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Plans for new £23m Gaelic school at B-listed derelict building approved

Plans to refurbish the former St James’ Primary in Calton have been given the go ahead, paving the way for the opening of Glasgow’s fourth Gaelic school.

Council planners have now approved the city education department’s bid to revamp — and extend — the B-listed Green Street building.

It is expected to be completed by December next year and open in January 2026. Pupils are currently being taught at North Kelvinside Primary.

Permission was previously granted to demolish part of the “derelict” school. The revamp of the remaining building presents “a vital lifeline for one of Calton’s most significant heritage assets”, the plans stated.

Under the scheme, the former primary school, which has been empty since 2009, will become part of Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig a’ Challtainn — Calton Gaelic Primary School.

There will be 12 classrooms and two general purpose rooms, reusing the original classroom spaces. A multi-use games area will be provided too.

The project also includes an extension, to be built on what was the original playground. It will have an assembly hall, kitchen and a drama and performance classroom.

It was reported in September last year that the council would have to spend up to £11.6 million on the project, up from an initial estimate of £8.25 million, due to the building being in a worse condition and inflation.

Overall, the school is expected to cost £22.8 million, with funding also being provided by the Scottish Government.

Plans submitted by education services stated the school is “in a derelict state” and will “require substantial renovation work.”

“With St James’ fulfilling the requirements for Glasgow’s fourth Gaelic medium school, the project presents a vital lifeline for one of Calton’s most significant heritage assets and may play a part in energising regeneration of other historic assets in the area,” they added.

The new Gaelic school would join Glendale Primary School in the south and Govan Gaelic Primary School and Glasgow Gaelic School in the west.

Calton Community Council supported the proposal as it will “see the historic building reused in a sensitive and appropriate manner.”

No off-street parking is included in the plan. There will be four accessible spaces, two accessible drop-off bays and one bus bay. Parking for 89 bikes will be provided.

Planners reported the proposal would “salvage a substantial listed building which is one of the remaining pieces of cultural heritage of the Calton area and would make use of a prominent brownfield site that had fallen into significant disrepair.”

Previous plans for demolition covered toilet extensions and a section to the rear of the school building. Emergency works had already been carried out to the roof to “avoid uncontrolled collapse and halt further distress to the building.”

The school, built in 1885, was used until 2009 when remaining pupils were moved to Alexandra Parade Primary.

Source: STV News

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Warning sounded as schools not ready to exit PFI deals

Just two of the 41 councils given “health checks” by the government over their preparedness to exit private finance initiative (PFI) school deals were deemed to be on track, Schools Week can reveal.

Sector leaders fear schools will be left to “shoulder the storm” of councils not being ready to take back public control of the schools, as contracts start to come to an end.

In one case, a secondary school facing a £1 million “bullet payment” to get rid of its PFI contractor has written to ministers asking for help to foot the bill.

‘Major work’ still needed

Successive governments have used PFI to fund new schools since the late 1990s. Private firms build and maintain sites in exchange for mortgage-style payments normally over 25-year contracts – which rise beyond inflation – before handing them over to taxpayers.

In 2021, the Cabinet Office started running health checks on contracts set to expire in less than seven years, the point at which authorities are told to start their preparations.

Officials use the assessments to help councils “improve their readiness” and identify projects that may require more support from the Infrastructure and Projects Authority.

But our freedom of information request shows that, of the 41 checks completed in the schools sector, eight (19.5 per cent) were rated “amber/red”, meaning “major” additional work is needed.

Another 18 (44 per cent) were “amber”, meaning “moderate” work was still required. Just two were rated “green”, meaning they were “at target readiness given the time to expiry”.

Julia Harnden, a funding specialist for school leaders’ union ASCL, said: “On an administrative level, the length of time that has passed since these contracts were signed and the shrinking capacity at local authority level, as a result of funding cuts from central government, are providing further complications for schools.

“It is a perfect storm and … schools should not be having to shoulder this risk.”

