CHILDREN at Royal Wootton Bassett Academy have won an award for helping to increase recycling rates.

Robert Bundock, lead practitioner for student voice at the school in Lime Kiln, submitted it into the Speaker’s School Council Awards 2015 after the student council launched an initiative to increase the levels of recycling in the school.

Led by students Abigail Flemming and Louis Ogle, the scheme means there is a dedicated recycling box in every classroom that is regularly emptied by student volunteers into the large recycling bins kept in the main school corridor – known as The Street.

Mr Bundock said: “We wanted to do more recycling in the school and in the I Learn groups, they each had a box and were asked to collect and recycle paper and everything.

“But we found that the boxes weren’t getting filled up. So Abbie and Louis came up with the idea of having a box in every classroom, where the teachers could put paper to be recycled and these are emptied so often they are filled.

“I am really pleased we have been given an award. They really deserve it and it means we can now put the badge on our website.”

Although Royal Wootton Bassett Academy was not put through to win the national competition, the students’ initiative impressed the judges enough that they have been presented with a badge, which they can attach to their website and marketing literature, as well as a certificate.

In a letter sent to the school, a spokesman from the Speaker’s School Council Awards said: “This year’s Speaker’s School Council Awards has been incredibly successful, with the speaker receiving hundreds of applications.

“The SSCA team were thrilled to see such a huge number of school councils involved in such inspiring and worthwhile activities and, in particular, were incredibly impressed by the commitment and passion with which the school councillors dedicated themselves to their amazing projects.

“There was a consistently high standard of applications this year, making the judges’ decision very difficult.

“We would really like to thank you and your school council for taking part in the competition and taking the time to tell us about all the hard work that has gone into making your project great.”

To find out more about the awards, visit www.speakersschool council.org