Gold Award
The gold award requires the school to pledge a commitment for an extended period to make a significant positive impact on the environment for example by embedding local environmental issues into the school curriculum and by sharing their work with the wider community. We hope you would invite The Parks Trust into your school to update us on progress during this period.
To apply for this award, students give a tour of the work that the school has done or is doing to care for and protect the local environment and can explain the positive impact they have had. This could be part of an on-going extra-curricular project or embedded within the school curriculum. This work should be sustained and maintained over the course of more than one academic year. The students must share their outcomes with the school and the wider community.
To apply for this you must have held the Silver award for 2 years. It is valid for 2 years from the date of accreditation.
- Schools completing the gold award get a free session in a park for up to 30 students
Examples of things your students could do:
- Make developments to a maintained wildlife area in response to data collected over time. Share the results of an insect, bird, mammal or plant survey that shows an increase in a species as a result of regular and work that has been done e.g. by increasing certain plant species, insect numbers have increased. Demonstrate what further changes have been made to this area as a result. Share these findings with the wider school community by making a presentation to school governors, teachers or students from another school, a video on the school website or a piece in the local parish newsletter for example. The Parks Trust team could watch this presentation.
- Research, design and build an eco-building such as a greenhouse made from Ecobricks or mud. Use this building to serve your wildlife area or produce growing area, for example by potting seeds that can be grown on in your allotment. Share the outcome of your project with others by leading seed planting activities for students from your primary feeder schools. The Parks Trust team could attend one of these activities.
