Firth Primary School: citizenship and environmental education

Firth Primary School is a small rural school serving the community of Finstown and its surroundings. It is situated on the shore of the Bay of Firth, and makes good use of nearby moors, farmland, woods and a tidal lagoon in an imaginative programme of environmental and conservation education.

The school has been quick to see the citizenship dimension of environmental education, and is beginning to complement its existing work with curricular work on human rights and social justice. A teacher has an education for citizenship remit and in addition to interesting new curricular initiatives, introduced a Primary 7 'Friendship Squad' and a pupil council in 2001. On the curriculum front environmental studies, health and personal and social development have been integrated into a complete programme of study for the whole school, firmly embedding many aspects of education for citizenship in each child's educational experience.