Last week was Switch Off Week at GBA — a brilliant opportunity to remind ourselves of the small, everyday choices we can make to help our environment by using less energy.

Our Eco Team kicked off the week with a special assembly on Monday, sharing why the week matters and challenging every class to take responsibility for turning off lights, devices and screens when they weren’t needed.

Throughout the week, the team carried out energy audits during playtimes and lunchtimes to see which classes were switching off the most. In Friday’s Flourish Collective Worship, Class 4 were crowned our Switch Off Week Champions!

Then came the big finale…
On Friday afternoon, we held a whole-school Switch Off Challenge — no laptops, no interactive whiteboards and no lights at all, relying purely on natural light. On a gloomy November afternoon, this meant some creative thinking… and the children rose to it brilliantly!

Here’s what we got up to:
✨ Class 1 explored the theme of friendship, reading Lost and Found and taking part in fun, active activities to practise friendship skills.
✨ Class 2 headed to the hall for a PE and gymnastics session.
✨ Classes 3 & 4 embraced the outdoors, putting their geography skills to the test by using compasses to develop their understanding of direction.
✨Whilst Class 6 managed spelling, marked their homework and practised handwriting – all within the low light!

We hope pupils shared what they learned at home and brought a few new eco-friendly ideas into family life.  Small changes really can make a big difference.