CHILDREN and staff at Whitchurch CE Primary are celebrating already.

On the first day of term, the school's Global Green Team found out that they had been awarded the International Eco-Schools certificate for showing continued excellence in improving the environmental performance of the school and the wider community.

The school has its own chickens, a highly productive garden and its own woodland. Children sell produce from the garden to the local community and are able to take part in a cookery club at the school which uses the ingredients grown.

In addition to this, children from the team regularly check the performance of the school in terms of water and energy use which all add up to helping each child have respect for their environment and a real love of outdoor learning.

The award assessor said 'The ethos of sustainability is well embedded into the life in the school. The school grounds are amazing.'

As one member of the team said 'We are very proud of our school. We love growing fantastic vegetables, exploring our environment and most of all getting muddy!'