Schools Urged not to Miss out on Wifi Funding

Schools across the North East are being urged to finalise approved projects under Government tech funding before the current scheme closes.

 

A total of £150 million is available through the Department for Education’s (DfE) ‘Connect the Classroom’ scheme. This funding aims to help schools pay for upgrading old networks and investing in new superfast Wi-Fi 6 environments. The move seeks to boost access to improved eLearning and digital resources for thousands of students and teachers.

 

However, the current round of approved projects under Wave 3 will see their funding packages close at the end of February. As a result, dozens of schools could potentially risk being unable to pay suppliers for any work completed after this date even if the work has been previously agreed, warns Gateshead technology specialist Advantex.

 

The ‘Connect the Classroom’ programme covers 55 Education Investment Areas across the country – regional ‘cold spots’ identified by the Government as part of their levelling up agenda. Rolled out in waves with specific schedules, the project is delivering millions of pounds of funding to upgrade school networks and provide enhanced access to eLearning resources, rapid connectivity and greater online reliability.

 

In the light of the closure of waves 1 – 3 of the ‘Connect the Classroom’ programme, schools may well need to seek alternative funding arrangements if they are to meet their technology requirements, says Advantex.

 

The news comes in the wake of a recent warning by the chancellor, who wants to see schools redouble their efforts to find savings, with some areas of spending seeing cuts. Analysts have also suggested inflation and soaring energy bills mean schools face a £2 billion funding shortfall by 2024.

 

Advantex, which is delivering ‘Connect the Classroom’ to schools across the region, advises education leaders facing strong financial pressures and cutbacks to act now to ensure they don’t miss out on the current funding boost.

 

Stephen O’Connell, sales and marketing director, said: “Investment in powerful new connectivity services will deliver not only greater resources but also some of the best possible learning environments for teachers, pupils and support staff.

 

“We understand the DfE’s technology for education requirements and continue to be at the forefront of delivering the quality network and connectivity solutions schools across the region need to better serve their staff and pupils well into the future.”

 

Advantex is experienced in developing DfE compliant designs and systems and undertaking detailed audits of schools to assess requirements. Infrastructure is then designed by a Meraki Cisco certified engineer to ensure the school benefits from an accredited installation, personalised project management and after-care package.  More at www.advantex.uk.com

 

 

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POSTCODE LOTTERY FOR RAAC DANGER

Schools face a postcode lottery over a little-known building material “liable to collapse”, with some areas facing greater risks and costs as a result of ageing panels and council inaction.

A Schools Week investigation shows at least 41 schools across 15 local authorities have reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC). Another 150 are either suspected to have RAAC or need extensive investigation.

Some areas have as many as 10 confirmed or 25 potentially affected schools, with repair bills running into millions.

The government first sounded the alarm in 2018 after the roof of a Kent primary collapsed with little warning, but experts say the risks have been clear since the 1980s. Weaker than traditional concrete, RAAC has an estimated 30-year “useful life”.

Schools Week freedom of information requests indicate the potential scale of the issue, with 93 of 114 councils who responded at least starting to research potential local exposure.

Two-thirds were concerned enough to order extensive follow-up investigations, such as building surveys.

But fewer than half of the authorities have completed such surveys – and fewer still have completed remedial work.

Figures likely to underestimate the problem

It suggests confirmed cases will keep rising. Available figures are also almost certainly an under-estimate, as not all authorities responded and council data excludes most diocesan schools and academies.

This week the government issued a renewed call for checks for RAAC on every school block built between the 1950s and 1990s. It updated guidance last month after government property officials dubbed the material “liable to collapse”.

Schools dating to the 1950s and 1960s will likely have a “disproportionately high number of toxic or poor-quality materials”, according to school building consultant Tim Warneford.

Essex county council, which includes several postwar new towns, has found 10 affected schools.

Greenwich, North Yorkshire and Gloucestershire are carrying out detailed work on more than 20 schools each.

By contrast 10 authorities said they had ruled out RAAC so had not investigated, with Portsmouth noting its schools were at least 100 years old.

Some council enquiries also appear more proactive than others.

Essex began investigating in 2006 and has completed six works, although another is ongoing and three pending. Devon investigated in 2018, ruling out suspected RAAC at a college.

But only 32 of 65 councils conducting more extensive probes have finished them so far, with many reporting work was in its early stages or ongoing.

