Monitoring & Evaluation

Monitoring and Evaluation gives the Eco-Schools programme its credibility.

To measure the success of the Eco-Schools programme and reach the targets laid out in our Action Plan,

we continually monitor and evaluate our progress. This helps to indicate areas where our activities have

been successful and highlight areas where a different approach may be required.

* As far as possible, our pupils are encouraged to undertake the monitoring set out in the Action

Plan wherever possible to help foster a greater sense of ownership towards the programme and

allow teachers to take a step back.

* Reaching goals provides a ‘feel good’ factor about our achievements and progress to

date and continues motivation and participation at a whole-school level.

* Continuous monitoring helps us to make sure that interest in Eco-Schools is maintained.

This facilitates the transition from establishing an environmental programme to becoming an

integral part of the day-to-day running of our school.

Monitoring and evaluating the progress of our Eco-Schools work is an excellent opportunity to incorporate curriculum links, particularly in the areas of Maths, ICT, Art, Geography and English, as well as developing other skills such as personal understanding, mutual understanding, personal health, moral character, spiritual awareness, citizenship, cultural understanding, media awareness, ethical awareness, employability, economic awareness and education for sustainable development.

Ways we monitor our progress.....

The methods of monitoring that we use will depend on the targets and measurement criteria set out in our Action Plan, as well as the age and ability of pupils, staff and helpers. Here are just some of the ways we monitor our progress:

* We regularly record our utility meter readings to monitor any reductions in consumption to document the effects of energy-saving activities
* We calculate financial savings to show the effects of energy-saving initiatives and these are represented graphically and made availble to the whole school body as well as to parents through our Environmental Newsletter (due out in May 2011). Our Waste and Energy Monitors work with the Eco Commitee on this.
* We audit how many bins we put out for Council Collection to show the effects of our litter/recycling initiatives
* Carrying out satisfaction Eco Surveys to record the noticeable changes that have taken place from pupils, staff, residents, local community. Carrying out this type of measuring complements whole school involvement
* We take photograhs regularly to show before, during and after as visual evidence to support our award applications.

The following advice may be useful to you if you are considering an Eco School Campaign.

* Display the monitoring results (e.g. in graphs, charts) and use the data to deliver aspects of the curriculum
* Make sure that the whole school is kept up to date with the progress towards achieving the objectives. These results should be posted on the Eco-Schools notice board or why not celebrate achieving a target in assembly
* Produce a regular report for school council meetings and governors
* Data from each review should be retained and used as a comparison against up-to-date information
* This will assist you in producing a time-lime of the progress made within the school and help you plan your future environmental strategy

YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE HISTORICAL MONITORING DATA AS EVIDENCE WHEN APPLYING FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS GREEN FLAG AWARD.

Using monitoring data to evaluate progress

Once the monitoring/measuring data has been collated, it important that you interpret and evaluate the information to determine the success of your activities.

Your monitoring data will help you to identify if your eco work is on target or not and whether it has been effective or ineffective. You can then decide if changes to your initial targets or activities documented in the Action Plan are required and what these should involve.

Publicise your results

Make sure the whole school is aware of your progress by displaying any results and figures prominently in the school (e.g. on your Eco-Schools notice board, school newsletter, assembly, school website, etc.). Remember, successes should be celebrated loudly!

In summary your monitoring and evaluation programme should:

* Be developed in parallel with your Action Plan
* Be carried out by the students when and where possible
* Use the same unit of performance as for your Environmental Review to allow comparison with initial figures
* Feed back into your action plan so as to identify areas for adjustments and improvements to be made when and where necessary
* Increase the likelihood (or reduce time required) for achieving goals formulated in your Action Plan
* Be publicised (e.g. displayed on your Eco-Schools notice board, newsletter, etc.)

TOP TIP: A simple way of envisaging your monitoring programme is to think of it as a number of ‘mini’ reviews. The unit of performance chosen for your environmental review may now also be used in your monitoring process (e.g. number of bins going to landfill weekly, electricity costs per month, water consumption per student per year etc.). This allows easy comparisons with the initial results of your review and thus proper evaluation of the rate of success of your Action Plan.

To find topic specific tasks and activities, which show clear links to the curriculum.

Remember to ask local businesses to help you. This will give you not only valuable Community Links but also they will be able to advise you and perhaps help you to get rid of some of your waste.

Our Community Partners