This #EarthDay, we reflect on how we learn, live and grow together at HCH 🌍
As the first independent school in the UK to hold Harmony Accreditation, our approach to learning is rooted in the understanding that nature is interconnected, balanced and essential to how we see the world.
🌱 Our community garden brings learning to life, encouraging biodiversity and a meaningful connection with the natural environment
🌍 Student-led initiatives, from our Eco-Committee to everyday actions, empower pupils to lead meaningful change
♻️ Proud holders of the Eco-Schools Green Flag with Distinction, recognising our whole-school commitment to sustainability.
To mark the occasion, students from Years 5–9 took part in a hands-on Bug Hotel Workshop, combining sustainability, science, and real-world problem solving.
Rather than simply making decorative insect homes, students explored an important question: why do many shop-bought bug hotels not work? One student shared that the two bug houses she had at home remained empty, prompting a deeper investigation.
Through discussion and prior learning, students identified that materials like bamboo, commonly used in commercial bug hotels, stay hard, smooth, and waxy, meaning they don’t decompose or create suitable habitats. They understood that decomposition of natural materials is essential, as leaves, bark, and twigs break down, they generate warmth and create soft, textured environments where insects can shelter through winter and hatch their eggs in spring.
Students applied this knowledge to design and build their own bug hotels using carefully selected organic materials, recognising how all elements in nature work together to create the right conditions for life. The workshop also encouraged them to question sustainable design, understand the needs of pollinators, and take meaningful action to support local ecosystems.
This Earth Day activity empowered students to become thoughtful, informed designers, showing that even small, well-designed interventions can make a real difference to biodiversity.
Together, we are shaping a community where education inspires responsibility and every action supports a more sustainable future.
