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School of the Month
Every month, we show a school special recognition for their Fair Trade efforts. This could be anything from a fantastic Fair Trade event to in-depth Fair Trade learning in the classroom. Schools up and down the country are working really hard on Fair Trade issues; ensuring pupils are developing and learning in the context of Global Citizenship. If you'd like to nominate a school for Fair Trade School of the Month, send a message to schools@fairtradewales.com
October 2011
Plasnewydd Primary School (Bridgend) has won the Fair Trade Song Competition 2011! The event took place at the Wales World Trade Fair in Abergavenny on the 2nd October and was organised by Martha Musonza Holman. The pupils wowed the audience with their musical talents, fantastic props and fun headgear! Well done to everyone involved! Watch out for details about the competition next year!
September 2011
Tavernspite Community Primary School (Pembrokeshire) have ‘kicked off’ the school year by focusing on Fairtrade in Football. They have recently had an assembly and lessons focused on how sports balls are made and the different fair trade makes to the people who produce them. They are also currently planning a Fairtrade Football tournament. What a great way to get active and support Fairtrade producers at the same time! Why not take up the Fairtrade Football challenge too? Check out our resources section to find our football presentation!
June 2011
Ysgol Dyffryn Teifi has worked in partnership with Ceredigion County Council to put on a Fun & Healthy Fair Trade Day for its feeder primary schools. The 70 pupils attending were first greeted by the headteacher and shown a presentation by Fair Trade School, Ysgol Llangynfelin. With the help of Sixth Form students from Dyffryn Teifi, they then took part in a series of fun workshops which involved making Fair Trade banana smoothies with the help of a bicycle powered smoothie maker,a Fair Trade football shoot out, a role play on paper bag making, a thought provoking activity on Fair Trade cotton, a look at where the food we eat every day is grown, a lively drumming session, and finally a workshop raising awareness of children’s rights. Everyone also enjoyed the delicious welshcakes, made by Dyffryn Teifi school caterers, with Fair Trade sugar.
May 2011
Ponthir Church in Wales School has been working hard, together with their local authority Torfaen, to try and access more Fairtrade products for their school. They have been successful in converting their Orange Fruit Juice Boxes to Fairtrade! This is a really important achievement and means even more support for Fairtrade orange farms in South Africa. Well done Ponthir – great work!
April 2011
Millbank Primary have been named school of the month for April for their creative project ‘A Big Hand for Fairtrade’. They invited pupils, staff, parents, visitors and even special guests Kevin Brennan MP and Rhodri Morgan AM to make a hand print and write a pledge for Fairtrade on an enormous banner. They then wrapped it around the school to show how much support there is for Fairtrade in their local community. This formed part of their Fairtrade Fortnight 2011 activities as well as a Fairtrade Tea Party and Fayre. To check out their fantastic activities please visit Millbank Primary Schools website.
March 2011
Ysgol Tregarth used Fairtrade Fortnight to plan an enormous amount of activities and events around the theme of Fairtrade. In fact all their work during the fortnight was themed on Fairtrade! It just proves that you can link Fairtrade to any curriculum area or school activity and continue to teach core subjects and skills. Great work Tregarth!
February 2011
Rougemont School involved the whole school in Fair Trade by holding a Fair Trade cake competition! The children made the cakes which were judged to decide which was the tastiest – a very difficult job! The cakes were then sold in a coffee morning to raise funds for Rougemont’s partner school in Zimbabwe. What a great idea and a perfect way to involve the children, teachers, school staff and the local community!
January 2011
Ysgol Ty Coch is a residential school in Pontypridd for children with severe learning difficulties and those with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Ysgol Ty Coch Leavers/Post 16 department have been promoting Fair Trade in a number of innovative and exciting ways, for example promoting Fair Trade in the school hair salon to members of the school and wider community and using Fair Trade products in the enterprise cafe. All of the students have been very enthusiastic and are very much looking forward to gaining Fair Trade school status. Well done to Ysgol Ty Coch for the enterprising way they have embedded Fair Trade throughout the school!
December 2010
Prestatyn High School has developed a Fair Trade News Section on their school website. It has details of the Fairtrade Schools Committee, photos of activities and events and links to the Prestatyn Fairtrade Town Group. It’s a great way to let everyone know what the school is doing to support Fair Trade. Click here to have a look at the website!
November 2010
Ysgol Y Wern have recently held a competition to design a Fair Trade character to support and promote Fair Trade in their school. The winning entry is to be seen on the school website. Well done to everyone at the school for a great whole school project! Tegwen is flying the flag for Fair Trade at Ysgol y Wern!
October 2010
Our Lady and St Michaels Catholic Primary School in Abergavenny put together a Fairtrade Song for the Wales World Trade Fair, where they sang to the community about Fair Trade. Their effort and enthusiasm was fantastic and we congratulate them on their participation at the event.
September 2010
Heronsbridge School are School of the Month September for the fantastic questions the pupils asked to the Fairtrade Coffee producer from Uganda. Pupils ranged from 16 - 18, with special needs. Their understanding of Fair Trade issues was impressive and their level of engagement with the producer talk was encouraging and inspiring. The school showed leadership while it hosted a teachers Fair Trade event for other schools in Bridgend to learn more about Fair Trade issues. Heronsbridge shared with other schools how they'd worked through the Fairtrade School Scheme. Thank you to Heronsbridge for their continued commitment to Fair Trade.
