STAR COMMUNITY Starbank’s Eco Councillors take part in the Big Garden Birdwatch

Primary pupils from Starbank School have been getting closer to nature thanks to the UK’s biggest citizen wildlife study.

2023 marks the 44th RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch, which sees keen birdwatchers across the UK spend one hour tracking the birds they see in their gardens over a three-day period.

One in four bird species is under serious threat, so a key objective of the study is to measure and track the plight of different species to identify those requiring additional

Starbank’s Eco Councillors joined over 500,000 nature lovers across the country by grabbing their binoculars and clipboards, and logging the number and species of every bird that landed in an area of the school’s field.

Pupils had earlier used their creative skills to make birdfeeders from recycled plastic bottles. They filled them with bird feed and hung them on trees around school to attract more feathery visitors to their patch.

With the help of a handy visual guide to identify each type of bird, pupils recorded their findings on data sheets which were then collated by the Eco Council and submitted to the RSPB.

Many of the pupils enjoyed the experience so much that they persuaded their families to join them the following weekend to record more findings in their gardens and local parks.

Game on for Eden Girls’ football activators

Sports enthusiasts from Eden Girls’ Leadership Academy, Manchester have been gaining vital leadership skills by delivering an extra-curricular football club for their peers.

Twelve pupils, known as Pupil Activators, have successfully organised a football enrichment club for all year groups in the school, with sessions, activities and matches all run by the girls.

The Activators’ goal is to maximise young girls’ participation in all sports, not just football, and inspire them to continue with physical recreation after school.

Launching the club was a result of the school’s involvement with Barclays Game On, a programme developed by the Youth Sport Trust in partnership with England Football. Inspired by the successes of the Lionesses in the European Championships last year, the nationwide initiative aims to increase participation in sport and help young people to develop new transferable skills.

Through a series of workshops, the school’s team of Activators participated in training to enhance their delivery skills. Pupils’ newfound skills will not only help the football club to gain traction, but to develop young female leaders of the future.