RAAC, showing signs of degradation

Councils won’t confirm if they’ve done research

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole simply highlighted its five-yearly condition checks on schools in its FOI response. But a spokesperson later said it would now investigate and commission surveys following the DfE’s December guidance.

Asked if they had carried out any research, 10 other authorities failed to confirm they had done so, without either ruling out RAAC or explaining why.

Meanwhile the Department for Education has highlighted limited responses to its own poll on RAAC, despite sending it 10 months ago.

“Why has it taken so long for this to rise up the risk register?” Warneford asked. He said the DfE should have included RAAC in its own condition data collection from 2017 to 2019.

The 48 councils providing figures spent £1.4 million – plus further in-house costs – on surveys.

Richmond and Wandsworth in London spent the most, with £195,500 for consultants. Lancashire said research was a “significant undertaking” which could “extend into future years”. North Yorkshire spent £32,000 inspecting 107 blocks, and planned another £38,500 to look further at 26 schools in which RAAC could not be discounted.

Town halls spend millions on remediation

Remediation is costly too, and council approaches similarly vary.

Works are expected to total £9.9 million across nine authorities that gave costs. Kent is spending £6.6 million removing RAAC from two primaries.

Essex expects 10 projects to total £1.5 million. Two roof repairs will cost Waltham Forest and Sheffield at least £500,000 each, while Bolton spent the same demolishing part of a primary.

By contrast Blackpool spent £5,620, and was one of several highlighting annual monitoring or minor repairs, rather than immediate major work.

Some councils said repairs were unnecessary.

Guidance from the DfE notes some sites pose greater risks. Categories range from “critical” requiring urgent remediation, to rare “low risk” cases requiring two- to five-yearly monitoring.

A Local Government Association spokesperson said “relatively few” schools would contain RAAC, but checks and expert advice were “essential”.

A DfE spokesperson said councils, trusts and governors were responsible for keeping buildings safe, but it was “working proactively to help” identify and manage RAAC.

She also highlighted £1.8 billion condition funding this year. Government will “consider” extra help for significant issues on a case-by-case basis.

 

Source: Schools Week

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The UK’s first purpose built biophilic primary school

Tilbury Douglas has been appointed to lead the construction of St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy, which will be the UK’s first purpose built biophilic primary school, as part of a pilot scheme for the Department for Education (DfE).

The new school, which is part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, will replace the original school which was destroyed by fire in October 2020.

Biophilia is an approach that focuses on connecting those inside a building with nature and increasing biodiversity through design. The new building will be net zero carbon in operation. The new school, which will comprise five single storey buildings, connected by covered walkways will be predominantly low carbon timber, employing Structurally Insulated panels and modern methods of construction.

With mechanical and electrical engineering being delivered by Tilbury Douglas Engineering, the new school will have a natural ventilation strategy and air source heat pumps alongside renewable energy, such as photo voltaic (PV) solar panels. Besides PV, some of the roofs will be green wildflower seeded to maximise biodiversity and local ecology.

Simon Butler, Managing Director Building Central at Tilbury Douglas, said: “We are proud to be the main contractor responsible for delivering this innovative pilot scheme for the DfE, as it will enhance pupil experience and influence the next generation of school design.

“We are working collaboratively to ensure the best possible learning environments are afforded for the pupils and teachers, with excellent standards of daylight, air quality, comfort and wellbeing. This is supported by the biophilic approach, focusing on landscaping and connecting building users with outside.”

Tillbury Douglas Website

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RISING FROM THE ASHES, DERBY’S GREEN SCHOOL

In the next 12 months, a Derby school will be rebuilt to become the country’s most environmentally friendly building, as part of a Government pilot project to construct green schools. St Mary’s Catholic Primary, in Broadway, was destroyed in an arson attack in October 2020 and since then pupils have had lessons in temporary accommodation.

To celebrate the start of work on the multi-million pound – the cost has not been revealed by the Government so far – a series of artist’s impressions have been released, together with a video.

The project is based on biophilia which means it focuses on connecting those inside the building with nature, with the goal of promoting physical and mental health. The aim is for the new building to be net zero carbon in operation – which means that the amount of carbon emissions added is no more than the amount taken away.

St Mary’s, which is part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, will be a series of single-storey pavilions connected by a central canopy. Each age group – early years, infants and juniors – has a practical shared learning resource space which can be used to support pupils’ academic, social and emotional development. In addition, there is an entrance building featuring a hall, chapel and communal areas, which are connected to outdoor spaces.

