Sustainability Festival at The Gordon Schools
A real-world project for S3 pupils culminated in a Sustainability Festival supported by local and national organisations.
A real-world project for S3 pupils culminated in a Sustainability Festival supported by local and national organisations.
Date
28th Apr 2025 - 30th May 2025
Employer
Nine local and national organisations supported the event.
School(s)
The Gordon Schools, Huntly
Industry
Cross-sector
Pupils from the S3 year group were tasked with researching a real-world sustainability issue, which was set for them by one of the employers who were supporting the project.
They presented their findings back to employers at a Sustainability Festival, which was open to all S1-3 pupils. During the festival, those who attended were able to interact with a variety of organisations and industry representatives. Pupils learned more about different businesses' approaches to sustainability and how they can get involved as individuals.
The project allowed pupils to:
By the end of the four-week project, the pupils had produced a high-quality range of display materials, presentations, information boards, leaflets, websites, models and more.
The inclusion of the S1 and S2 pupils at the closing event allowed for additional interactions between employers and young people. With plans to make the initiative an annual project, it was useful for the younger pupils to get a flavour of what they'll be doing in the future.
The timing of the Sustainability Festival - on the last day before the timetable change - was also a fitting culmination of pupils' classwork.
"The pupils and teachers were all very enthusiastic about the project we had set them and all engaged positively on the day with our interactive game. We were more than happy to participate and would be keen to repeat these types of events in the future."
An in-school session with EY helped senior phase pupils understand how mathematical classroom concepts are applied in real-world business scenarios.
A pupil mural project gained a creative boost when a graduate from Gray's School of Art visited Lochside Academy.
A week-long series of coffee conversations provided an opportunity for Oldmachar Academy pupils to chat with representatives from key industry sectors.
