The United Nations gathering in Glasgow this November has been a media staple for many months now and the Conference of the Parties, or COP26 as it is known, has similarly interested many of our students. Our Fryer and Sixth Form Eco Clubs have an established focus on caring for the future of our planet, but with sustainability central to the Quaker testimonies it is an area that is of vital importance to our whole community.
In recognition of the significance of COP26, the School will be running a series of events to highlight the need to change the way we look after the planet. Mark Budge, STEAM Co-Ordinator, delivered a Collect on Friday 1st October, explaining the upcoming plans and the activities on offer during the week of COP26 from 8th to 12th November.
There is an online climate change course being run by the University of Reading and an interactive whole school debate on the pros and cons of degrowth versus innovation across different economies. Each year group will represent a continent and each tutor group will represent a country as the key issues are considered for each nation. There is a giant jigsaw entitled ‘Together for our Planet’ being coached and curated through the Art Department for half a dozen local primary and prep schools and our Year 9 and 10 Drama students are going out to three KS2 schools to deliver a climate change play. We are also looking forward to displaying a exhibition of relevant work in the MMC Foyer for everyone in the community to enjoy.
COP26 may be a week of intense focus but our students are made aware of climate change throughout their Autumn Term curriculum. In Geography Year 9 are focussing on Climate Breakdown with those on the CAS rotation for CREST Awards looking at sustainable homes. In the Sixth Form Psychologists are investigating social change and in Politics environmental claims are being debunked. Fryers are looking at the consequences of air travel, the carbon cycle and climate change on both Earth and on Venus in Science this term. And many other subjects will be incorporating the COP26 messages into their teaching as the summit approaches.
Mark commented, “Giving our students an understanding of climate change and sustainability is vital. It is they who will be spending their working lives finding the solutions to the huge challenges we face. It is also important that we manage these messages in a way so that students do not become over exposed and these vital messages lose their impact. We therefore began our COP 26 journey on Friday and have a planned campaign of timely activities over this term.”
If your child is already a Leighton Park student and you want to find out more about COP26, do ask them what they know. All of our students have access to a Google classroom with lots of information, to watch, learn and participate as we encourage as many people as possible to get involved!
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