The new multi-million-pound school would be largely timber built and insulated to a high level. It will also be naturally ventilated with photo-voltaic solar panels and heating will be via air-source heat pumps. Roofs will be green wildflower seeded to maximise biodiversity and local ecology. The building will have full-height windows to provide views of the landscape for pupils and staff.

 

Source: Derby Telegraph

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Madrid – Educational Building Going up!

Andrés Jaque Takes an Unconventional Approach to Design and Construction at Madrid’s Colegio Reggio Explora

Spain

By Andrew Ayers

“When you dream with other people, you go so much further!” laughs Eva Martín, principal of the Colegio Reggio Explora in Madrid. “It’s far better than what you could have imagined alone,” she says of the four-year “journey” she and the teachers and parents undertook to build their school with New York/Madrid-based Office for Political Innovation (OFFPOLINN)—the architecture firm founded by Andrés Jaque, the new dean of Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Iberian pioneers of the Reggio Emilia alternative-education approach, Martín and company opened Spain’s first Reggio school in 2009, in rented accommodations, but eventually needed a purpose-built home to comply with government regulations. There was more to it than mere bureaucracy, though, since the Reggio method sees the environment as the “third teacher,” alongside adults—parents and professional educators—and other children (the impact of the social group in learning). The building in which schooling takes place is therefore of prime importance.

Since the colegio is funded privately by a group of Reggio devotees, money was tight. Eleven miles north of central Madrid, where land is cheaper, the modest rectangular site, adrift in a middle-class suburban jumble, is linked to the street by a long, narrow driveway. “School buildings are often low-lying, spread-out affairs,” says Jaque, “but that wouldn’t have been efficient or cost-effective” in the context of the $9.1 million construction budget. Instead the colegio takes the form of a compact five-story block, with playgrounds in simple rammed earth out front and back. “One thing we liked about the location is its proximity to a network of parks running up the Castellana, Madrid’s main north–south axis,” says Jaque. This is partly what prompted OFFPOLINN to locate the school’s main entrance and “public” spaces—the library and the double-height sports/assembly hall—on level two, in what they describe as a piano nobile. Inspired by Veneto villas, this elevated floor looks out over the trees, connecting the viewer to the wider ecosystem. As in a castle, the main entrance is gained via a footbridge (the land slopes down from the street), and, in keeping with the idea of nobility, this part of the building, in concrete, is perched high on pilotis, and engineered as thinly as possible, thanks to an impressive series of structural arches that, Jaque says, reduced the need for steel reinforcement.

 

The building features a series of structural arches and triangular cutouts in the envelope. Photos © José Hevia,

 

Again in the interests of economy, the envelope is in lightweight perforated brick, while the upper levels are constructed from a steel frame with thin concrete floor slabs, some parts taking the form of what the architects term casitas—“little houses”—intended to bring a village feel to these areas of the school. Generous glazing panels allow abundant light into the building, while natural ventilation is provided via countless polycarbonate bubble portholes that contribute to the colegio’s distinctly eccentric appearance. “We wanted the children to adopt it like a pet,” says Jaque, “a sort of Hello Kitty look.” For 9-year-old Nuria, quoted on the Colegio Reggio’s Facebook page, her school “looks like a robot made of butter,” a reference to the yellow cork insulation sprayed in several layers onto the external envelope over the brick. Developed by OFFPOLINN, this sustainable technique encourages biodiversity, since it is intended to weather like the tree bark it once was, gathering moss, lichen, and other forms of non-human life. Likewise, tiny recessed gardens set into the school’s facades are intended to attract birds, butterflies, and bats, increasing the building’s “third teacher” potential.
“Children come here as babies and leave when they’re 17 or 18. We felt they should go on a journey as they progress through the school,” says Jaque of the decision to organize the building in strata according to age. The youngest pupils are on the ground floor, their classrooms opening on to the front playground and also the dining room (since toddlers’ parents often spend time with them at the school, they can use the dining room as a workplace). On level two, the library opens on a terrace from which the rear playground can be reached via a concrete stair—“We wanted to allow outdoor reading, but also to be inclusive, with a recreation space for bookish children who aren’t so into games,” explains Jaque—while the sports/assembly hall enjoys a generous open-air loggia. Middle-school children occupy part of level two and all of level three, while the oldest are up top, their two floors organized around a double-height tree-filled atrium, realized using “agricultural infrastructure that we optimized in a Lacaton & Vassal kind of way,” says Jaque. Looking out toward the towers of Madrid’s business district on level five, three interconnecting laboratories—chemistry, physics, and biology—symbolically place senior students in the wider context of science, economics, society, and the world at large.

