distribution boards will allow you to profi le consumption data.’ Alongside this, you can commission or carry out a school energy audit, ideally using a thermal camera. Installing thermostats and creating a whole- school culture of energy awareness (whereby people turn off light switches and computers when not in use) can also create low-cost wins. The charity Energy Sparks offers
an online analysis tool and education programme to help schools reduce their carbon footprint and teach pupils energy saving and sustainability life skills. By analysing a school’s gas, electricity and solar data, Energy Sparks shows pupils and staff how much energy is used each day and suggests how to reduce carbon emissions. Over the 2022-23 academic year, the average Energy Sparks primary school saved at least £3,000 on their energy bill, with secondaries saving at least £12,000. Currently most schools pay £525 a year for this service (which includes weekly energy use alerts, education workshops and audits). A few funded places are available and the charity is seeking to expand this offer, so do check the website.
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energysparks.uk/enrol ■
energysavingtrust.org.uk for advice on draught proofi ng ■
letsgozero.org
GREENING AND
REWILDING Trees, vegetation and green spaces act as vital carbon sinks and oases of shade and restoration to benefi t our mental health. What’s more, they help clean our polluted air and are vital habitats to help combat biodiversity loss. With the land belonging to schools roughly the size of Birmingham, the newly launched National Education Nature Park is inviting schools to help create a network of green parks. Funded by the DfE in partnership with the RHS, the Natural History Museum and Esri UK, the idea is for schools to look at any space they can make greener – and to involve pupils in carrying out a baseline wildlife survey. Pupils will have opportunities to act for nature on their school sites, from building rain gardens to growing pollinator-friendly plants. The initiative offers a bank of
resources, from digital tools to classroom activities and interactive maps displaying the growing Nature Park across the school estate. Funding is available for teacher
Djanogly
Sherwood Academy
Students and staff at this urban primary school in Nottingham won a £1,000 Ovo Foundation Nature Prize to buy hydro-veg kits for the playground. The school’s Green Leaders will be responsible for looking after the kits and growing the food which will then be given out to local families. The school has no green space on site and will use the hydro-veg kits to teach its students about sustainable food growing in urban areas.
training and new Climate Action Awards will recognise schools which have supported students in developing green skills and championing nature. ‘Gardening can be integral in helping to address multiple crises, from the climate emergency to biodiversity loss,’ says Clare Matterson, director general of the RHS. ‘We want to empower young people to understand that saving the world starts at their fi ngertips.’
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educationnaturepark.org.uk ■
schoolgardening.rhs.org.uk
12 SPRING 2024 FundEd
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