‘Shrinking’ council capacity

Ian Denison, the director of PFI consultancy Inscyte, said this leaves schools’ fates in the hands of others. “The party with the least ability to influence the status of expiry is the one that’s going to pick up all the consequential impact,” he explained.

The first PFI school to reach the end of its contract was handed back last year. The second, Barnhill Community High School in west London, will come into public ownership in September.

Middlesex Learning Partnership Trust CEO Ben Spinks, whose chain runs the secondary, said that negotiations, which began in 2019, with PFI operator Bellrock were ongoing.

He stressed that “all of the parties are genuinely trying to work through this constructively”, with the final set of site surveys completed last month.

Despite this, Spinks fears that large chunks of his budget will be swallowed up by a £1 million “bullet payment”, should the trust replace Bellrock as facilities manager.

“We’re making the moral argument that we should be assisted in making the payment because we are, to the best of our knowledge, the only PFI school that has such a condition attached to it.

“The impact will be substantial. It impacts the educational opportunities we can provide our young people.”

Accounts show that the three-school trust’s free reserves stood at £1.04 million in August. Spinks estimated that the payment “roughly equates to two years’ pupil premium funding”.

Surveys still not completed

In Stoke, which has the largest school PFI contract in the country, city council chiefs are negotiating the expiry terms for 88 schools before their contract ends next October.

One leader said the lack of certainty around the arrangements has left them feeling “nervous” about how it will impact their bottom line.

“We feel, with these big private organisations, schools and trusts are just quite small in comparison,” they added.

A confidential meeting was held by the city council last month to discuss contract expiry obligations. Denison has since begun talks with some of the schools.

He believes that some work needed to take place before the end of the contract is “never going to happen” as surveys on the buildings have not yet been completed. PFI schools are expected to be handed back in good condition.

“Unless you start in year seven all the way through to expiry, you’ll never get the investment into the school that you need to get the estate to reach the standard it should,” Denison said. “The only party that benefits by dragging expiry into a later stage is the [PFI firm].”

‘Critical time’

Sheffield schools forum documents, released in December, show it has in place a “project team” to manage the expiry of three separate contracts. The first will end in 2026.

Council officials said they have been working on this since the end of 2021. In the same year, it received an ‘amber’ rating following an initial health check. The authority is expecting to have a follow-up assessment shortly.

And in Calderdale, authority papers from last February stated that it was unlike most councils, which “employ an officer with a dedicated role for management of PFI, Calderdale does not. This now needs to be reconsidered”.

“It is seven years to the expiry of the PFI contract. This is a critical time for the authority and for those schools … to be planning for life after PFI. This is a huge undertaking.”

In all, there are 172 PFI school projects in England. Just two will have finished their contracts by the end of 2024. A further 43 will come to a close over the next six years.

The total capital value of the primaries and secondaries built under the agreements stands at £8.5 billion, while the amount that schools will pay the private firms is estimated to be more than £32.7 billion in total.

Shareholders rake in huge dividends

The Treasury has published finance details for a handful of PFI contracts. They show shareholders across just five schools projects will rake in £35 million in dividends over the course of the contracts.

In a report published in 2020, the NAO noted that councils “may not be incentivised … to manage the expiry process effectively, knowing they will not retain ownership”. Those with a single PFI deal lack capacity or expertise for expiry talks, it added.

The government stressed the Infrastructure and Projects Authority “is already working with a large number of local authorities to ensure they get value for money” from their school deals, with preparations “beginning up to seven years” in advance.

Vercity Management Services Ltd, the firm listed as Transform Schools (Stoke) Limited’s secretary on Companies House, and Bellrock have been contacted for comment.

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Undy Primary School students learn construction at site

Children from Undy Primary School visited a local building site to gain first-hand experience of the construction process.

The excursion allowed the 60 year four pupils to glimpse into their local area’s development and better understand the steps behind housebuilding.

The trip included a comprehensive tour of the Vistry site at Seymour Place in Undy, where both Bovis and Linden properties are under construction. The children were introduced to key aspects of site safety, saw a bricklaying demonstration and took a stab at the new skill themselves. In addition to gaining on-ground experience, the students were educated about the various tasks carried out on a development site. This ranged from plumbing, carpentry, decorating to bricklaying. They also viewed the show home and wandered through an unwrapped house which showcased the home’s exposed ceilings, walls, piping, electrics and structural components.

