Students from across Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust’s (HFCMAT) schools took over Chester Zoo on Wednesday (25 September). They had thought-provoking conversations with visitors at different animal habitats across the zoo around topics such as plastic waste and fast fashion.
Pupils from Our Lady’s Catholic Primary School, Warrington, headed to the Dragons in Danger house where they confidently interacted with members of the public discussing the impact of plastic waste on the environment.
Year 6 pupil, Angelo, said: “It is so exciting talking to people about the dangers of plastic in the ocean and helping spread the word to help the planet.”
Fellow Year 5 pupil, Oliver, said he was ‘excited to tell people the benefits of recycling plastic’.
Over at the Snow Leopard habitat, students from St John Plessington Catholic College offered informative advice on reducing clothing waste and the impact of fast fashion on the environment. Students encourage visitors to sign their pledges to stop fast fashion and hang them on a small clothesline inside the enclosure viewing area.
Year 11 student Gabriella shared how fun the event was. She said: “It has been so fun to be at the zoo discussing sustainability with all different people.
“It’s really interesting talking to people from all walks of life who might not know all the different ways we can be more sustainable, and the impact of different factories and fabrics has on our global environment.”
Meanwhile, Year 10 student and fellow eco-club member, Hew, shared how he enjoyed listening to people’s ideas about eco-fashion. He said: “It’s been really fun to hear the different ideas people have and come together to make a difference.”
Ed Boyd, assistant team manager for school engagement at Chester Zoo was impressed by the students’ confidence when discussing such important topics.
Ed said: “We have worked with Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust for several years on various projects around conservation and sustainability. It is amazing to see how they have incorporated those into the curriculum.
“Today was an opportunity for students to talk to visitors and make a difference in their own learning. They were able to understand, engage, and grow in confidence, ensuring their messages were communicated clearly. A massive well done to all those students who visited today, you were incredible.”
St Alban’s and Our Lady of Pity spoke about how to protect coral reefs, St Bernard’s persuaded the public to switch to sustainable palm oil, St Augustine’s showed people how to save the bees and St Mary’s Catholic College highlighted the problems with plastic pollution.
The zoo takeover forms part of the trust’s wider initiative; Care for our Common Home.
Care for our Common Home focuses on the season of creation and supports the trust’s young people to take curriculum learning and apply it to real-world situations with a core theme of sustainability.
Across a series of three events, Chester Zoo takeover, HFCMAT COP29, and the Green Careers Carousel, students from across the trust’s two secondary schools and six primary schools can explore themes and topics around sustainability in different real-world scenarios, applying their classroom learning to authentic situations.
Leading the project is Emily Reid, assistant headteacher at St Bernard’s RC Primary and Nursery School. Emily said: “The Care for our Common Home Festival was developed to enable our students to take curriculum learning and apply it to an authentic audience in real-world situations.
“Engaging with community members in different settings supports our students to increase their problem-solving and communication abilities while fostering their creativity through important topics.”
At the Green Careers Carousel event, four of the trust’s primary schools joined St John Plessington students to explore green careers.
Businesses and colleges from the local area and beyond, including Matalan, Reaseheath Agricultural College, and the University of Chester, attended the event to share what they are doing to protect the environment and deliver sustainable ways of working in the future.
There was also an opportunity for St John Plessington students to share the variety of opportunities within the school’s thriving eco-club, Urban Farm and the Duke of Edinburgh.
Speaking on Care for our Common Home, CEO of HFCMAT, Andy Moor, said: “It is incredible to see our students meet and engage with members of the public, colleges, businesses and university to discuss conservation and sustainability.
“At HFCMAT, we are passionate about sustainability and through a range of initiatives and programmes both at the trust level and within each of our schools, we are supporting our young people to explore important topics that affect their futures.”
