Harlow MP Robert Halfon celebrates Eco-School Award with St Nicholas’ School in Old Harlow
Education: Secondary / Mon 23rd Oct 2023 at 07:42am
ROBERT Halfon, MP for Harlow, celebrated the achievement of Saint Nicholas School who have received a Green Flag with Distinction Award for their involvement with the international Eco-Schools Programme.
Speaking to Your Harlow, Halfon commented: “It was wonderful to meet the pupils and staff of Saint Nicholas School to celebrate their brilliant achievement. The Eco-Schools Programme is an internationally recognised award scheme which encourages pupils to learn about sustainability in a constructive and engaging way and I am so proud of the work that the children and their teachers have done to win this award.”
The pupils of the school had created a wonderful presentation about the work that their Eco-Club and Eco-Committee had done within the school and the wider community to encourage everyone to take care of their local community. Initiatives enacted by the school included building an eco-garden, litter picking initiatives, purchasing fifty recycling bins, sponsoring the adoption of animals across the world such as a Sun Bear, and taking part in a school-wide eco-day which resulted in the school lowering its carbon footprint.
Mr Halfon said, “The engagement of the children in such an important issue was inspiring to see, not just in the initiatives they have set up, but also to see how they are leading the charge across the whole school and in the community. We have a wonderful natural beauty in Harlow in our town parks, green spaces and canal network and I have continuously pledged to cherish our natural environment in my role as the local MP. I’m delighted to see the work of Saint Nicholas which will foster a long-term love of the environment for its pupils through their ongoing work.”
Terence Ayres, Headmaster at St Nicholas School said:
“I was delighted to welcome The Rt Hon Robert Halfon, MP for Harlow, to Saint Nicholas to celebrate the achievements of our eco-committee. Mr Halfon has taken a keen interest in the School’s environmental efforts and we were so pleased that he could take time out of his busy schedule to visit.
“Mr Halfon praised the eco-committee for all the initiatives they had implemented and remarked on how important it was for young people to be involved in safeguarding the planet for future generations. After watching a presentation, Mr Halfon fielded numerous questions that ranged from what it was like to be a politician, whether or not he had any regrets about becoming one and, the real burning question that everybody involved in politics wants to know, who owns Larry the cat!
“It was a super way to end a busy first half-term and we were extremely grateful to Mr Halfon for being so generous with his time and praise; a visit that our eco-committee will never forget.”
Ends
Luke Burton
2023-10-23 09:19:29
Of course Mr Halfon, a Minister of State at the Department for Education is focusing his time on the local FEE-PAYING school. All whilst the local state school which has been shut due to his department making the active decision of shoving children whose only crime is not having parents that are able to afford independent school fees into structurally unsafe buildings. What a complete and utter disgrace.
Alex
2023-10-23 12:19:07
Well said Luke.
Mark
2023-10-23 12:21:00
How lovely Mr Halfon. Now how about you spending some time sorting the problems your government has caused for a thousand Harlow pupils who have no school to go to on Monday. Your department oversaw the building of a £29 million school that closed within two years because it was dangerous. You promised Harlow would be top of the list for good quality temporary classrooms. The very temporary ones were meant to last only until November and now they have to last until spring even though there is mildew on the ceilings, the metal walkways are dangerously slippery, the toilets are disgusting and the radiators are a fire hazard. The result being that the students can't return after half term. You have failed the children of Harlow Mr Halfon with a £29 million school building that needs to be demolished and repeated broken promises about mitigating the problems that has caused
Adam
2023-10-23 12:39:10
It is the best school in Harlow, people should aspire to work hard and be able to send thier kids private I did.
Mark
2023-10-23 12:52:28
Adam, teachers nurses, police officers, ambulance drivers and so many other highly trained professionals work hard, but the real value of their wages has been cut by the Conservatives. They can't afford private.school fees, but the country would be lost without their contribution. All children deserve a decent education, and the children of SFG aren't getting a fair chance. Robert Halfon has failed to deliver on the promises he made about dealing with the issues caused by the closure due to the dangerous state of SFG college and he needs to be held accountable for his failure. Frankly popping up at a private school and ignoring the chaos at SFG only adds salt in the wounds.
Luke Burton
2023-10-23 13:06:32
I'm sure it's a fantastic school, Adam - but it's not the fault of the child if their parents cannot afford the fees there. You can't choose the family you are born into. No child deserves to be put inside a crumbling building. However, Robert Halfon thinks that's acceptable.
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