The Isle of Wight’s High Sheriff, Alan Titchmarsh is to raise a Green Flag above Barton Primary after the school became the fourth primary on the Island to gain the prestigious award.

Schools across the country have been set a target by the government to become sustainable by 2020 under a scheme called Eco-Schools.  On the Isle of Wight, a total of 32 schools are currently involved in the Eco-Schools project.

The High Sheriff will be at the school for the ceremony, at Barton Primary, which ironically is based in Green Street in Newport, at 2pm on Friday 3 October.

Most have been given Bronze and Silver awards, but those that achieve the highest results receive a Green Flag. Such is the strict criteria to obtain a flag, they must be renewed every two years to make sure standards are maintained.

Nodehill Middle, Newport Church of England Primary and Northwood Primary are the only other schools on the Island to have achieved Green Flag status since the scheme was launched in 2006.

Barton will be able to display the flag at the school and will also receive an official certificate and confirmation letter.

Isle of Wight Council Cabinet member for Children and Young People Alan Wells said

“I send my congratulations to all at Barton Primary who have achieved this recognition. With the Eco-Island vision ongoing, it is comforting to know that schools are striving to become more eco-friendly already and I am sure it won’t be too long before we see more Isle of Wight schools achieving this prestigious status”.

Headteacher at Barton Primary School and Early Years Centre Karin Wales said

“We are delighted to gain recognition of our commitment to global environmental issues through the Eco Schools programme. Noted particularly by the assessor was our imaginative use of school grounds for learning and our extensive recycling programme and involvement of the local community. Everyone at the school can be proud of their efforts”.