We have been working with some great schools in Uttlesford as part of Uttlesford District Council’s Net Zero programme.
Our team worked with 10 schools across the district. We designed and delivered a three-part series of educational and interactive school visits. Here’s what we did.
Assemblies and workshops
Each visit included assemblies with whole year groups of students to ensure our project messages reached as many Uttlesford children as possible, followed by a hands-on activity workshop with a smaller group of student representatives.
We provided school travel plan support, helping schools record their air quality and sustainable travel efforts which went towards Modeshift STARS accreditation.
Air Aware diaries
Members of our schools team guided student representatives from each school to lead on their own air quality experiments using Atmotube PRO hand-held air quality monitors. The students collected the data, analysed it and noted trends in levels of air pollution. They then discussed their findings with us and their fellow-students and put forward possible causes and solutions.
Idling action
It was important that this project resulted in behaviour change through educating people about air quality and the actions we can all take at an individual level to improve our air quality.
We supported the students at each school to lead their own idling events.
They shared with drivers parked near their school everything they had learned through the Uttlesford Net Zero Programme about the harmful impacts of engine idling and how the action of switching off the engine while stationary is one way of reducing pollution.
Supporting schools to achieve Modeshift STARS accreditation
We worked with schools on developing their school travel plan through the Modeshift STARS Education accreditation scheme.
The scheme recognises schools that have shown excellence in supporting walking, wheeling, cycling and other forms of sustainable and active travel.
Using air quality monitors
We organised the students into taking the monitors home with them for their families to use, broadening local participation and diversifying the variety of air quality scenarios tested.
“The pollution level moved from orange, when we had been in the car, to green when we were in the woods.”
Student at Dunmow St Mary’s Primary School, Takeley
Tailored support
Our team regularly met with teachers and kept them up to date with what needed to be done to achieve Modeshift accreditation.
We created bespoke activity resources for the schools in collaboration with Essex County Council, and promoted funding opportunities.
Uttlesford Net Zero Programme in numbers
- 10 schools engaged
- 27 assemblies delivered
- 1,245 students taught in assemblies
- 27 student-led workshop activities
- 1,786 students surveyed about current and preferred travel mode
- 45 air quality experiments completed by student representatives
- 72 drivers engaged about engine idling through student action
- 4 school awarded with Modeshift STARS accreditation
Find out more
More information on our education programmes
Contact us
We would love to hear from you if you would like us to support your sustainability education programmes: info@mpsmartertravel.co.uk