We are trying to raise awareness of schools’ attitudes towards and impact upon the welfare of wildlife and the environment and to have official recognition made for those schools who provide conclusive evidence that they treat the issue of animal wellbeing as a priority. We are aware of at least one school in our area that has recently had a large amount of construction work done on their site, all with scant regard for our wildlife and without any reference either at planning stage or thereafter to wildlife charities such as the RSPB, RSPCA, etc. This work has had a direct impact on the wildlife who have made their homes on the site, putting bats, nesting birds, foxes and others at risk. The most recent work, whereby the hedgerow has been cut back severely, commenced on 8th March and is anticipated to last until 1st September. That hedgerow had always been home to numerous sparrows' nests, but now it is not dense enough for any birds to nest therein. This is a school whose parents we have spoken with. Those parents had assumed there was a good animal welfare ethos in the school.

(Above is an extract from a letter sent out from the school informing of the dates of the work.)

We know of another school who tore out the entire hedgerow that ran the length of their site last spring, during nesting season.

These are just a couple of examples of schools running roughshod over nature. Incidentally, both of these examples are of academies, who appear to be answerable to no-one. We are informed that local authorities have no jurisdiction over their activities. Therefore, we appeal to the Department of Education, DEFRA and Ofsted to hold ALL schools to account on these issues, including academies. We will not name and shame the schools that we have knowledge of, as we are sure the situation is mirrored throughout the country.

What we are asking now is that independent Local Government Inspectors and environmental surveyors (at County level, rather than District, in order to maintain impartiality) are commissioned to carry out detailed visual inspections of school sites during and after any construction work takes place, ascertaining complete adherence to planning conditions, with those Inspectors being answerable to DEFRA and Ofsted. Such inspections are also to include ALL academies. Our campaign is supported by well-known animal welfare campaigners, Jenny Seagrove and Peter Egan.

Teaching children the theory of compassion and looking after nature is one thing. However, our schools must lead by example. Careful consideration has to be given to the implications of any building work carried out on school sites. There is no point in a school paying a kind of lip service to environmental issues if their actions prove detrimental. Schools should be held accountable for any negative environmental impact any work on their site may cause, including damage to trees, hedgerows, wildlife and their habitats (including bird nesting sites) and light pollution, among others. (One example of a particular school’s environmental claims being absurd was when they had a new building erected and proudly announced that they had installed 2 bat boxes. They overlooked the fact that those bat boxes were adjacent to unshuttered windows with bright lights emanating therefrom and that there were also bright bulkhead lights that remained on until 10pm below the boxes. Artificial light causes bats not to emerge from boxes, resulting in potential starvation inside.)

If a school’s practical steps to promote animal and environmental welfare are highlighted in a readily available report, this would enable parents to make a more informed decision when choosing a school for their child.

Please sign this petition to tell the Department of Education, DEFRA and Ofsted that this is a crucial consideration not only to our children’s education, but also to the future of our planet. Meanwhile please, when choosing a school for your child, look beyond the hype, question them on their green credentials and look closely at the school’s physical site. 

Thank you.