All classes were asked to appoint energy monitors and blinds monitors. The energy monitors are responsible for ensuring that lights are turned off when the classrooms are empty. They also remind staff to turn off whiteboards when they aren't in use. Classroom blinds monitors check to see if the classroom blinds can be left open, so that more natural light is used.
In our recent assembly, one of the Year 6 classes shared that they don't need to have named energy monitors anymore. All the children in class now take responsibility to ensure that lights are off, as well as whiteboards, so the named energy monitor has been done out of a job! This is so great...this class has made turning off lights and opening blinds for natural light a "social norm".
Photo attached is from the assembly where the Year 6 class shared their story with the whole school, encouraging everyone to turn off lights, and other electrical items, as well as open blinds. And not make it just the light monitor's responsibility.
Year 6 class sharing how they all take responsibility for turning off the lights, and don't need to have only one person be the energy monitor. At whole school eco assembly.
Activity description
Pupils - you can have a huge impact on the amount of energy that your school uses and the carbon it produces just by influencing the behaviour of other pupils and the adults in the school!
There are many ways to do this. As well as creating an Energy Team of dedicated individuals who have responsibility for your overall Energy Plan, you can involve more pupils by appointing Energy Monitors for each class. They can carry out a selection of monitoring activities on a regular basis such as:
Pupils of all ages can become ‘detectives’ to see if lights, whiteboards and appliances have been left on unnecessarily, and reminding their friends and teachers to switch them off. When the school’s heating is switched on, pupils can be made responsible for checking that doors and windows are not left open. Depending on your school’s heating system, they may also be able to monitor classroom temperatures and ensure that thermostatic controls are used to ensure optimum temperatures for learning.
Consider running these monitoring activities daily when you first start, and then move to weekly monitoring to ensure any improvements are maintained:
All these monitoring activities fit in with other Energy Sparks activities, so you can earn double points by appointing school energy monitors.
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