Inside, structure, wiring, and mechanical heating and ventilation systems (there is no air-conditioning) are entirely exposed. “One reason we left everything naked was the limited budget,” explains Jaque. “But we also wanted an unfinished building that would be perceived as living and would evolve. Then there were the science teachers, who felt the innards that are usually hidden would make for a good teaching aid.” If the school looks like an anthropomorphic factory, it’s no accident, for besides studying monasteries, Palladian villas, and James Stirling’s Oxbridge colleges, OFFPOLINN also had Japanese Metabolism and Alejandro de la Sota’s airy, luminous Clesa dairy plant in mind. Inside, with all the ducting revealed, this biological-industrial image is yet further reinforced. While these days we’re used to exposed technics à la Centre Pompidou, architects usually seek to aestheticize them; here, however, where ceilings groan with ducts, piping snakes everywhere, and lumpy fireproofed columns block the way, the result is sometimes ugly, and even oppressive in certain circulation areas. Though it’s clearly deliberate—an informal aesthetic of raw truth whose unintimidating mess can stand whatever is thrown at it—one wonders what design lessons children will take away. Anything goes? A reactionary retreat into hyper-minimalism?

 

Source: Architectural Record

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RISK OF SCHOOL BUILDING COLLAPSE

Government officials have escalated the risk level of school buildings collapsing to “very likely”, after a rise in reported “serious structural issues” and failing to get extra capital cash from the Treasury.

School blocks collapsing is one of the six “key risks” currently facing the Department for Education, according to its annual report published today.

It states: “There is a risk of collapse of one or more blocks in some schools which are at or approaching the end of their designed life-expectancy and structural integrity is impaired.

“The risk predominantly exists in those buildings built in the years 1945 to 1970 which used ‘system build’ light frame techniques.”

The risk level has been raised from “critical – likely” to “critical – very likely”.

Dealing with school building safety has now even been “escalated” to a board of permanent secretaries from across government departments.

“The likelihood of the school buildings safety risk increased in October 2021 due to the increased numbers of serious structural issues identified,” the accounts read.

The impact and likelihood of problems are “unlikely to reduce in 2022, as there was no agreement to increase condition funding or the scale of the rebuilding programme” at the 2021 spending review.

The DfE says it is prioritising schools “where this clear evidence this risk is present” in the recently opened round of its school rebuilding programme.

Guidance explains that “post-war system builds” involved new construction techniques developed “due to budget constraints and material shortages” after the Second World War.

These helped to rapidly expand the school estate as pupil numbers soared, and their condition “varies greatly”, affected by age, construction type and maintenance history, it adds.

Previous DfE analysis found some 14,000 school blocks date to the 50s and 60s alone, and would cost an estimated £4.4 billion to repair or replace all defective elements.

It equates to more than one in five of the 64,942 blocks across 22,031 schools surveyed – though the analysis did not include the number of those which are “system builds”. Another 793 blocks were built in the 1940s.

DfE: Nowhere with an ‘imminent risk to life’

Firefighters were called to a school in London earlier this year after the top half of a brick tower next to a sports hall collapsed onto the roof. There were no reported injuries.

But the latest report states that at time of publication, “there are no open schools or college buildings where we know of an imminent risk to life”.

The DfE’s annual report adds that “effective life expectancy of buildings can be extended by careful monitoring and maintenance”. The DfE said it provided funding to trusts, councils and voluntary-aided school bodies, where responsibility “principally” lies.

But the report also reveals a £469 million underspend on capital budgets in 2021-22, “primarily due to slippage of school building programmes driven by challenging issues in the construction market”.

Meanwhile spending on school condition allocations, awarded to improve the school estate, fell from £1.83 billion in 2020-21 to £1.74 billion in 2021-22.

Priority schools building programme spending also dropped, but the DfE said this “reflects the gradual completion” of projects.

Schools Week reported last week more than half of the schools nominated for rebuilds because buildings risk “imminent closure” missed out in the recent school rebuilding programme round.

