Suzie Longstaff praises pupils "social and environmental conscience"

Headmistress of Putney High School, Suzie Longstaff told the Press Association on the day of the Global Climate Strike (20th September) that parents and teachers cannot “pick and choose” what youngsters feel strongly about. The school told this website that "a small number of active campaigners across a few different year groups" did not attend school on Friday.



Guidance for members published by the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) suggests that schools which have concerns about pupils missing lessons to take part in the action could put forward alternatives, such as one-site strikes or protests, encouraging students to form campaign groups or directing students to action taking place outside school hours or in the holidays.

However, Putney's Head said: “Every day we are educating the young people of the future to speak out and make their own decisions. We are trying to provide a modern and relevant education which includes connecting to topics that they feel passionate about. We can’t pick and choose what those are. I’m proud that Putney students have both a social and environmental conscience and I applaud them. Those who feel strongly about protesting will be there.”


Breathe launch September 2018

Last September, Putney High School launched their 'Breathe' campaign with the help of MP Justine Greening and the has been gathering momentum. 'Breathe' aims to both educate students and have a direct, measurable impact on everything from pollution levels to a reduction in waste and recycling within the school.The school's Eco-committee is very active with the aim to get the whole school involved in their initiatives. This autumn, as part of the Breathe campaign, there will be a whole day off-timetable where Putney students and other local schools will be getting together with external experts to workshop ideas for a sustainable future. The students will be running their own Plastic Hack-a-thon, tree planting, and even taking part in a tasting of edible insects in an effort to explore alternatives to traditional livestock production.

September 23, 2019