Teacher Miss Kirkman said of the bricklaying: “It was wonderful to see every child have a go.”

“It was fascinating to look behind the scenes in the unwrapped home and it made them view the show home very differently, as they had an understanding of the work involved,” she continued.

Seymour Place site manager, Dave Buckingham, said: “The children were enthusiastic and it was brilliant to see them so engaged.”

Team members leading the tour included Andrew Stanton, assistant site manager, Emma Mackay, PR manager, Mike Laws, area sales manager, and Victoria Halifax, sales consultant – all of whom answered questions posed by the children.

The bricklaying demonstration was steered by Kevin and the team at Mike Etheridge Construction.

 

 

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Construction begins on carbon neutral joint campus for Seaton Delaval schools

Construction has begun on a new £50m joint campus for two south east Northumberland schools, one of Northumberland County Council’s flagship school projects.

The ‘super-school’ in Seaton Delaval will become the new home of over 1,000 pupils at Astley Community High School and Whytrig Middle School, and its facilities will include a swimming pool and sports fields.

Pupils from both schools, part of the Seaton Valley Federation, attended a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction work, which is due to be complete by September 2025.

Lewis, a year six pupil at Whytrig Middle School, said: “It looks like an amazing site so far and I will be proud to come to school here.

“I am most looking forward to the school fields and sports hall, and we will be able to access larger areas to learn and play sport.

“I would like to be a builder or a structural engineer, so it is exciting for me to see a working site and to see how it is going to be transformed from a grassy field into a massive school.

“I think the future looks really bright here and there will be more opportunities.”

John Barnes, executive headteacher at the Seaton Valley Federation, said: “The kids are absolutely buzzing. The scale of the operation is huge and we are going to have such a brilliant facility, not just for the pupils but for the community as well.”

The schools will have separate classrooms at the new premises but will share science labs, art studios, and some other facilities. The school building is designed to be carbon neutral in operation.

In addition to the pool, multi-use games areas totalling seven tennis courts and a fitness studio will be built as well as real and artificial surface pitches, which will be available for community use outside of teaching hours.

Parking proposals consist of a ‘park and stride’ with a new car park a few minutes’ walk from the premises.

Tony Fitzgerald, construction director at the site’s contractor BAM, said: “This is one of the biggest sites we have worked with and includes extensive sports facilities.

“As well as turning these plans into reality we will also be working closely with the schools to involve young people as much as possible, from providing real-world work experience in the many disciplines within the construction industry, to apprenticeship opportunities.

“Making a difference to the communities that we are working in is a really important driver for BAM.”

A new school building was first proposed in 2016. The schools currently have a multi-million-pound backlog of repairs and the presence of asbestos means refurbishments are impossible without closing large parts of the schools.

Cllr Guy Renner-Thompson, cabinet member for education, said: “It is absolutely fantastic to stand here and see the plans for this amazing new super-school start to take shape.

“This investment in our young people and the wider community will transform education and sports facilities in Seaton Valley for generations to come, bringing wide-ranging benefits to education, health, and well-being.”

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Zaporizhzhia Plans Underground Schools to Continue Education Amid Shelling

In an innovative response to the ongoing conflict, Zaporizhzhia officials have announced plans to construct underground schools to ensure uninterrupted education for children in the region, highlighting both the resilience of communities in conflict zones and the challenges of maintaining essential services under such conditions.

Adapting to Conflict: A New Approach to Education

With the relentless shelling in Zaporizhzhia making traditional schooling impossible, local authorities are taking bold steps to adapt. The regional governor revealed plans for building underground educational facilities, aiming to provide a safe learning environment for students. This initiative, set to commence by May, is expected to see the completion of at least two underground schools by the new academic year. The projects, which will be coordinated with military leadership to ensure safety, demonstrate a commitment to education even in the most challenging circumstances.

