Primary school children commit to tackling climate change in inaugural competition

Ten primary schools across Surrey, Middlesex and Doha, Qatar have signed up to a new competition which will enable children to develop their science and mathematics capabilities, while engaging with experts in the sustainability industry and helping to tackle climate change (@ACSIntSchools, @ACSCobhamSchool, @ACSEgham, @ACSHillSchool, @ACS_Doha_School).

The inaugural ACS Future Impact competition, organised by ACS International Schools, will see children aged 7-11 working in teams to develop and present proposals for how their school and/or their local community can reduce its negative environmental impact. A range of exciting prizes will be available to help winning teams put their proposals into action and to further students’ knowledge and understanding of environmental issues.

Teams will work together to identify an environmental issue such as global warming, fossil fuels and alternative energy sources, plastic pollution or food waste. Once teams have selected the issue, they will consider their solution which should be specific to their school or local community, meaning that it can be put in place by teachers, students, local councillors or the local public.

Students have six weeks to develop their proposals; during the process they will build confidence in science and mathematics through real-life application of their learning through the UK national curriculum.

Participating schools will select their top team(s) in January 2022, which will progress to a live final in March, hosted at ACS International School Cobham. Teams which progress to the final will be allocated a mentor with expertise in environmental sustainability, who will be able to help students develop their proposals to the next level, ready for the live final, where teams will pitch their proposals to a panel of industry judges. As well as the level of depth and feasibility of the solution, teams will be judged on their creativity and out-of-the-box thinking.

One prize that is up for grabs is being donated by Sustainable Advantage, a consultancy that helps organisations become more sustainable. Sustainable Advantage will provide three winning schools with a comprehensive sustainability review, covering environmental, social and corporate governance issues. The three schools will also receive a bespoke action plan, setting out clear targets and advice on how to achieve these in the coming year.

Graeme Lawrie MBE, Partnerships Director, ACS International Schools, said:

“The inaugural ACS Future Impact competition promises to be full of excitement and learning, raising awareness of the broad range of environmental issues threatening the planet while recognising that the ideas of young people have the potential to change the world. We’re pleased to be able to facilitate a deep dive into the environmental issues that students care about, while giving them an opportunity to develop key life skills such as research, teamwork, cooperation and presentation and public speaking. We’re looking forward to seeing what solutions the teams come up with!”

Participating schools include:

• St Peter’s Leatherhead
• St Andrews Cobham
• West Byfleet Junior School
• Cobham Free School
• West Ashtead School
• Field End Junior School
• ACS Hillingdon
• ACS Cobham
• ACS Egham
• ACS Doha