London Primary Schools Selected to Pilot A New Global Plastic Pollution Education Initiative

Two London primary schools have been selected to pilot a new global plastic pollution education programme. Central Park Primary School in East Ham, and Kingsbury Green Primary School in Brent, were selected to trial the Plastic Changemakers Education Pack from The Breteau Foundation, ahead of its official launch for back-to-school in September.

Educational experts and environmental experts have created the complete, easy to use, free set of resources for teachers, which are aligned to curricula. With the right knowledge, the Plastic Changemaker initiative will enable children to become ambassadors for change and kick start a global movement on responsible plastic use at home and in their community.

This comes after research found that 95% of London’s primary school teachers are demanding more education on plastic pollution within the UK primary education national curriculum.

The research also shows that primary teachers are shouldering a significant financial burden to educate their students about the environment, collectively spending a staggering £13 million of their own funds to provide pupils with environmental education. The average amount spent by teachers was highest in London, with teachers individually spending over £70 from their own pockets. It was also revealed that London teachers are spending over 6 hours per month to create educational resources to teach children about the environment.

Leanne Chorekdjian-Jojaghaian, primary teacher at Kingsbury Green Primary School, who has been piloting the education pack in her classroom, says: “As a primary school teacher, I feel a great responsibility to teach children about the plastic crisis, as this is an issue that will ultimately affect their future. Our students have expressed concerns about plastic pollution and want to know how they can help, but the lack of detail on the topic within the current curriculum means their questions aren’t being addressed. We want to do our best to provide children with a deeper understanding of plastic and the plastic crisis, but the lack of support and resources available makes this difficult for us to achieve.”

After piloting modules from the Plastic Changemakers Education Pack in her classroom, Leanne Chorekdjian reports: “My students have absolutely loved piloting the Plastic Changemakers Education Pack. They are so stimulated by the activities provided by the pack, which make the topics fun and accessible for them. Children are so engaged in the topic of plastic pollution, so it is great to be able to give them lessons like this and give them the tools to inspire others to take action on plastic pollution”.

The Education Pack will launch on 19th September to all educators across the UK, with teachers at other schools being invited to pre-register to receive the resources at: https://www.breteaufoundation.org/fight-against-plastic/