International Support and Construction Details

Understanding the magnitude of the challenge, Zaporizhzhia’s officials are reaching out to international partners for financial support of this ambitious project. The construction of these underground facilities is not just about creating space for education; it’s about crafting a semblance of normalcy for children whose lives have been disrupted by conflict. These efforts reflect an innovative approach to crisis management, leveraging architecture and community planning to protect and preserve educational continuity.

Mixed-Format Learning and Security Measures

Beyond the construction of underground schools, the region is also focusing on improving existing educational facilities to accommodate mixed-format learning. This includes the arrangement of shelters within schools to allow for some level of traditional classroom interaction, ensuring that children’s education does not lag due to the ongoing conflict. The depth and design of these underground schools will vary, taking into account the specific security needs of different districts within Zaporizhzhia, ensuring that learning can proceed uninterrupted, even during air raids.

As Zaporizhzhia forges ahead with these groundbreaking plans, the initiative serves as a poignant reminder of the resilience of communities in the face of adversity. While the construction of underground schools is a testament to the human spirit’s ingenuity, it also underscores the dire need for peaceful resolutions to conflicts that disrupt the lives and futures of the youngest members of society. As this project unfolds, it will undoubtedly become a focal point for discussions on education, conflict, and the indomitable will to persevere.

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COMBINING SAFETY AND AESTHETICS AT NEW DUTCH ACADEMY

When it comes to constructing schools, colleges and universities, it’s important to balance

aesthetic design with building safety. It’s about creating spaces that are not only safe

and functional but also welcoming and inspiring for both staff and students.

The new Academy Tien in The Netherlands strikes this balance perfectly,

with Pyroguard’s fire safe solutions playing a pivotal role throughout.

 

Designed by Wiersema Architecten and de Architecten CIE, the Academy Tien is a beautiful new school building near the centre of Utrecht. Catering for students between 10 and 18 years old, the academy has been constructed with a contemporary open plan layout, to maximise the building’s natural light transmission.

 

Contracted to deliver the fire-resistant steel interior partitions and frames on the project, was JM Van Delft & zn, a specialist in glazing system solutions. Ruud van Dal, Sales and Operations Manager at JM Van Delft & zn, said:

“Throughout this project, it was important that both aesthetics and safety were considered and well balanced. There was a clear requirement for keeping the school’s interior spaces light and open, while simultaneously providing a safe environment for students, staff and visitors to work and learn in. As a result, fire safety glass was chosen as the perfect material for installation within the building’s internal partitions, doors and central atrium.

“Pyroguard Protect EW60 was installed within the doors, sidelights and designated escape routes. While Pyroguard Protect EI60, offering the highest level of protection, was installed between classrooms and the central atrium, creating a series of fire safe compartments.”

 

This process of compartmentation can form a key part of any building’s passive fire protection strategy, working to split the building up into a series of fire safe zones. As well as helping to limit the spread of a fire, this can also provide both a safe route of escape for occupants and a means of entry for the emergency services.

 

Ruud continued:

“Pyroguard Protect’s high visual appearance helped to maintain the light and open interior that the architect desired, while its multi-functional capabilities proved key in delivering improved acoustic control and impact resistance – something which was a clear priority when designing the new academy.”

 

Pyroguard Protect is a toughened fire safety glass, certified for use in steel, timber and aluminium profiles. Providing 30 to 180 minutes of protection against smoke and flames, 1B1 impact resistance, and UV stability, Pyroguard Protect ensures that both design and safety requirements can be achieved.

 

The Academy Tien opened its doors to students in January 2024.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT PYROGUARD

 

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Bradford Secondary School to undergo refurbishment

A major section of Bradford secondary school is set to be demolished and replaced with modern, net zero buildings, the Department for Education has revealed.

Two blocks at Trinity Academy Bradford – the former Queensbury School and then Queensbury Academy – will be knocked down to make way for the new buildings under newly submitted plans. The third block will be given a full refurbishment, and there will be an increase in the amount of playing pitches on the site.

