Water-wise schools score top marks from Severn Trent Five schools from across the Midlands reach the final of Severn Trent Water's 'Be Smart School of the Year’ 2007 water Conservation initiative. St Briavels Primary School in the Forest of Dean wins £1000.

The water-wise school from the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire has won the top prize in Severn Trent Water's award-winning 'Be Smart' educational scheme. From the fifty schools involved in the Be Smart scheme just five, short-listed schools, were chosen to impress the judges with the way that they audited their school's water consumption and actively put in measures to use water more wisely.

Part of the scheme is also devoted to promoting the health benefits of drinking more tap water to stay hydrated during the school day. The five finalists had the chance to win the £1000 top prize by presenting their ideas and results to a panel of Severn Trent judges. All runner-ups received a £300 prize. Becky Link, Severn Trent's education manager, explained: "The Be Smart initiative has been enthusiastically adopted by over 50 schools across the region during 2007. All the schools have worked really hard and we've been impressed by their efforts to understand water consumption and their dedication to using water more wisely. The schools that reached the final stages were the ones that we felt had gone the extra mile and St Briavels Primary's presentation secured its place to scoop the top prize.”

"The benefits of the scheme are two-fold: the activities the teachers and pupils participate in tie in perfectly to the curriculum and the new government Framework for Sustainable Schools. But also, it can have a very real, practical effect on water consumption within the school" added Becky. "All schools identified ways to save water by using it wisely and many of them found ways to make savings of up to 30% of the water they used in their school. Not only is this a fantastic achievement for the staff and pupils, it's actually saving the school money on their water bills too."

“In addition to a growing awareness of water's value from an environmental point of view, the children are taught the health benefits of keeping hydrated during the school day by drinking more tap water and choosing it over fizzy drinks.

Becky explained: "There is a whole stack of evidence to show how drinking water regularly throughout the day can help improve concentration and prevent problems such as headaches and constipation. We're thrilled that the schools have encouraged the children to stay hydrated and Severn Trent is supporting this by providing a supply of re-usable drinking water bottles to those schools that are involved in the scheme." The Be Smart scheme was awarded Business in the Community's 'Big Tick' award for 2006, as well as the Utilities Industry Award. Anyone seeking more information can e-mail besmart@severntrent.co.uk