Two Oasis Academies are shortlisted for the DfE Sustainability Award 2020

On the 15^th October 2020 via a virtual awards ceremony due to the currently coronavirus pandemic, staff waited to see if either Oasis Academy Mayfield or Oasis Academy Boulton were this year’s Department for Education Sustainability Award champions 2020!

Unfortunately, they were this year’s two of seven runners up and just missed out on the £2,500 prize, but definitely winners in our eyes. Both academies demonstrated an incredibly innovated and impactful sustainability programme which was submitted to this year’s judging panel.

The sustainability award is about meeting the needs of the now and protecting the natural habitats that surround us, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Aysha Sultana, Teacher at Oasis Academy Boulton, commented saying; “Having become one of the runners up for the DfE Sustainability Awards, this has provided Oasis Academy Boulton with the encouragement and confidence in striving to create a truly environmentally friendly and sustainable way of living.”

“Our future plans include to reduce 80% of paper usage within the academy by 2023 and to champion campaigning to save energy and the use of renewable power by 2025.”

Boulton prides itself on being a diverse school with 41 different languages spoken throughout the academy and a handful of children with little or no English.

Throughout the academy curriculum they have embedded sustainability, with teachers interlinking eco-related topics.

Sophie Hills, Geography Teacher at Oasis Academy Mayfield, added; “We are going to continue collecting and recycling crisp packets and hope to reach our target of £100 for Oasis Mozambique and we are going to extend our vegetable patch so we can grow more food to be turned into soup for the local homeless community.”

Mayfield, situated in the heart of Southampton have engaged and are actively participating in several projects to improve the sustainability of the school including a ‘Grow Together’ project which enables students to grow food for the local community.

The academy has also installed innovative energy saving technology such as solar panels which has saved over £10,000 a year and a rainwater harvesting system which enables rain water to be reused

Environmental sustainability is built into the heart of the curriculum enabling the deepening of students and staff’s knowledge.

The Department for Education is committed to sustainable development and they believe that it is vital for our schools to prepare our young people for the future. Schools are a perfect opportunity to engage the minds of future leaders in developing sustainable ways of living. It's important for them to understand the principles of what sustainability is, and what it means to be truly sustainable.