Image Credit: Department for Education

An application for the work has been submitted to Bradford Council by the Department for Education this week. It says some of the buildings are in a “poor condition” and are “failing to meet the needs” of the school.

The planning application said: “Trinity MAT have highlighted that the school buildings are suffering from various repair issues, which are prohibiting the school from using some classrooms and also are causing issues with main facilities (such as the dining and sports hall) which have suffered from water damage as a result of the poor condition of the buildings and are currently failing to meet the needs of the Trust.

“Block EFFA and ROSLA block also have inherent issues with life expired roof and asbestos in the fabric of the building. The three-storey EFAB block was built in the year 2000 and accommodates a significant amount of teaching accommodation, which is to be retained. The scheme will deliver an overall net gain of playing pitches in excess of 10,000sqm which is a substantial benefit to sports provision on the site.”

The application also says the new buildings will be “net zero” and much more environmentally friendly than the existing building.

It adds: “The development will include PV solar panels to allow for on-site energy generation, high-performance fabric U-values, triple glazed windows and hybrid ventilation systems, all of which will result in a development which provides significant reductions in carbon and environmental impacts.”

A public consultation on the plans took place late last year, and 19 people living in Queensbury responded. Some participants raised concerns about the plans, particularly a proposal to re-open a footpath to the school from Russell Hall Lane.

One resident said: “These were originally closed off due to the amount of traffic using Russell Hall Lane to drop off and pick students up. when you have lots of kids walking up and down it can be quite intimidating, especially for our elderly residents.”

The application responds to these concerns by saying: “Whilst we appreciate reintroducing the footpath may result in some disruption to residents through additional foot traffic in this area, there are also significant benefits by reducing the length of trips some students take to walk to school.”

A statement from the school said: “We are delighted with the progress that has been made in recent months regarding the proposed new building and refurbishment at Trinity Academy Bradford, and we are all looking forward to enjoying the significant improvements the new facilities will offer.

“The plans represent a substantial investment in our education infrastructure and will provide an outstanding learning environment for students in the local area.

“The building will include a range of new classrooms; a modern dining hall; multipurpose hall and performance space; Learning Resource Centre; and modern sports hall with additional sporting facilities.

“The new building and refurbishment will promote academic excellence and provide the ideal platform for students to succeed and take the next steps on their educational journey.”

 

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SOCOTEC enhances fire safety in specialised SEN school

A dedicated team from SOCOTEC UK’s Fire Engineering division played a vital role in providing fire consultancy services for the construction of a specialised SEN School. This institution caters to approximately 150 children aged four to nineteen with complex social and communication needs, ensuring a high-quality education through specialist facilities and adaptive teaching techniques.

The SOCOTEC team was actively involved in constructing a two-storey L-shaped school block, housing classrooms, a nursery, a kitchen, dining facilities, and staff amenities. Additionally, contributions extended to the construction of a single-storey sports block, featuring a fitness studio, court hall, changing rooms, and storage areas.

Throughout the project, SOCOTEC provided a range of fire consultancy services, developing fire safety strategies during the design stages and offering ad-hoc advice during construction. A tailored fire safety strategy was devised considering the unique needs of the occupants, with innovative design approaches to address potential challenges.

To accommodate the specific requirements of SEN occupants, traditional warning alarm sounders were replaced with voice-based alarms, providing clear instructions for effective evacuation. Pre-evacuation alerts for staff members, multi-tone sounders for flexible alarm tones, and the design of common corridors as protected escape routes were implemented to enhance safety during evacuations. The width of escape routes was increased to account for the occupants’ needs and potential evacuation challenges.

Key features of the fire safety strategy for this SEN School include:

  • Early warning system for staff members to respond promptly during emergencies
  • Multi-tone alarm system offering flexibility in alarm tones, minimising disturbance to occupants
  • Protected escape routes throughout the school to enhance safety during evacuations
  • Wider escape routes to compensate for potential increased evacuation times associated with the occupants’ needs.

With a commitment to safety and well-being, SOCOTEC Fire Engineering played a crucial role in constructing this specialised SEN School, ensuring a safe and secure learning environment for all occupants.

