Victoria Park Primary School sits on a concrete triangle in inner- city Bristol with little space or greenery. But it has a school full of “Green Ambassadors” who are inspired - and inspiring others - to make a difference. 

Sustainability is woven into the fabric of the school. The children run a shoe swap every Friday, where pupils can buy pre-loved shoes for £1 or swap those they have grown out of for 50p. Money from this has enabled the school to purchase bird feeders and bird food, which have brought blackbirds and blue tits to Victoria Park’s outdoor classroom - a sight seldom previously seen.

Other activities organised by the school have included a book exchange service for adults, a Switch Off Fortnight campaign and a Waste Week initiative. The school “Green Team” undertakes litter picking and publishes a newsletter containing sustainability tips. To ensure that the whole school has an input into sustainability, each class elects an “Eco Rep”. In addition to winning the Tes sustainable schools award, this year Victoria Park’s achievements have been recognised by its being runner-up in the WWF Green Ambassador Schools Award, and winning green team of the year in the same competition.

The judges said: “Victoria Park Primary school is an amazing sustainable school. It takes a whole-school approach to sustainability, including its values, pupil voice and wellbeing - not just a few activities. It models sustainability with great ideas such as shoe swaps. Even in
an urban setting, it’s possible to learn about and practise sustainability.”

For the full list of winners, click here, and keep up-to-date will the glitz and glamour of the night with #TesAwards10.