon Community Junior School, Falmouth.
  
  
• Fourlanesend Community Primary School, Cawsand.
  
  
• Menheniot Primary School, nr Liskeard.
  
  
• St Mawes Community Primary School,
  St Mawes.
  
  
• Upton Cross Primary School, nr Liskeard.
  
  
• Sennen School, Sennen, nr Lands End.
  
  
• Blisland Community Primary School, Blisland.
  
  
• St Tudy Church of England V A School,
  St Tudy
  
  

Jonathon Porritt and Steve Vosper, Chairman of the Cornwall Lecture Awards Steering Group, announce the names of nominated schools during the Cornwall Lecture 2002.

There are five key benefits to schools:

• Community. An opportunity to raise the social and economic importance of sustainability and help the local community develop waste management projects. (Local Parish Councils or Community Groups will be informed of local schools participation and will be encouraged to help them).
  
  
• Curriculum. A real live exercise will integrate the issues of waste management and sustainability into the curriculum in an innovative way with financial returns to participating schools.
  
  
• Sharing Information. Information received from the project will be used to assist the Cornwall LEA Schools PFI project.
  
  
• Publicity. High profile for participating schools. Coverage in local and regional papers and the opportunity to take part in an original county based scheme.
  
  
• Publishing. An opportunity to publish learning materials with appropriate recognition to the school.
  
  

Schools undertook a Waste Audit with independent adjudication on content and process. They were then invited to develop prototype material on waste management and sustainability to open up and enhance the curriculum based on their findings and knowledge. A bulletin board will enable schools to share good practise on the internet.

We believe that the Awards are innovative, practical and transferable and will provide technical, curricular and design support via the internet and through school visits where we will assist successful schools to develop to production stage curriculum material based in a Cornish context.

A new Publication THE BIG BOOK by Menheniot School to view this recently published document click here Awards were presented and displayed at the Royal Cornwall Show, Wadebridge in June 2003. This was accompanied by a special website page designed to acknowledge the children's work and to promote the issues of waste management in a attractive way. Website page created courtesy of Lou Jones Design, Truro.