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Asbestos Removal from Schools would benefit UK economy

Removing asbestos from schools and hospitals would benefit UK economy by almost £12 billion over 50 years, says new report

Latest research also shows that asbestos-related diseases in former school and hospital workers cost the UK economy £1.3 billion per yeaRemoving asbestos from schools and hospitals would benefit UK economy by almost £12 billion over 50 years, says new report

New research commissioned by asbestos-related cancer charity, Mesothelioma UK, reveals the true cost to the UK economy of asbestos in schools and hospitals, and provides evidence to support a national plan for its removal.

This report estimates that in 2023, the total costs to the UK economy and society of asbestos-related diseases for former school and hospital workers were just over £1.3 billion.

The results suggest that removing asbestos from schools and hospitals within the next 10 years would save the UK economy almost £12 billion over 50 years in the reduced economic and social costs of asbestos-related diseases. The savings to the UK public finances would be around £3.6 billion.

Asbestos is often understood as a legacy of our industrial past; yet nearly 25 years on from the ban on the use of asbestos in the UK, many buildings – including hospitals and schools – still contain this harmful substance which, if disturbed, can become airborne and be inhaled. Thousands of people continue to die from unnecessary exposure to asbestos every year. Worryingly, death rates for female teachers and nurses are rising and are significantly higher than for the general population.

Following an inquiry about asbestos in buildings, the Work and Pensions Select Committee recommended that the UK put in place a national plan to remove all asbestos from buildings over the next 40 years. This study not only supports this but makes a case for considering a more rapid 10-year removal programme.

A copy of the full study can be downloaded from www.mesothelioma.uk.com/cost-benefit-analysis-2023/

The research was conducted by Landman Economics, a UK specialist consultancy in quantitative analysis and economic modelling. The study was supported by the Asbestos Testing and Consultancy Association (ATaC), the Asbestos Removal Contractors Association (ARCA), the National Education Union (NEU), UNISON public service union, ResPublica, and Airtight on Asbestos.

Asbestos is the single greatest cause of work-related deaths in the UK each year, as more than 5,000 people under the age of 75 die from asbestos-related cancers. More than half of those deaths are from mesothelioma, a cancer, most commonly of the lungs or abdomen, for which there is no cure. Up to 60 per cent of patients die in the first year after diagnosis, and just over five in 100 survive their mesothelioma for five years or more.

Sir Stephen Timms, MP for East Ham, and Chair of the Work and Pensions Select Committee, recently spoke on a panel at the Labour Party’s Annual Conference about the dangers of asbestos, and the need for a government plan to remove it. Sir Stephen commented:

“This report provides important new evidence to support our Work and Pensions Select Committee recommendation for a national plan to remove asbestos from British workplaces over the next 40 years, and to create a central register of all asbestos in non-domestic buildings.”

Mesothelioma patient and asbestos removal campaigner, Helen Bone, said:

“It’s not just men who’ve worked in industry who are affected by the asbestos legacy we have in this country now; it’s nurses, doctors and teachers. The buildings that contain asbestos thought to be safe such as hospitals and schools, are now falling into disrepair and we have a responsibility to protect the people in them and all of the public buildings in this country. More must be said, more must be actioned, to keep future generations safe from this dangerous substance.”

Liz Darlison, Chief Executive of Mesothelioma UK commented:

“Mesothelioma UK have seen a change in the exposure of those diagnosed with mesothelioma. Increasingly, we are seeing far more subtle environmental exposure, with people that have worked as teachers, doctors and nurses. It’s a national disgrace that we continue to have the highest incidence of mesothelioma in the world and it is in everyone’s interest to do something significant to change the current approach to managing asbestos.

“Mesothelioma UK will continue to gather the evidence to make the case for change. We owe it to all those people that we have met and for whom we’ve cared; we owe it future generations to do all we can. Mesothelioma can be prevented – this has to stop!”

