Sketty school leads charge in battery recycling competition

Swansea Council’s recycling mascot Sammy the Seagull flew in to congratulate the pupils and staff and present them with Amazon vouchers for school use while council Cabinet Member for Education Robert Smith presented them with a certificate in recognition of their achievement.  

The council teamed up with the European Recycling Platform (ERP) to run the inaugural competition which saw 29 schools take part in the last academic year.

Between all the schools that took part they recycled over a tonne in weight of batteries.

Sketty Primary topped the leaderboard while Ysgol Gynradd Gymraeg Tirdeunaw came second and Brynmill Primary third.

All schools finishing in the Top 10 won vouchers for their efforts.

Council Cabinet Member for Community Services, Cyril Anderson, said:

“I’d like to congratulate Sketty Primary and all the schools that took part.

“Batteries contain some of the most valuable materials on earth that are infinitely recyclable, but when they are thrown in with general rubbish, they can get crushed in bin lorries and spark dangerous fires so should always be recycled.

“The success of this year’s competition means we are re-running the competition this academic year and 38 schools are already registered and taking part.

“There is still time for other schools to join in – just contact our recycling team by emailing recycling@swansea.gov.uk.”

Simon Lloyd-Jones, deputy headteacher at Sketty Primary, said:

“Our whole school community at Sketty were so committed to the school’s battery recycling competition last year. We are delighted to have collected the most batteries, and are already collecting in readiness for this year.”

David Meehan, Head of Operations at ERP UK, added:

“ERP is delighted with the results attained by Swansea Council in this year’s Schools Batteries Campaign. It shows what can be achieved when we come together to reach our goal of getting household batteries out of black bags and into recycling. 

“We are proud of the efforts made by schools, pupils, and the council. Getting this campaign off the ground each year takes time and commitment from all, and the results speak for themselves.” 

#EuropeanRecyclingPlatform #SkettyPrimarySchool #SwanseaCouncil

Swansea pupils top national leaderboard in walk to school challenge

The schools, both located in Swansea, were celebrated by Living Streets Cymru, the charity behind the WOW walk to school challenge, which tracks how pupils travel each day using an interactive WOW Travel Tracker. Children who choose active travel — including walking, cycling, scooting or ‘Park and Stride’ — earn monthly WOW badges designed by pupils across the UK.

Penyrheol Primary School ranked second nationally, with an impressive 96% of journeys recorded as active travel during June. Sketty Primary School secured ninth place, with 80% of journeys logged as active.

“Walking and wheeling to school keeps us fit, healthy and happy – and it reduces congestion, air pollution and road danger outside the school gates,” said Catherine Woodhead, Chief Executive of Living Streets.

“It’s great to hear that pupils at Penyrheol Primary School are benefitting from walking to school. I’m sure they’ll inspire other children and their families to follow in their footsteps.”

The WOW Top Ten challenge runs throughout the school year, with seasonal competitions designed to boost engagement and promote healthier habits. The initiative also supports wider goals of reducing traffic congestion and improving air quality around school gates.

Cllr Andrew Stevens, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment & Infrastructure, praised the schools’ achievement:

“Making it onto the leaderboard is a testament of commitment from Penyrheol and Sketty Primary Schools in promoting healthier lifestyles. The pupils’ success reflects their enthusiasm in making active travel a daily habit.”

The WOW programme is currently active in over 200 primary schools across Wales, supported by Welsh Government funding aimed at improving sustainable travel and child wellbeing.

#CllrAndrewStevens #LivingStreets #Penyrheol #PenyrheolPrimarySchool #Sketty #SkettyPrimarySchool #Swansea #walking

Sketty school’s ‘Criw Cymraeg’ leads to language award

It is a Wales-wide initiative encouraging young people to speak Welsh in all aspects of their lives and not just during lessons.

Sketty has become Swansea’s fifth school to achieve gold and headteacher Bev Phillips said it was a real team effort.

She said: “This achievement reflects the dedication, hard work, and passion of our entire team—staff, children, parents, carers, governors, and the council’s Welsh service who have worked tirelessly to enable us to achieve the highest standards.

“Receiving the Gold Siarter is not just an honour, it is a testament to our ongoing efforts to promote the Welsh language, foster a culture of respect and diversity and to deliver outstanding educational experiences. We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who contributed to this success.”

Jo Griffiths, Welsh subject leader at Sketty, added: “It’s been such an exciting and rewarding journey over the past three years, working to raise the profile and standard of Welsh across our school and local community.

“Our brilliant Criw Cymraeg have been at the heart of it all – leading events like Bore Coffi, the Dewi treasure hunt, school visits, Welsh music gigs and more. The buzz around the Welsh language and our cynefin is felt in every part of our school.

Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Education, Robert Smith, said: “It takes a lot of work and commitment to achieve the gold award so it’s really pleasing to see Sketty Primary achieve this and my congratulations go to all involved.”

#CllrRobertSmith #SiarterIaith #Sketty #SkettyPrimarySchool #Swansea #SwanseaCouncil #WelshLanguage