Cornish schoolchildren take the lead on decarbonisation

We visited primary school that is inspiring its local community with its new energy efficiency measures

Campaigning school kids are taking the lead on net zero, setting an example to their Cornish neighbours and for the generations with their new green technologies.

Children at Mount Hawke Academy, Mount Hawke, have switched on their new energy efficiency technology and cannot wait to monitor the carbon savings.

The coastal rural building will no longer directly produce any CO2 in its operation.

Head of School Catherine Biddick said: “The children here understand what is happening to our climate, they see the stories on the news, they see what’s on the internet and they also see all the ways we can get involved. 

“It’s about being very pro-active without being anxious. Children are very fair and intolerant to discrimination. They believe in the future and are passionate about it.

“We must be kinder to our planet.”

The school in Truro was successfully awarded £200k under Phase 3c of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. The scheme funds capital works for energy saving works putting clean energy at the top of the agenda for the school.

The school is the only Cornish school to decarbonise using funding under this phase of the government-run scheme. 

School pupil Phoebe, aged 10, said: “We want everyone to know about this because we all need to take action and we’re running out of time.

“We only have one planet and if we don’t do something now, who will?”

Eban, aged 10, wants to develop hydrogen technology in the future. He said: “We need to save on energy and become more efficient and start by turning off the lights. This all lowers the risk of climate change.”

Fellow student Amara, aged 10, said: “If I sat down with Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer, I would tell him to carefully consider our wildlife and how we are using our homes.”

What Mount Hawke Academy has done

At Mount Hawke Academy, part of The Aspire Academy Trust, the project has meant they have replaced old oil-fired boilers with new more energy efficient heat pumps.

The oil-fired boilers and plant were past their design shelf life, and the trust also used the opportunity to upgrade the roof insulation aimed at reducing the building’s heat requirement. 

Two Airedale 35.2 air source heat pumps were installed with a combined heating capacity of 115kw.

As part of the work, the old school heaters were swapped for high efficiency (at low temperature) models and a booster tank installed to ensure a consistency in heat delivery. 

A new building management system has also been installed to further optimise heat delivery and efficiency. 

Alongside this an additional 26kW of photovoltaic panels have been installed to offset some of the electricity required to heat the school. 

Trust plans for the future

The Aspire Academy Trust has also managed to secure further government funding of £96,218.00 under the Low Carbon Skills Fund for 10 sites over the last four years.  

This has meant the trust has been able to use experts to create heat decarbonisation plans for the schools.

The trust hopes it can mirror its success at Mount Hawke Academy across other schools using the Low Carbon Skills Fund work to tap into capital funding.

The schemes are run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and delivered by our teams at Salix.

Aspire Estates Manager, Alastair Sneddon added “It is great to finally see one of our schools decarbonised. This school is leading the way in Cornwall.

“It has also been an opportunity to upgrade to almost a completely new heating system, ensuring that Mount Hawke Academy’s heating will be reliable and fit for purpose for the foreseeable future.

“With the Low Carbon Skills Fund grant we have been able to carry out full environmental surveys of the 10 schools. 

“Every school is different, but these have highlighted heat loss reduction opportunities and reasonable steps that could be taken to make the fabric of the buildings more environmentally friendly. 

“Each plan accurately predicts how much heat the newly insulated buildings would require ensuring sufficient heating in the winter. 

“This enabled the mechanical and electrical consultant to design a highly detailed air source heat pump replacement and heat delivery system to replace existing boilers.”

These next 10 Aspire academies are now ready to begin their decarbonisation journey, and the Low Carbon Skills Fund work will be used to produce high quality applications for future Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme grant applications. 

Alastair added: “This still leaves a further 26 academies in the trust waiting in the wings. Decarbonising the entire Aspire Estate is a long-term commitment, and will require focus, finance, energy and time; but it is a commitment that is non-negotiable if we are to meet our carbon zero targets.”

Trust area site manager Darren Whitehead said: “Timing is a key factor in all of this, especially for schools, we really need to get started on all works at the very beginning of the summer.”

Catherine added: “I would talk to any school about this scheme and how we’re modelling the best behaviour for everyone to see. I cannot fault it.”

Mount Hawke Academy student Aliya added: “We need to keep our earth safe; we all need to care, we have nowhere else to go.”

Cornwall's Climate Change Action Plan sets out a programme of actions required to respond to the Climate Emergency and to create a carbon neutral Cornwall in 2030.

Thank you to the Head of School Catherine Biddick, Alastair Sneddon, Darren Whitehead, the children and to the team at Mount Hawke Academy for showing us the incredible decarbonisation work at the school.