Greenhithe pupils' bee petition reaches House of Commons

Pupils from Knockhall Primary School in Greenhithe, fresh from their studies as 'bug detectives', ended up writing to their local MP about the sharp decline of bee populations in the UK and worldwide.

And the acting head of the school, Chloe Riley, said they were "delighted" to hear back from MP Gareth Johnson, and then "absolutely astounded" when he wrote back again to tell them he would be presenting the case in the HOuse of Commons.

The group's teacher, Jodie Cousins, explained how a school research project led to the group writing to the local MP over the devastating impact of pesticides.

Creative Commons: Charles J. Sharp

"As part of our topic ‘Bug Detectives’, Year 2 at Knockhall Primary School researched and wrote fact files on a range of insects.

"Whilst researching, we discovered some alarming facts and statistics about global bee decline; In Britain alone, there has been a 52% decline in bee species richness sine 1980 (WWF).

Ms Cousins said the class dug even deeper, looking at why bees are so essential, even for human survival, with almost 90% of wild plants and 75% of leading global crops depend on animal pollination.

"We learnt that pesticides are a major contributor to bee decline, and with such scary statistics, wanted to take action."

Year 2 then penned a letter to Gareth Johnson MP, urging him to consider speaking about the issue in the House of Commons.

Dartford MP Gareth Johnson

Little did they expect the Dartford MP to write back individual letters to the children, and a petition was launched.

And then at the end of March, the petition to ban the use of harmful pesticides was presented in the House of Commons.

Paying tribute to the great work of the primary school students, Mr Johnson's speech asked the Government to consider banning harmful pesticides

“Madame Deputy Speaker the petitioners declare that consideration should be given to banning harmful pesticides because of the dangers that they create for bees and other pollinators which are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production."

The petition has officially been sent to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and the children are now eagerly awaiting a response, which can be expected in about two months’ time.

Mr Johnson, along with Greenhithe and Knockhall Councillor David Mote, visited Knockhall Primary School last week to meet the children in person.

The children asked them lots of questions about their roles in Parliament and the Local Council.

Councillor Mote even brought along some bee bombs, which are clusters of wildflower seeds the children will plant in the school’s allotment to help encourage local bees to thrive.

Chloe Riley, Acting Head of School, Knockhall Primary School, said: “We strive to ensure the children see the purpose for writing and what better way to do so than to write to real people and get responses back.

"The children have really enjoyed this project and we very much enjoying having him visit Knockhall Primary School along with Councillor Mote. We are very grateful for their support and enthusiasm for the children’s learning.”

Nav Sanghara, Chief Executive and Trust Leader of the Woodland Academy Trust which runs the school, said: “At Woodland Academy Trust, we are a values-based organisation focused on building connections between pupils, staff, families and the wider community.

"This petition from our lovely pupils at Knockhall Primary School shows how deeply they care for their environment and the impact it has on wildlife, their community, their families and each other.

"Having their petition reach the House of Commons is something very special that they will no doubt remember when they are adults.”