COP26: Arundel school makes Pupils’ Pledge to Our Planet, written by eight-year-old boy

An eight-year-old Arundel boy has inspired his whole school to make a pledge to the planet in a bid to make a big difference through small changes.
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James Gray feels strongly about the environment and he created his Pupils’ Pledge to Our Planet, listing practical ways people can protect the Earth’s natural resources, to inspire other children and grown-ups to do their bit to help.

Arundel Church of England Primary School’s eco council were filmed making the hand-on-heart pledge live today and headteacher Andrew Simpson is hoping this will encourage other schools and parents to join them.

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James and his mum Claire Gray felt it was appropriate the children were making a promise to take better care of our planet at the same time as global leaders were meeting in Glasgow for COP26.

Arundel Church of England Primary School’s eco council making the hand-on-heart Pupils’ Pledge to Our PlanetArundel Church of England Primary School’s eco council making the hand-on-heart Pupils’ Pledge to Our Planet
Arundel Church of England Primary School’s eco council making the hand-on-heart Pupils’ Pledge to Our Planet

Claire said: “We came up with a pledge and tried to make it simple. It just seemed to hit the nail on the head. The school was quite impressed with James and Mr Simpson was keen to keep the ball rolling.

“This might encourage other schools to do the same. It is all about little steps, one step at a time.”

James decided to make the pledge after joining 1st Arundel Cub Pack and making his Cub Scout Promise to do his best, completing a homework task about caring for our planet and watching Prince William’s series The Earthshot Prize: Repairing Our Planet on BBC One

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Claire said James was very aware of the issues facing the environment and as a family, they were doing all they could.

James Gray, who wrote the pledge to inspire people to make small changesJames Gray, who wrote the pledge to inspire people to make small changes
James Gray, who wrote the pledge to inspire people to make small changes

She added: “He is very conscientious. He does litter picking regularly and is a member of the eco council at school.”

James asked himself what else he could do to make a difference and came up with the pledge, a school-wide, hand-on heart promise to make small daily changes such as turning off taps, eating less meat and avoiding single-use plastic.

For more information on the Pupils’ Pledge to Our Planet, find @pupils_pledge_to_our_planet on Instagram. Share your pledge videos with the hashtag #pupilsplanetpledge.