Schools with remarkable rubbish and recycling efforts are invited to reap the rewards of their hard work at the Green School Awards 2019.

Primary and secondary schools making an effort to look after the environment have until December 7 to enter the Green School Awards 2019 – and that effort can be as simple as tackling the problem of litter.

Children’s educational charity the KM Charity Team established the awards in 2016 to reward pupils and schools for their environmental endeavours, encourage children to take an interest in being green, and inspire other schools to learn from the winners’ success.

Details of the top initiatives and projects are collated and printed in a best practice brochure and sent to every school in Kent. The winning schools also receive trophies and certificates - and are able to highlight their eco-friendly ethos by using the Green School Awards logo on their newsletters, websites, and literature.

The categories are: green travel to school and road safety, energy conservation, nature conservation, air pollution, and recycling. Simon Dolby, chief executive of the KM Charity Team, said many schools will be doing something special already without realising.

“We’ve seen schools do some really lovely and thoughtful work. Two of the winners from this year’s awards impressed the judges with their dedication to litter picking – The Abbey School in Faversham, and Fulston Manor School in Sittingbourne.”

He continued: “That doesn’t just teach young people about the damaging consequences of dropping litter – including the fact that someone else has to pick it up – it makes the school grounds and surrounding area much more pleasant for everyone.”

“We absolutely believe that this sort of consideration for other people and for the environment should be recognised and rewarded. Environmental work like this obviously helps students with their science and geography studies, but just as importantly, it teaches them how to be responsible citizens,” Mr Dolby said.

Sandown School in Dover was another 2018 winner, taking the Overall Green Champions title. Their outdoor area, called the Green Zone, is the setting for exploring nature, enriching the curriculum, a hedgehog habitat, and a gardening club. It was the perfect location for the Big Soup Share, where pupils created a campfire-cooked meal for the school’s Young Carers group using produce grown.

Nominations for the 2019 awards can be submitted online by anyone from the school including staff, governors, volunteers, or parents. Representatives from the winning schools will be invited to an awards ceremony at Ashford International Hotel in February.

The awards are supported by key partner Golding Vision plus Kent County Council, Medway Council, LoopCR, ADM Computing, EduKit, NCS Technology, and KidZania.

For more information or to enter, visit www.GreenSchoolAwards.co.uk before the deadline of Friday, December 7.