BVGA Eco Committee

In 2019, two groups of students at our school took part in the Youth Voice Project, which was delivered by Bradford Youth Service. The project aimed to provide an opportunity for young people to share their views on health inequalities and to empower them to be part of the solution. As a result of their involvement, we were awarded £1,000 to spend on a project.

The students expressed concerns about the environment and the potential risks to health. This inspired me to establish an Eco Committee, which met regularly to discuss environmental issues within the school and to plan how the funding should be used.

Unfortunately, in 2020, all plans were put on hold when Covid spread around the world. Schools were closed, and year groups were kept separate.

In 2021, the Eco Committee began meeting regularly again, and in January 2023 we completed our largest tree‑planting project to date. The trees were provided free of charge by The Tree Appeal, and students were supported by BEES (Bradford Environmental Education Service). The project included creating a wildlife corridor by planting a hedgerow parallel to existing woodland, as well as several crab apple trees, in a bid to increase biodiversity.

We then became aware of the Eco‑Schools Green Flag Award and began to structure our meetings around the seven‑step framework. This allowed us to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses in relation to sustainability and to develop action plans for improvement.

As a result, staff from a range of different roles joined the Eco Committee, working collaboratively with students to gather data and drive change.

Energy was identified as one of our key targets. Our business manager at the time, Matthew Hill—now Sustainability Lead at BDAT—worked closely with the Eco Committee and shared plans to install solar panels at the school. In 2024, solar panels were installed by Solar for Schools as part of a BDAT‑wide initiative. Using the Count Your Carbon tool, we calculated that our carbon footprint had been reduced by 10%.

In 2025, we achieved the Eco‑Schools Green Flag Award, providing significant recognition for the progress we had made. This success was covered by the Telegraph & Argus.

In September 2025, I relinquished my role as Head of Sixth Form and became Sustainability Lead at Belle Vue Girls’, working closely with our business manager, Wasiq Suleman. This academic year has been our most successful to date, with a focus on reducing carbon emissions, increasing biodiversity, and embedding climate education for both staff and students.

Our Eco Committee has also represented Keep Britain Tidy on both BBC Look North and ITV Calendar News, discussing the carbon emissions associated with the school run. This work was informed by our use of the Keep Britain Tidy Count Your Carbon tool.

A visit to the Thalia Waste Centre highlighted the challenges of waste management, particularly plastic waste. As a result, the Eco Committee invested in providing all teachers with refillable whiteboard pens to help reduce plastic use.

In March, the Eco Committee visited RHS Garden Bridgewater in Salford. The trip aimed to educate students about public gardens and strategies for increasing biodiversity. Despite battling snow, hail, rain and wind, the students remained positive throughout.

This year we have also had the support from Gordon Roscoe, a volunteer from the Climate Ambassadors, a Department for Education funded programme which supports the development of climate action plans in education settings across England . Gordon has worked with the Eco committee to educate them further about Climate change and to produce an informative assembly to present to all of the students and staff in the school.

We have ambitious plans for the future. Please see our Climate Action Plan for our plans for the future.

Mr Singleton

Sustainability Lead & Teacher of Art

Bradford school leading the way on climate action | News | Bradford Schools Online

Belle Vue Girls' Academy, Bradford, wins two national awards | Bradford Telegraph and Argus