Hertford Infant and Nursery School was awarded the title by Teachers TV, which launched the competition as part of its 'Sharing Your Great Practice' programme, now in its second series.
The winning setting has embedded healthy living into its daily routine and forged close relationships with local organisations to encourage children, parents and the community to be eco-friendly.
Nursery teacher Alison Bartlett said, 'We do eco activities with the children every day, such as planting and picking vegetables, making bird feeders and doing our own composting and recycling. Today we made our own popcorn without the additives and flavours put in popcorn sold in the supermarkets.
'The eco projects make the children aware at an early age of the impact we can make by eating what we've grown and not throwing things away. The eco-council also gives them the opportunity for their voices to be heard.'
Every week Stephan Gehrels from the Brighton and Hove Permaculture Trust works with the three-to seven-year-old children at the school. Projects have included recycling cooking oil to use to power the school and the local Big Yellow Buses, creating a cookery book with reception children and their parents to raise funds, scooter training sessions to encourage children to ride to school, and annual 'juicing' days using left-over fruit provided by Brighton and Hove's Scrumping Project.
Hertford school also has its own eco-council, made up of a group of eight children who are responsible for setting the Eco Code and coming up with new ideas. A family cooking club is funded by a grant from the Food Partnership Trust. The school has earned two Eco Schools green flags.
- A film of the winning school, 'Healthy living throughout the curriculum', can be viewed in the 'Sharing Your Great Practice' section at www.teachers.tv.
