This day provides and introduction to the theme of environmental waste;

What is waste?
How much do we as a school produce?
Can we reduce this amount, and should we try?

The day starts by auditing the waste produced on random days, with a view to before/after comparisons at a later date. It prepares for future work in depth on recycling, and may lead to pupils managing their own simple schemes in school, e.g. paper recycling and composting.

Each class will monitor the waste produced from packed lunches.The data will be analysed later with a view to creating 'low impact lunches'.

The work will provide a useful platform for introducting Eco Schools and the award system will provide a focus for a school action plan and improvements. Each year group will have the same basic information adapted to be age-appropriate. Pupils will have opportunities to use the material in Literacy, in the style currently being studied ( e.g. persuasive or discussion texts). Numeracy work will involve data handling and the use of measures. Real statistics will be used and the pupils will be encouraged to solve problems in school-based contexts.
There are clear links with Geography, Citizenship and PHSE.

Specific year group variations to make good use of cross-curricular links for this term include:

Year 3: Basic introduction and familiarisation and use of new terminology - introduction to reduce / reuse / recycle ideas. Literacy link to prefixes, especially 're...'
Year 4: Comparisons with waste produced in Victorian times - data analysis and History.
Year 5: Links to History topic WWII Britain and the campaigns 'Waste Not, Want Not' 'Squander Bug' 'Make do and mend' 'Dig for Victory' etc.
Year 6: Links to Geography topic on Water - to be picked up further in the next cross curricular day.

Click on the year groups to find more detailed information about the curriculum links.