More exam misery and gaps in help for vulnerable – DfE reveals its fears

Meanwhile other “key” risks identified by the department more widely in the report include the cost of supporting pupils with high needs, despite extra funding.

The growing shortfall is “making the future SEND and alternative provision (AP) system unsustainable and threatening the overall financial stability” of local authorities.

Another key departmental concern is a “loss in public confidence in the fairness of exams”. The risk level was raised from “critical to crisis” last October.

It says lost confidence could flow from unspecified “disruption to education”, “widening gaps in attendance for examination cohorts”, “reducet student and workforce attendance” or decisions to cancel or implement additional measures in one or more of the devolved authorities.

This could result in “calls for government to cancel exams, broaden the scope of existing adaptations, or implement a differential approach to grading”.

Cyber-security and growing attainment gaps are further worries, including deprived, vulnerable or particular areas’ children not recovering from the impact of Covid.

Another concern is for vulnerable children’s attendance and attainment, including attendance which “cannot be explained by directly permissible Covid-19 related absences”.

There is a risk the education recovery package is “insufficiently targeted to meet the needs of vulnerable children and young people”, particularly those in special/alternative provision settings.

 

Source: Schools Week

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MAKING SCHOOL BUILDINGS MODERN AND FIT FOR PURPOSE

All pupils should be able to learn in buildings that are fit for purpose.

The School Rebuilding Programme is transforming hundreds of schools across the country and ensuring they are suitable for the future.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is the School Rebuilding Programme?

The School Rebuilding Programme carries out major rebuilding and refurbishment projects at school and sixth form college buildings across England.

Projects are prioritised according to the condition of buildings.

How many schools are being rebuilt?

Over the course of the decade 500 schools will benefit from the programme.

In December 2022 we announced that 239 new school buildings schools and sixth forms will benefit from renovation projects.

The new projects build on the 161 that had previously been announced, with construction works now nearing completion on the most advanced sites.

It means in total 400 out of the 500 schools and sixth forms have now been selected for rebuilds through the ten-year School Rebuilding Programme.

What will be different about the new schools?

All projects in the School Rebuilding Programme are built to the latest construction standards, resilient to climate risks, net-zero in operation, and include modern facilities to support a world-class education from classrooms and science labs to sports halls and dining rooms.

How do you decide which schools get to benefit from the School Rebuilding Programme?

We prioritise schools based on how immediate their need for improvement is.

We ran a public consultation on how we should decide which schools are in the greatest need and have developed the application process from that. The consultation findings can be found here: Prioritising schools for the School Rebuilding Programme – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

What else are doing to help improve school buildings?

In addition to the School Rebuilding Programme, we are continuing to invest in the school estate with annual capital funding.

Over £13 billion has been allocated since 2015 to maintain and improve school facilities across England, including £1.8 billion in financial year 2022-23.

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New zero-carbon secondary school plans approved

A new secondary school for children living in West Sussex has been given the green light with planning permission.

West Sussex County Council and co-applicant Homes England’s plans to create a zero-carbon school were approval by Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee on 15 December 2022. Committee members praised the ‘excellent’ and ‘unique’ designs before voting unanimously in favour.

The ambitious design will allow the school to generate its own renewable energy on site without using any fossil fuels. It aims to be the first school in West Sussex to achieve Passivhaus certification, the highest standard of energy efficiency a building can reach, and offer excellent educational facilities to 900 local children.

The school will be created at Homes England’s new Brookleigh development near Burgess Hill to provide a high-quality education to families of the 3,500 homes and the surrounding area.

Nigel Jupp, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Learning and Skills, said: “Planning approval marks a major milestone in our ambition to create an environmentally-friendly and high-quality new secondary school in Mid Sussex.

“It is uniquely designed to achieve Passivhaus certification and lead the way in energy efficiency. In addition, Brookleigh families will be able to walk or cycle to their new place of education, again demonstrating the County Council’s commitment to significantly reducing carbon emissions as part of our Climate Change Strategy.

“By creating this modern and high standard school, we are investing in our children’s future and in the long-term future of our county.”

 

Graham Hyslop, Homes England’s Project Director, said: “Homes England is committed to providing new schools as part of a truly sustainable community at Brookleigh. This planning approval is great news, and we’ll continue to work closely with West Sussex County Council and the University of Brighton Academies Trust as the ambitious design is built.

“In order to further support low-carbon lifestyles and traffic-free commutes to school, we’ll be providing a network of walking and cycling routes at Brookleigh. These routes will link new homes, schools, parks and shops and make active travel an easy choice for families.”

