WHY you shouldn’t flush wet wipes down the toilet and just how important it is to look after our sewer systems were just two of the topics pupils at a Derby school learned about during a visit from Severn Trent.
Youngsters between the ages of nine and 11 who attend The Bemrose School welcomed Leanne Town, a member of the education team at Severn Trent, who spoke to pupils about the water system and reminded them that almost a third of schools around the world don’t have access to clean water.
After the assembly, Year 3 pupils took part in a workshop called ‘Sewer Soup’ about the importance of being a ‘Binner not a Blocker’ by playing a game called ‘Flush It or Bin It’.
Leanne said: “It’s so important that we teach our young people what you can and can’t flush down the toilet, and how we need to keep the pipes in our sewers clean.
“The workshops are fun and reiterate the fact that it’s not acceptable to put items such as wet wipes, olive oil and cotton buds down the toilet. Severn Trent engineers are called out to tens of thousands of reports of sewer blockages each year – many caused by items that shouldn’t be flushed down the toilet.
“We are fortunate that, in the UK, we have an amazing sanitation system but we need our customers to help us avoid blockages in the sewers by only flushing the 3Ps – pee, poo and paper!
“At the end of each session, we get the children to make a promise to only flush the 3Ps down the toilet and they all really enjoy listening to the fun song about this.”
The Bemrose School, together with the City of Derby Academy, were announced as partner schools of Severn Trent earlier this year.
The company is bringing a 10-year programme to support 100,000 people across the Midlands get into employment by embedding itself within communities to deliver accessible skills and training.
The partner schools will work closely with the water supply business, who will provide meaningful work experience placements aimed at inspiring school children to think about their future careers.
Careers lead Claire Amos said: “We are proud to be a partner school of Severn Trent and our blossoming relationship – and workshops such as the one we have recently hosted – will help to educate and inform our pupils, encouraging them to grow their aspirations, understand the world of work and, hopefully, provide an employment legacy for Severn Trent.
“Leanne’s workshop was brilliant; it was practical, engaging and allowed the students to explore our wonderful water and super sewers!”
