Our Approach to Sustainability
At Lingfield Nursery School, we don’t just teach sustainability – we live it. Together, we’re helping children learn and thrive while protecting their future planet.
🌏 Our Mission for the Planet
To spark a love of nature in every child and demonstrate the power of sustainable living through meaningful action.
🤝Working Together for Change
When children, families, and staff work together, we create a community where sustainable habits come naturally.
Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future
We understand that early childhood education is instrumental in shaping the values and habits of future generations. As an environment focused on nurturing young minds, we see it as our duty to lead by example in promoting sustainability and environmental responsibility. Climate change represents one of the greatest challenges of our time, and as an early year’s provider, we are committed to adopting sustainable practices that minimize our carbon footprint while
Our commitment is in line with the Department for Education’s (DfE) Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which encourages all educational settings to appoint a sustainability lead and implement a climate action plan by 2025. We also support the Government’s broader goal of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. Through our own sustainability plan, we aim to foster a culture of environmental responsibility within our nursery community, making sustainability an integral part of both our daily operations and educational curriculum.
Children develop positive attitudes and values about sustainability by exploring solutions to environmental issues, learning about the world around them and how to protect it, and observing adults who model sustainable practices. Lingfield Nursery’s approach to sustainability is to help reduce our carbon footprint, help to prepare for climate change, enhance nature in our setting and nurture our future change makers. These together lessen our environment footprint and inspire children to build lasting, meaningful relationships with nature.
Adaptation and Resilience – Preparing for a Changing Climate
Environmental Education: Provide opportunities for children to learn and connect with nature and our environment. Through stories, discussions, and hands-on projects, nature walks, we teach children about climate change and how to care for our planet. Sensor Taps: We encourage water conservation — for example, in our children’s bathrooms, we have installed sensor taps to ensure the water only runs when needed. Energy Conservation: We are committed to conserving energy by ensuring that lights and electrical devices are turned off when not in use. To further support this, sensor lighting has been installed in several rooms to automatically reduce unnecessary energy consumption.
Decarbonisation – Reducing Our Carbon Footprint
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: We actively recycle and reuse materials wherever possible in both learning and play, helping to minimise waste and promote environmental awareness among children. Food Waste: We work to reduce food waste by planning meals carefully and recycling leftovers responsibly wherever possible. Greenhouse and Rainwater Harvesting: We collect and store rainwater in water butts, which we use to water our plants. This helps us conserve treated water and teaches children about sustainable water use. Paperless Communication: We use an online app to share information with parents, reducing our reliance on paper and supporting our eco-friendly practices. Idling: We have no idling signs in our car park.
Biodiversity and Nature – Enhancing Nature
Green Space – We have extensive green spaces within our setting, including a greenhouse and dedicated planting areas. We encourage children to care for the environment and the plants around them, helping them develop a sense of responsibility and a desire to protect nature.
Climate Education - Nurturing future change makers
Connecting with Nature: Our large outdoor area and green spaces encourage children to explore, play, and develop a lifelong love for nature. Children have opportunities to plant and care for flowers, fruits, and vegetables in their room gardens or within our greenhouse, nurturing a sense of responsibility and curiosity about the world around them. Early Years Foundation Stage: Within the EYFS, children are supported to develop a deep understanding of the world and the natural environment. This learning is thoughtfully woven throughout our curriculum, through engaging stories, meaningful discussions, and hands-on projects that inspire curiosity and build understanding in an age-appropriate way. We encourage children to think critically about their impact on the environment and to make thoughtful choices that promote sustainability and care for our planet.
Our Sustainability Lead is Toni Medhurst
Actions we can take
• Maintaining a low carbon footprint through responsible resource management. • Reducing waste and energy use across all areas of the nursery. • Embedding sustainable practices throughout the curriculum to foster environmental awareness and responsibility. • Engaging children, parents in our sustainability initiatives to promote shared ownership and lasting impact. • By 2026, we will have solar panels installed across the nursery to help reduce energy waste and lower our carbon footprint.