West Sussex County Council has approved capital funding of £57.060m to build the secondary school, making it the largest capital project the council has delivered. This includes a £18.159m contribution from Homes England as part of the overall development.

The new secondary school is being delivered through the County Council’s multi-disciplinary consultancy partnership with Faithful+Gould, Atkins and Cundalls leading on the design.

The school will include a Special Support Centre enabling children with special educational needs and disabilities to be supported to learn in a mainstream school.

Net-zero in operation, the building has energy efficiency at the heart of every area of its design. Its position will provide maximum sunlight to nearly 1,000 solar photovoltaic panels generating an estimated 296,000 kWh of energy a year. The LED lighting will be controlled automatically by daylight and movement detection. The main building will have fresh air ventilation, keeping the school a comfortable temperature, even in extreme heat.

Richard Christmas, lead designer at Atkins, said: “This is a really positive step forward for the proposed school which has been designed to promote well-being and educational attainment for all learners who use the building and create a project with a low environmental impact.”

The University of Brighton Academies Trust will run the new school as part of an ‘all-through’ primary and secondary school named The Bedelands Academy. The primary element is being developed and funded separately by Homes England on a nearby site.

Dr John Smith, University of Brighton Academies Trust Chief Executive, said: “The Trust is delighted to be part of this exciting development that places children’s education, well-being, and sustainability at its heart.

“Planning approval is excellent news. It marks a positive step forward and brings us closer to welcoming a new state-of-the-art, zero-carbon school into our family of academies that enrich the lives of many local children.

“We look forward to continuing to work closely with partners involved in delivering this ambitious project.”

 

Councillor Robert Salisbury, Mid Sussex District Council Cabinet Member for Planning said: “Securing planning permission for this new secondary school is tremendous news for Burgess Hill residents and is a step towards the delivery of another important piece of infrastructure to support the sustainable growth of the town.

“Throughout the Brookleigh development essential infrastructure improvements are being delivered at an early stage, with work to expand the road network, improve sustainable transport infrastructure and deliver this new school underway both before and alongside the construction of new homes.

“The plans for this new school look fantastic and it will provide high quality educational facilities for children living in the local area.”

Everyone involved is working towards the new secondary school being completed and open to its first students in September 2025. It will open as a four-form of entry school, first welcoming around 120 year 7 students and grow each year with a new year 7 intake, eventually accommodating 900 pupils.

Mid Sussex District Council’s planning committee approved reserved matters planning permission for the designs on 15 December, having previously approved outline planning permission.

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Santa’s Green Footprint

Santa’s carbon footprint has been calculated for the first time by TRACK from event:decision, the sustainability measurement tool for global events. Delivery by sleigh, recycling of toys to younger siblings, and clever carbon offsetting by elves means his footprint comes out at just over 10g of carbon per 2bn global child, equivalent to one scoop of ice cream – considerably less than a gift from Amazon.com.

Santa’s annual outing is no different to any other event, but with children and their parents everywhere thinking about sustainability and their carbon footprint, how does Santa’s delivery schedule measure up? The team at event:decision took a look;

Travel – Santa travels some 160m kilometres* to deliver joy to some 2bn children each year.  event:decision assumed Santa’s travel can be equated with a seat on a 747 plane for a similar distance, but not using sustainable aviation fuel. So that’s 18,400 tCO2e**.

Heating – Santa’s cabin is reputed to be only 232sqm.***. Heating that in such a cold place isn’t cheap. The event:decision team understands Santa uses renewable sources for his energy, but we can still add in approximately 10 tCo2e.

Manufacturing – toys that Santa delivers are made by the elves from recyclable materials wherever possible with no batteries included (we know parents really appreciate this). All toys he delivers are played with for some time and then passed on, we hope, to younger siblings or someone who might appreciate them. Recycling of toys is a very sustainable solution. How the elves make so many toys in such a small space is a mystery, but, event:decision have learned that the elves plant one tree for every one that they use in manufacturing, so that’s neutral, in carbon terms.

The team at event:decision finally arrived at 20,000 tCO2e all in. (0.5% of the least-worst projected footprint of the 2022 FIFA World Cup). Put against 2bn children, that’s 10g of carbon per child. 2bn smiles and untold excitement and happiness for the equivalent of manufacturing 1.2m pairs of trainers, 23m washing machine cycles or….one scoop of ice-cream per child.

