SCHOOLS from across Darlington are considering flying a green flag for the environment.

Representatives of schools including Abbey Junior School, Heathfield School and Dodmire School have met to hear about ecological projects at two other schools with a view to following their example.

Abbey Infant and Harrowgate Hill Junior schools have both been awarded the green flag for their achievements in becoming more ecologically sound.

Staff and pupils reported back to a meeting of the Durham and Darlington Eco-Schools Network, recently.

Elaine McCue, headteacher at Abbey Infant School, said the school was so proud of its green flag it was hoping to get planning permission for a flagpole.

Teacher Judith Anderson said the children, aged four to seven, had their own committee to discuss eco projects.

Parents and governors were also involved in an adults committee. Topics covered include composting, energy saving, recycling and wildlife and the children are encouraged to take simple energy-saving measures such as turning off lights and taps.

Pupil Ben Thomson said: "We have made a quiet area in our playground. We had a planting day when lots of parents came into school to plant shrubs."

Graham Temby, a teacher at Harrowgate Hill Junior School, outlined the many things children there had done, including designing traffic-calming measures in Thompson Street, installing boxes for birds and bats, and running a wind turbine and photo-voltaic cell.

The school was a runner-up in this year's environmental community competition Making a Difference, run by The Northern Echo, which recognises people improving the areas in which they live and work.

Phil Scrafton, of Darlington Borough Council, said that if the schools decide to go ahead with eco-school status, their progress would be monitored by inspectors and through Internet questionnaires.