Pupils from St Chad's CofE School in Normanton, part of the Derby Diocesan Academy Trust, are spearheading a community campaign against persistent fly-tipping outside their school gates. The children have organized peaceful protests, collected petition signatures, and met with local Members of Parliament to protect their environment.
Pupil-Led Initiative
The Stop the Drop campaign is entirely pupil-driven, with children naming four trees outside the school—Derek, Sylvia, Violet, and Jackson—to highlight their importance. However, these trees have become regular targets for fly-tipping, with household waste repeatedly dumped against them, damaging the area and creating an eyesore.
The school recently held its third peaceful march, where families and pupils carried placards and marched through the streets. Passing motorists honked their horns and joined in the chants, showing support for the cause.
Clean-Up Efforts
Children spend their lunch breaks cleaning the site, decorating the trees, and planting flowers around them to send a clear message that fly-tipping will not be tolerated. Year two student Seerat expressed frustration: "We have been learning about the environment at school and how important it is to care for it, but then we walk to school every day and see people throwing rubbish and large household items like mattresses and fridges near the trees and damaging them. We have named the trees, decorated them, and planted flowers around them to try and stop people fly-tipping and show how much they mean to us, but people still aren’t listening and it makes me feel furious."
Items dumped include mattresses, exercise bikes, toys, pushchairs, and fridges containing meat carcasses, all left in the paved area near the school where many pupils pass daily.
Political Support
Baggy Shanker and Councillor Cecile Wright recently visited the school to watch a presentation from the eco-council. Baggy was so impressed that he invited the pupils to present their campaign at the Houses of Parliament in July.
Future Plans
Further marches are planned, along with an outdoor concert where pupils will sing environmental songs to the trees, demonstrating their commitment to protecting the area and continuing their campaign for change.
Local resident Rob Taylor said: "We have been complaining to the council for years about the issue right outside our doorsteps, but the situation continues. The pupils’ passion and determination is already helping to bring more attention to the issue and hopefully we can now start to see some results that show them all their hard work has been worthwhile."
Despite regular clean-ups, the area can go from clean when pupils leave in the afternoon to being covered in waste by the next morning. Pupils conduct regular audits to demonstrate the scale of the problem.
Headteacher Kathryn Leach said: "I am so proud of the pupils who have taken on this initiative entirely themselves. They have given up their own free time and shown incredible passion and determination to tackle the issue. The area, which is a busy thoroughfare for the school, is becoming increasingly concerning and dangerous due to the amount of rubbish being left there. We just hope the pupils’ hard work is rewarded with real results."
Derby Diocesan Academy Trust CEO Sarah Clark added: "I am incredibly proud of the pupils at St Chad’s CofE School for the leadership, maturity and determination they have shown in tackling such an important issue in their local community. Their campaign is a powerful example of young people taking action, raising awareness and working together to make a real difference. We fully support their efforts and hope their voices continue to be heard as they push for lasting change."
