Archie, 14, helping to drive eco changes across 8 schools to make academy trust Britain's greenest.

Inspirational Archie, 14, is powering ahead with eco improvements across Worle Community School Academy in Weston-super-Mare, along with 7 other sister primary and secondary schools in The Priory Learning Trust.

The previous school Eco President, Jack Clark won international awards and represented Britain at COP26 after making WCSA one of the best eco schools in Britain.

Now Archie, working with the Deputy Chief Operations Officer, Helen Burge and other students across the Trust, is rolling out a unique plan for all eight schools including 5000 pupils and students aged 2 to 18 to continue the incredible eco work.

It comes on the back of Archie receiving a personal letter and signed autograph from TV gardening legend, Alan Titchmarsh afterheroic environmental work in gardens and parks across the town over the last two years.

TPLT’s incredible green eco plans includes:

  • Boosting the biodiversity across their eight school estates.

  • Filling even more of school sites with with bee and bird attracting flowers and wildlife

  • Starting a Trust-wide decarbonisation process to help the schools move to Carbon Net Zero when replacing old heating systems.

  • Ridding single use plastic from all the schools.

Helen said: “This is a very exciting, widespread and comprehensive plan for our entire academy trust to be leading the way on the environment.

“Archie has done tremendous work on the environment and students such as him from across our schools are going to help leave a fabulous legacy.”

Helen added: “We are increasing the biodiversity across our school estates, whether that's a forest school area, a rewilding of an area or installation of raised flowerbeds. 

“This means students can study the eco systems, plus the insects, flowers and other wildlife can have safe new environments to thrive in. 

“In addition we are creating a Trust wide heat decarbonisation plan, so we can move to net zero when replacing old heating systems. 

“We are also looking to work with our suppliers to remove single use plastic from our schools."

Archie said: “I really enjoy helping people, the community and the environment. I am so excited at all our environmental plans for the future.”

The schools in the TPLT are Worle Community School Academy, Priory Community School Academy, The King Alfred School Academy, St Anne’s Church Academy, Castle Batch Primary School Academy, Pawlett Primary School Academy, West Huntspill Primary Academy and East Huntspill Primary Academy. 

WCSA has won UK and international awards for its futuristic eco-work including electric car chargers, bikes, travel to school changes and communications, and installation of 1,132 solar panels.

Jack helped drive the changes by forming his student-led Climate Justice Revolution (CJR) group and by creating The Green Gazette magazine.

WCSA also finished semi-finalists in the international Global Social Leaders competition involving over 600 teams from 105 countries. It was awarded the prestigious Green Flag for its achievements.

During lockdown, Archie cleared eight full bin bags full of rubbish, rubble, bushes, thorns and weeds from his local park.

Not only that but he straightened paving slabs and the grass so mums with buggies, residents and the elderly could walk in safety. 

In other council park clean ups he has also even kept bird feeders full of bird seed.

The big hearted teenager also helped to clean up over 100 private gardens since Lockdown 2020 - paid by local residents through a business he started.

Archie is pictured with Helen Burge, Deputy Chief Operations Officer for The Priory Learning Trust.

Tracy HumphrisFront Page