Matt Grey Founder of event:decision says; “We wanted to reassure children who are conscious of their impact on the environment, that the gifts they find under the tree this year have been delivered with Santa’s usual care – and that extends to minimising his carbon footprint. If they don’t get the latest toy from Amazon, but something small and thoughtful instead, they need to know they’re really helping the planet. We hope they all enjoy their presents this year!”

 

Matt Grey founded www.eventdecision.com with some of the world’s best-known brands, including Sainsburys and Asda.

*Purdue University.

**CO2 emissions from aviation fuel are 3.15g per gram of fuel, which gives CO2 emissions from a Boeing 737-400 of 115g per passenger per km.

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First School Campus to be delivered by WEPCo in Wales

Robertson Group is set to deliver the first School in Wales through WEPCo (Welsh Education Partnership Company) utilising the Welsh Government’s Mutual Investment Model (MIM) following financial close.

Robertson Construction North West is the chosen build partner for the Mynydd Isa Campus, while Robertson Facilities Management will deliver the hard FM services upon completion of the build in early November 2024.

The new two-storey Campus, to be built on the site of existing Argoed High School in Mynydd Isa, will provide a 3 to 16 educational programme for Flintshire.  With a gross Internal floor area of
10, 507m², the primary and high school will remain as separate schools operating from a single building with some shared facilities.

Outdoor facilities are intended to meet the needs of nursery, primary and high school pupils which will have 43, 600 and 700 places respectively, with both the primary and high schools having specially resourced provision facilities for speech and language, and the high school will further benefit from a 20 place Social Communication resourced provision.

Works to deliver the Campus are already underway.

The school will be BREEAM excellent and will be net zero carbon in operation.

Flintshire’s Leader and Cabinet Member for Education and Youth, Councillor Ian Roberts, said: “This much needed modernisation of the school and the new build will be of a high standard and will provide modern, first-class facilities and the best learning opportunities for our children.

“The Council remains committed to investing in the future of our children and young people. We continue to work to provide a high-quality sustainable education for all our learners.  It’s great to see the building of this exciting project moving forward.”

Elliot Robertson, Chief Executive Officer, Robertson Group, said: “Flintshire County Council residents will benefit greatly from the new Campus which will see an increase in continuity and progression for learners from age 3 to 16.  Our Construction North West and Facilities Management teams have been working tirelessly with WEPCo to reach financial close and activity on the site will begin in earnest in the coming weeks.  Robertson is proud to be the contractor of choice for both the build and on-going FM hard services provision.

“Throughout the build, we will also be working closely with the local community to deliver added social value which will benefit Flintshire and its residents during the build and post completion.  As a business we have been working hard to reduce our environmental impacts across all of our operations and we will be doing all that we can to reduce and limit embodied cardon during construction.”

Christian Stanbury, Chief Executive Officer, WEPCo, commented: “This is the first WEPCo project to reach financial close and to commence on site.  This project will set a benchmark for the future delivery of education facilities in Wales and is set to bring more than just academic attainment to Flintshire.

“We are pleased to have Robertson Construction North West as part of our strong team which has the capabilities to create a truly wonderful learning space that will bring additional long-term benefits through its net zero operation capabilities.  Mynydd Isa Campus heralds a welcome change to the Welsh education portfolio, and we look forward to continuing working closely with the entire team to make years of preparation and planning a reality.”

Councillor Mared Eastwood, Chair of the Council and local ward member, said: “I’m thrilled that Flintshire has been chosen for such a pathfinder school, which will be built to such a high specification and be carbon neutral in both construction and operation.  It will be a superb education facility for children from the ages 3-16 years.  A great deal of thought and work has gone into the design of the school and I look forward to seeing the completed project.”

 Councillor Hilary McGuill, local ward member, said: “The new Argoed campus will secure a first-class environment to deliver education to children from Mynydd Isa, Bryn y Baal New Brighton and surrounding villages for 50 years to come.”

The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles said: “I want all young people to have high aspirations for their education.

“As the first WEPCo project to reach financial close and to commence on site, I am pleased that the Mynydd Isa Campus will support many pupils with high quality facilities. It is fantastic to see this sustainable project, with the needs of pupils at its heart.”

The new Campus is scheduled to be ready for occupation early November 2024, with demolition of the old high school and formation of the new games’ pitches completed by September 2025.

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