Nature Features

Ellie Simmonds visits, Barbara James on the right

For the best part of a decade, Long Eaton School has made nature and the environment a priority for its pupils.

Teachers have helped the pupils build a pond near a local canal, create a wild meadow, plant hundreds of trees and work to make the school more sustainable.

Now one of the leading proponents of the new green approach at the school has received national recognition for her efforts.

Barbara James, a teacher and bursar, has been named an 'Eco Hero' by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign after giving a talk at a conference in Coventry.

She's played a major part in efforts to make the school greener - part of which included planting 1,780 trees and shrubs - one for every pupil, member of staff and governor at the school.

Pupils examine a nearby canal

Their efforts were rewarded with a recent visit from Paralympic Gold Medallist Eleanor Simmonds who helped launch the school's efforts for 'Green Britain Day'.

Mrs James said: "We need to show young people how to look after the world because it's their's tomorrow.

"We as a generation have done a lot of damage to the world and younger people are the future so it's an ideal chance to educate them and offer them hope."

The school also has one of the highest proportions of pupils cycling in each morning and has several wall displays devoted to nature and wildlife.

Now Barbara and her fellow teaching staff are offering advice to other learning establishments on ways to help pupils contribute towards the welfare of their local environment.

How green is your school? If you reckon you've got better green credentials than Long Eaton School, write to us at derby@bbc.co.uk.