Over the last 2 years, Noblehill Primary has been working to become a Fairtrade School. The annually-elected Fairtrade Group carried out different activities to take the school from FairAware status through to FairActive status and finally gained the FairAchiever award at the start of this new school year.
Teacher/Fairtrade Group Co-ordinator Mrs Fiona Boyom states that everyone has worked hard to ensure that the whole school community knows what the Fairtrade logo stands for and how the work of the Fairtrade Foundation benefits farmers in developing countries. Fairtrade links in well to inter-disciplinary learning and global citizenship. The Fairtrade work done counted towards the school gaining its 4th Green Eco Flag last year and continues to work in tandem with on-going eco work and our focus on being a Rights Respecting School. We have also established links with the Dumfries Fairtrade Group and local Traidcraft representative.
The Fairtrade Group meets regularly and carries out different activities over the year. The main focus is during Fairtrade Fortnight, where every class in school is given a specific Fairtrade topic to research and focus on. Pupils enjoy this chance to share learning and take part in fun competitions too.
As a school we have designed posters and T shirts to advertise Fairtrade, sold Kilombero rice from Malawi as part of the ’90Kg Send A Child To School Project’, visited Tesco to find out what Fairtrade products they sell, collected and sorted Fairtrade packaging, made Fairtrade fruit kebabs, played boardgames, sold Traidcraft snacks and goods at our annual Christmas Fair and Spring Barbecue and held a competition to see which class could collect the most Fairtrade logos from packaging. With the profit made from our sales, the school bought a Fairtrade football and invited another local school along for a friendly Fairtrade Match. Fairtrade bananas were provided for refreshment by neighbouring Aldi supermarket and pupils designed Fairtrade snack-bags for the guests. News and information is displayed on the Fairtrade Noticeboard in school and through the school’s newsletter and website. The school also has a Fairtade Policy and uses/promotes Fairtrade products whenever possible.
A new Fairtrade Group has just been elected for this year and the pupils are excited to continue the good work in new challenges ahead. We are very proud to be a FairAchiever School!
(The Fairtrade Group and Teacher Mrs Boyom are pictured with Mrs Rosie Rutherford from the Dumfries Fairtrade Group and mascot ‘Doonie the Beltie’.)
