Cottesmore School wins School House Green Champion Award 2022

We are constantly inspired by other institutions who are doing wonderful things to raise awareness of the need to find intelligent solutions to increase sustainable behaviours in our homes, businesses and schools. Helen Sundaram from The Kindness Bank has also been a great source of inspiration in our sustainability work. However the real drive has come from Ross Borthwick, Head of History who has driven the projects and progress.

School House Magazine says, “This year's winner is a school that tackles the syllabus head on and goes the extra mile to better integrate climate literacy into the teaching timetable. At Cottesmore School in West Sussex, the teaching team, led by Ross Borthwick, set about writing a new syllabus incorporating elements of the pioneering GCSE in Natural History which has recently been approved by Parliament. New units cover everything from rewilding and habitat conservation to resource management, as well as hands-on projects. For example, pupils design their own sustainable menu following market research, apply maths to cost it and grow some of the ingredients to serve up their carefully sourced dishes.

Congratulations to Cottesmore School and its head Tom Rogerson and well done to all of the educators and eco-councillors involved. Hopefully, more teachers, parents and the next generation of eco-conscious students will be inspired to introduce more solutions-focused approaches in their school communities that demonstrate integrity and legacy. Each project goes some way to moving away from overconsumption towards stewardship and citizenship. Maybe this younger generation can teach us a thing or two.”

Cottesmore thanks the School House team Camilla Van Praagh, Victoria Lambert and Ruby Featherstone for giving us this award.

Isabella Tree, the famous rewilder at Knepp Estate, was the judge of the hard-fought Green Champion Award competition, created by the School House Magazine team.