News

Green Week 2026: A Fantastic Week of Environmental Action - Ms Cutting Head of Year 7 

Green Week 2026 has been a huge success at Twickenham School, with students, staff and our wider community coming together to celebrate sustainability, conservation and environmental responsibility.

We kicked off the week with Meat Free Monday and an inspiring workshop for Year 7 and 8 students taking part in Richmond Council's Our Air, Our Action project. Students explored air quality, sustainable transport and climate change, carried out air quality monitoring around the school site and developed ideas for positive environmental action. The day also saw the launch of our new Eco Council, who will continue to lead environmental initiatives across the school next year.

On Tidy Up Tuesday, students enthusiastically got involved in preparing our outdoor spaces for the rest of the week. Alongside litter-picking activities around the school site, students spent time weeding, clearing and preparing the school garden, ready for new planting projects.

Wildlife Wednesday was a real highlight, with students transforming areas of the school garden through a range of planting activities. Thanks to generous donations from parents, staff and local churches, students filled raised beds, planters and buckets with a wonderful variety of plants, including tomatoes, beans, pumpkins, herbs, wildflowers and sunflowers. Science students also transformed a donated pallet into a fantastic new planter, creating an attractive and sustainable growing space. The school garden has been given a new lease of life and will continue to provide opportunities for outdoor learning, biodiversity and wellbeing throughout the year.

On Travel Thursday, students were encouraged to think about how they travel to and from school and the impact their journeys have on the environment. Excluding Year 10 students on work experience and Year 11 students sitting examinations, our travel survey showed that many students are already making sustainable choices:

• Bus: 190 students
• Walk: 170 students
• Cycle: 46 students
• Car and walk: 20 students
• Train: 15 students
• Cycle and walk: 10 students
• Car drop-off: 51 students
• Scooter: 2 students

These results are extremely encouraging and demonstrate that many of our students are helping to reduce traffic congestion and improve local air quality. The survey also highlighted areas for improvement, particularly around reducing car drop-offs and encouraging more cyclists to wear helmets to ensure they travel safely.

The week concluded with Feel Good Friday, with students and staff wearing green and raising funds to further enhance our outdoor learning environment.

One of the most pleasing aspects of Green Week has been the enthusiasm shown by students throughout the week. Despite the threat of rain, we managed to dodge the showers and enjoy a range of outdoor activities, with students getting involved at breaktimes, lunchtimes and after school.

We would also like to extend a huge thank you to everyone who donated plants, cuttings, pots and materials throughout the week. The generosity of our school community has helped us create a greener, more vibrant outdoor space that students will continue to enjoy and develop.

Finally, special thanks must go to Ms Worthington, who dedicated countless breaktimes, lunchtimes and after-school sessions to weeding, planting and developing the school garden alongside students throughout the week. We would also like to thank Ms Laws for organising and leading the highly successful Our Air, Our Action workshop on Monday, which provided students with valuable knowledge and inspiration to become environmental leaders within our school community.

 

Green Week has been a wonderful reminder that small actions can make a big difference. We are incredibly proud of the commitment, energy and community spirit shown by our students and look forward to building on this momentum through the work of our new Eco Council and future sustainability projects.