A Norfolk high school has been nominated for a national award in recognition of its work to become more environmentally friendly.

Northgate High School in Dereham is one of five UK schools in the running for Education Business Magazine’s Environmental Practice award.

School council coordinator Katie Theobald said that the nomination had come “completely out of the blue” and that the school had been pro-actively selected by the magazine’s researchers.

“We’ve got so many students who are passionate about tackling the climate crisis,” said Ms Theobald, who added that the school had a strong environmentalist track record. In February, it was awarded ‘eco-champion’ status by the organisation StreetSpace, and in March it won the Norwich and Norfolk Eco Secondary School award.

In the last two years, the school has recycled 140kg of pens and 170kg of crisp packets, as well as bringing in recyclable cutlery and not selling disposable bottles on Fridays.

The award winners will be announced on Thursday afternoon in a livestreamed ceremony.