Education Business 25.5

The government’s ten-year school rebuilding programme, announced this summer, is a step towards creating low-carbon classrooms for every child in the country.

But it will only be effective with a much bigger injection of investment and ambition.

Schools face a nervous wait for genuinely national action – but in the meantime, there is lots they can do themselves to protect the planet and lower their bills.

To launch the rebuilding programme, 50 projects, worth £1bn, have been promised in England, as well as £560m for school repairs and upgrades. Revealing these plans, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “This major new investment will make sure our schools and colleges are fit for the future, with better facilities and brand new buildings.”

Smart tech for retrofits The case for retrofitting goes beyond fixing cold and draughty classrooms. Energy is the second largest budget item for schools after But the scale of the challenge is huge. staffing, every pound spent sorting out leaky There are about 24,000 schools in England and energy-guzzling school buildings can – so 50 projects will address just 0.2 per be money invested into children’s learning. cent of the country’s crumbling school Retrofit solutions – such as improving estate. If this 10-year plan is to achieve insulation and ventilation, or investing in more nationwide change, the chancellor will need efficient boilers – can dramatically lower bills to go far further when he lays out his full and emissions. plans in the Autumn Spending Review.

The cost of inaction is enormous. In What’s more, the first of the 50 planned 2017, the National Audit Office projects will not begin until September estimated that the cost of 2021. With climate scientists There dealing with major defects warning of a pivotal decade are abo in UK schools would to transform our societies, double between 2015the clock is ticking.

24,000 ut 16 and 2020-21, as Sixty per cent of UK in Engla schools many buildings near school buildings were n d – so 50 projects the end of their built before the mid w ill addre useful lives. E seventies. So energy just s

Written by By Alex Green, programme manager (awards and schools), Ashden

The government’s ten-year school rebuilding programme is a step towards creating low-carbon classrooms, but more investment and ambition is needed, writes Alex Green, schools programme manager at Ashden. In the meantime, there is a lot schools can do themselves to protect the planet and lower their bills

Design & Build

The action needed for low carbon classrooms

retrofits – improving energy efficiency in existing school buildings, thereby saving carbon emissions and ultimately fuel bills – is essential, rather than concentrating solely on new school builds. Seventy-two per cent of England’s school buildings are still expected to be in use in 2050.

A host of solutions can improve efficiency in new builds and existing buildings. With an enormous task ahead, the government will need to embrace a range of strategies in order to overhaul the school estate.

And a local level, schools should realise that upgrades or new building projects are a unique opportunity to work together with their local community – from small businesses to voluntary groups. A joined-up approach will bring massive benefits within and beyond the school gates.

s 0.2 of the c per cent crumbl ountry’s ing sc estate hool

Botley Primary School are part of the Low carbon Hub project

Issue 25.5 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE

23