CONSERVATION-minded Frodsham Primary Academy has earned a major award from Chester Zoo.
Pupils at the school did a project with the zoo earlier this year, focusing on the plight of Asian songbirds and other endangered animals.
Their hard work was recognised at Chester Zoo’s annual Conservation Schools Awards celebration evening, which recognises those who go above and beyond to educate the next generation about conservation. Head of school Gemma Callaghan received the Outstanding Conservation Initiative from the conservation charity’s chief executive Jamie Christon.
Working with Chester Zoo’s conservation education team, classes across the school chose an animal, researched it in depth and then explored the ways to prevent that animal from becoming extinct.
As part of their work, the children engaged local MP Mike Amesbury, who asked a question in Parliament about the steps the government were taking to tackle the poaching of jaguars and other endangered animals. The question promoted a response from environment minister, Trudy Harrison, who highlighted government funding for projects to tackle poaching and illegal trade.
Gemma Callaghan, head of school at Frodsham Primary Academy, said: “This project has changed the life chances of so many of our children. Children are now actively conducting their own research into how they can support endangered animals and I have a group of children who have formed an eco-committee to look at the protection of wildlife in our school grounds.”
Schools engagement manager at Chester Zoo, Sean Dick, added: “Frodsham Primary Academy were chosen to win the award for Outstanding Conservation Initiative in recognition of the work they did engaging the whole school community and their local MP with the importance of protecting wildlife from extinction. They showed that the project had real impact on the young people in the school and the wider community. It’s fantastic to be able to celebrate the actions young people are taking to protect the natural world.”
Picture: Head of school Gemma Callaghan and teachers Alice Pemberton and Stephanie Price with the award.