Queen's School supports Fairtrade Fortnight

The highlight of events will be a Fairtrade assembly attended by Gerardo Arias Camacho from the Llanco Bonito coffee farmers' cooperative in San Jose, Costa Rica. The primary school was one of the first in the UK to achieve Fairtrade status as part of the Fairtrade Schools initiative. Pupils will use the assembly to demonstrate what they have done to achieve and maintain Fairtrade status for the school, from studying trade issues in class, running a Fairtrade cake stall in the local community, and writing a song about Fairtrade, which they will perform at the assembly. The Fairtrade Schools scheme, set up last year, is a national initiative established by the Fairtrade Foundation to engage young people in development issues and help tackle global poverty through trade. Lynette Aiken, fair-trade schools coordinator for The Fairtrade Foundation, commented: "We've had a fantastic response to the initiative, with more than 30 Fairtrade primary and secondary schools already established across the UK and 1,000 schools registered as working towards Fairtrade status." To achieve status, schools have to meet five criteria, including setting up a Fairtrade School Steering Group, made up of both teachers and pupils, and commiting to use Fairtrade products within the school. They also have to write and adopt a school Fairtrade policy, incorporate Fairtrade into lessons and promote Fairtrade both within the school and to their wider community. Mrs Jane Goodlace, head teacher of Queen's School, said: "The Fairtrade Schools initiative is a great way for schools to contribute to making the world a fairer place, while developing new skills, and engaging with the local community. We've found Fairtrade provides a very tangible way to involve pupils in the wider issues of poverty and development." Weblink: www.fairtrade.org.uk/schools