low carbon Lancashire school

Leading energy and regeneration specialist, Equans has been appointed by Lancashire County Council to deliver a brand-new, modular primary school in Ribblesdale, Clitheroe, which is designed to achieve net zero carbon status.

The new school will provide 210 much-needed new school places for children in the area, and local disruption will be kept to a minimum since the majority of build will take place off-site.

The benefits of modular construction are vast; mainly that it allows for a higher build quality, which is also more energy efficient; and means a faster build time as opposed to traditional construction methods.

Equans will install a ground source heat pump, supplying the school with a sustainable source of heat and hot water. Solar PV will also be installed on the roof, which will generate power for the school.

Equans has revealed the school will benefit from the company’s School Zero product – which concurrently promises net zero construction, as well as teaching children about the importance of sustainability.

Equans has invested in high quality curriculum materials and built a portal of useful information for teachers, which has a range of bespoke ‘free to all’ materials for Key Stage 1 and 2 including ‘TED’ style talks for teachers to support and grow their understanding of climate change and help them better engage pupils and local communities on the agenda.

Equans has also provided ‘Industry Insights’ session to 145 students from Ribblesdale High School: as well as offering two apprenticeships for students at Preston College.

Alyson Seddon, Construction Director at Equans, said: “Schools are at the heart of every community and this new school will not only offer up much-needed new places for children in the area, but encourage young people to be ‘school zero heroes’ and positively influence their own families to live more sustainably, through bespoke learning on climate change.

“We are thrilled to be working with the council and community more widely to push this agenda and offer up workshops and work placements so we can really make a difference.”

Cllr Jayne Rear said: “This innovative new primary school will deliver much-needed places for children in the Ribble Valley. We are constantly working hard to identify where more school places are needed, as we want every child in Lancashire to have access to the best possible education. We aim to deliver these school places in the most efficient way.

“We want the very best for Lancashire’s children and young people as part of our pledge to make the county the best place to live. We must ensure that when construction is needed then it is done in an environmentally friendly way, contributing towards the goal of making the county net zero for future generations.”

The school is scheduled to complete in August 2023 ahead of the September 2023 term.