OLICAT is shortlisted for The Green Trust Award
We were delighted to receive the news that Our Lady Immaculate Catholic Academies Trust (OLICAT Schools), has been shortlisted for The Green Trust Award at the upcoming National Multi Academy Trust Association (MATA) Awards 2025.
OLICAT Schools have focused on developing and implementing a Sustainability Policy and Action Plan, but the driving force has undoubtedly been from the dedicated and hard-working students of all ages across all the schools.
Eco Steward teams meet termly to share their ideas and take great care and effort to promote creative new sustainability initiatives in their schools and encourage their whole school communities to take part. The term ‘Eco Steward’ acknowledges Pope Francis’ message to the world ‘Laudato Si' - an invitation to everyone on the planet to care for our common home.
“As an Eco Steward we work to help the school benefit and protect everything we are given by nature as well as helping to make the planet a better place. Our role is important as if we don’t pay careful attention to the planet, humans wont survive, food supplies will be in jeopardy and businesses will close. We must keep our planet safe.” (Didi, Year 5)
All schools in the Trust are also working towards the CAFOD Live Simply initiative. We recently celebrated the achievements of the St Thomas More Secondary and 6th Form community, who have become the first Secondary school in our Diocese of Northampton to have achieved this Award.
As a Trust, we recognised the important role that we as a family of schools must take to safeguard our planet. We have been so impressed with the range of activities our Eco Stewards have undertaken to get their message out as far and wide as possible. This has included running assemblies, working with the schools and wider community and organising events to raise awareness of the importance of sustainability, e.g. litter picking, installing LED lighting, water awareness, reducing plastic, public speaking.
We are very proud of our children and the sustainability journey we are on and delighted to see their work acknowledged in the shortlisting for the National MAT Green Award. (Sarah Meeks, School Improvement)
All MATA Award winners are to be announced at a ceremony held at the Leonardo Hotel in Milton Keynes on March 6th.
To find out more about the Sustainability work in the OLICAT Schools please visit www.olicatschools.org/sustainability