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary, NEU added:

“The only way to be sure of keeping children and staff safe from the scourge of asbestos-related disease is to remove asbestos from all educational buildings. This is morally the right thing to do but, as this report shows, removing asbestos from public buildings would also benefit the public finances, taking into account the huge costs to the economy of asbestos-related disease. We call upon the Government to end its policy of leaving asbestos in place, and managing it, in favour of a programme of phased removal, starting with the most dangerous.”

UNISON health and safety officer Joe Donnelly said:

“No one should have to convince the government to get rid of asbestos from schools and hospitals. Ministers should have ordered the removal of the fatal fibre long ago. Dealing with the UK’s asbestos legacy makes sense financially, but it is also the right and the safe thing to do.”

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Schools’ zero-carbon boost thanks to climate action team

UK schools are preparing to leap forward in their sustainability thanks to the arrival of a new Climate Action Advisor team.

The Let’s Go Zero campaign, which unites UK schools working to be zero carbon, has recruited its first raft of Climate Action Advisors to lead the UK’s schools in creating and embedding zero-carbon practises.

This will result in the UK’s schools benefiting from improved energy management and sustainable behaviours, greater health and wellbeing for students and teachers, and lower school running costs.

The first of three teams of advisors gathered by Let’s Go Zero to work with schools, colleges and nurseries across England, has been launched in the Midlands, helping embed sustainability practises, in the face of the government’s apparent U-turn on its net-zero pledges. There are more experts in the pipeline for the South East, South West and London in April, and Yorkshire and Humberside, Anglia, North West, and North East by August 2024.

Climate Action Project Manager, Lucy Archer, who put the team together, said:

“From helping embed a sustainability lead, to drawing up a climate action plan or carrying out a zero-carbon audit, our Climate Action Advisors can support as much as you like. If you’re taking your first steps in your shift to zero carbon, or are ready to raise your sustainable journey to the next level, our Climate Action Advisors will be by your side, all the way.”

Jo Pettifer, Let’s Go Zero’s first-ever Climate Action Advisor, and a 2023 DofE Sustainability Award winner, said:

”Having been both a school leader and a sustainability coordinator, I know first-hand how keen schools are to reduce carbon, cut costs and improve staff and pupil wellbeing. What they desperately need is the specialist expertise to help them do this and that’s exactly what this role offers them. I love it!”

The Climate Action Advisors are a unique offer for school decision-makers to access unbiased guidance on climate action. This helps school leaders understand impact and differentiate quick wins from more intensive actions. This support couldn’t be more timely, linking to the latest Department for Education Climate Action Plan guidance and reporting requirements.

Head of Let’s Go Zero, Alex Green, said:

“The government appears to be back-peddling on climate initiatives to transition away from fossil fuels, yet it’s not stopping schools from taking action. Schools across the UK are leading the way by showing their intent and ambition to reach zero carbon by signing up to Let’s Go Zero.

“There are now over 2,500 schools, colleges and nurseries signed up to the Let’s Go Zero campaign, which supports schools to reach zero carbon by 2030. This proves to government that demand for a zero-carbon society is growing day by day.”

Let’s Go Zero is calling for the government to commit to all UK schools being zero carbon by 2030, to announce long-term and consistent policies and funding to enable this, and to invest in adapting and retrofitting the school estate.

Mrs Green said:

“So many schools tell us they are eager to decarbonise further but lack the support and investment to do so. This project sparks action in schools across the country – as well as creating impact at a national level.”

The Climate Action Advisors will offer hands-on help to fast track decarbonisation changes in schools, such as creating more energy-efficient buildings and on-site energy generation, improved green spaces, and reduced waste – all steps that lower emissions and inspire pupils and teachers. Recruitment for the London, South East and South West Climate Action Advisors is currently underway, with the rest of England covered by summer 2024, bringing the total of advisors to 30.

Schools, community groups and local authorities who would like to book a chat with a Climate Action Advisor about their transition to zero carbon can CONTACT THEM BY CLICKING HERE.

The Climate Action Advisors are funded through a £10 million partnership between Green Future Investments Ltd (GFIL) and Let’s Go Zero that also helps schools unlock finance at scale from the public and private sectors.

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