June 2010
Penygloddfa Primary school for their fanstatic Fair Trade song. Written by class 5/6 R and sang in the tune of ‘Sing Hosanna’
Every day working hard in the fields,
growing crops for the wealthy west.
Give me money for my goods, keep me living,
Make it fair so I can do my best.
Sing for Fairtrade, sing for Fairtrade,
Sing for Fairtrade round the world today,
Sing for Fairtrade, sing for Fairtrade,
sing for Fairtrade round the world.
In the fields all day long picking cocoa,
we get wages now that make it fair.
Give us schools for the young while we’re working,
and facilities for us to share.
Chorus.
Give me chocolate that is fair in my trolley,
tea, bananas, orange juice, coffee.
Far away round the world people living
They’re relying now on you and me.
Chorus.
May 2010
St Christophers School - for their 10 year commitment to Fair Trade! And for their fantastic peer education project with local primary schools. This involved pupils from the secondary school running assemblies to local primary schools, entitled 'Spread the Word' where they would encourage primary schools to also become active with Fair Trade issues. A particularly encouraging school, as many of the children face challenges with special needs, but show commitment to caring for others, despite their own challenges.
April 2010
Howell's School (Cardiff) - for being one of the 85 schools to contribute to the world's biggest Fairtrade table cloth and for then using their table cloth patch design on the school's new greeting cards. What a great way to spread the Fair Trade message and get it out in to the community!
March 2010
Allensbank Primary (Cardiff), Glantaf Infants (Rhondda Cynon Taff) and Ysgol Gymraeg Garth Olwg (Rhondda Cynon Taff) - for attending a giant tea party with AMs at the Senedd in Cardiff Bay. The pupils engaged in politics by performing songs and poems they had written themselves about Fair Trade and spoke to Jane Davidson AM about why they believe Fair Trade is important. The pupils also showcased samples of their work and even brought home-made Fair Trade cakes for the Minister to try!
February 2010
Canolfan Brynffynnon (Gwynedd) - for their Fairtrade tea project where pupils of all ages took part in classroom activities learning about Fairtrade tea. This led to the whole school taking action by visiting makeitfair.org.uk and campaigning for the UK's biggest tea brands to make it Fair and go Fairtrade! They extended their project to the local community by inviting people to a Fairtrade tea party where they had fun decorating hats and enjoying Fairtrade sugar, cocoa, chocolate, sultanas, bananas, orange juice, jam, coffee, and of course TEA!
January 2010
St Mellons Church in Wales Primary School (Cardiff) - for making learning about Fairtrade fun! The school ran a Fairtrade label collecting competition to help promote The BIG Swap. Each class collected as many Fairtrade labels from Fairtrade products that they could find and the class that collected the most won a selection of Fairtrade fruit and chocolate. The whole school was a buzz with label counting and the winning class were kind enough to share their prize with the rest of the school.
November 2009
Gellifaelog School (Merthyr)- A pupil from the school received the Peter Jones Memorial award which was established by Love Zimbabwe. This award recognises the unique contributions of an individual child in the understanding and development of ‘Fair Trade and global citizenship'.
October 2009
St Cyres School (Penarth) - for successfully linking their schools group with their Fairtrade town group. They have had full Fairtrade status for 2 years, and have been involved with the towns Fairtrade progress since 2005, helping out with many of the town group's activities. Some pupils from the school regularly attend the Penarth Town Fairtrade Forum meetings with one student recently being elected as the publicity officer.
September 2009
Ysgol Pontrobert (Powys) - for cooking a delicious 3 course Fair Trade meal for their parents!
July 2009
Ysgol Llanllechid (Gwynedd) - for their excellent work in learning about Fair Trade issues. The school have successfully linked Fair Trade to the curriculum, and stood out with a high standard of Fair Trade learning. They are also notable for their teachings through the medium of Welsh. For any teachers interested in using their scheme of work, please contact schools@fairtradewales.com They are a school who have successfully introduce Fair Trade despite being in an economically deprived area.
June 2009
Ysgol Gyfun Emlyn (Carmarthenshire) - for their fantastic Fair Trade Stunt! Spelling ‘Fair Trade' using pupils. The event was called off due to bad weather at first, so the fair play to the school who reorganised! The stunt was well covered by media, an arial photographer was booked, and local primary schools were involved in spelling out their concerns for Fair Trade. Well done to all the young activists!
May 2009
Hafren School (Powys)- for being the first Fairtrade school in Montogmeryshire. Teachers- for their fantastic curriculum links in their fair trade lessons. Pupils - for writing to the LEA asking for Fair Trade school meals.
April 2009
Ysgol Dinas Bran (Denbighshire) - for appearing on television and telling all schools in Wales how they became a Fairtrade School and the benefits of Fair Trade.
March 2009
St Richard Gwyn (Barry) - for touring their fantastic banana dance around South Wales on the Banana Bus! A fun way of peer education.
February 2009
Gladestry School (Powys) - for switching all the bags children use to Fairtrade cotton bags!
January 2009
Ysgol Cynfran (Conwy) - for putting pressure on UK national football teams to stock fairtrade footballs! They took the Wales Fair Trade flag to Old Trafford and encouraged them to do more for Fair Trade.