St Botolph's decarbonisation project 2022-23
The pupils at St Botolph's have always shown an eager interest in the environment and protecting the future of the planet. The school has an active Eco committee that has pushed the Green agenda in our school. There is no doubt that the children want a clean and green future. With this in mind we wanted to do all we could to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of the school.
The work of the Governing body and SLT has been inspired by the passion of the children, especially a group from Yr6 2021, who voiced real concerns about the state of our planet. They asked the question, " are we doing enough and shouldn't we be doing more?" It was agreed that the adults needed to rise to the concerns of the children and explore what more we could do.
During the Summer of 2021 we started to see if/how we could reduce the carbon footprint of our school.
This page will aim to share the journey we have now started.
August 22
Contractors on site. Work is well underway in the roof spaces where new pipes and cables are being placed. Admin block , EYFS, Library and Art room are being upgraded first.
Trench for new power cable will be dug next week!
September 22
The Year 1 classroom has been completed with new lighting and heating.
Year 2 and the Yr 1 and 2 shared area has also been finished. The children and staff in KS1 are very glad to be back in their own areas.
Lions class (Year 3) is next on the list. The Lions classroom is ready to be upgraded!
November- January
The focus of works switched from the classrooms to the plant room. A new power line was installed by UKPN and the air source heat pumps were put in place. A new electrical intake room was created (half of the old PE storage).
From mid December all preparations for the switch over in power was almost complete. The old oil fire boilder was removed and the school was now operating on gas and electricity only. The new PV (solar) panels were fitted so that the school can start to generate its own power.
Preparations were made to remove the old heating plant from the boiler room so that the new plant could be installed in December and early January.
January 2023. Happy New Year! We retuned to school after a lovely rest. The school was now being powered by a temporary boiler. This had a habit of being a bit naughty at times but fortunately we had the contractos on site to sort out any issues. All work continued so that the school could move over to the new power supply in February. At this point we would be running on electric only (well - we need a bit of gas to make sure the water stays above 50). During this month works in the school resumed. The Yr5/6 cloakroom and the Yr5 classroom being first on the list.
Only Yr6 classroom and staff room left. The aim is to be finished by the end of February (early March at the latest). What a journey it has been so far. It has, at times, been very challenging but it will all be worth it. Our aim is to reduce our carbon footprint and that is what we will do!
All at St Bots love our planet so 9 months of buidling works will be worth it. We will all feel that we have done our bit and created a greener school.
February- March
The finishing touches and snagging.
Internal areas of the school- Year 6 and the staff room were out of bounds for 2 weeks while the contractors installed new heaters, pipe work and electrics. This included energy efficient lighting. Testing in full was now required which identified a few issues regarding the size/power of the pumps. More powerful pumps were required to make sure that the hot water reached all areas of the school.
The school governors premises committee met to check the works completed and create a snagging list. This list was shared with the main contractor, site manager and project leaders.
During late February and early March the main focus of works was on testing the system and getting the BMS (building management system) working correctly. We had several minor issues with incorrect components being supplied which meant that full testing and operation of the system was delayed. An issue with the solar panels was also discovered with meant that they were not generating any power.
Fortunately all issues were rapidly solved and the correct components arrived. Even to new parts for the solar panels.
Practical completion was achieved on the 31.3.23. Just in time to successfully meet the funding requirements of the project.
So we did it! A greener school. The school and children have been so patient and resilient. They have coped with lots of visitors and changes. At times it has been a challenge but we now have a much greener school which is not damaging our planet.
We hope that we will also be warmer in the winter but only time will tell.
Our main contractor, Decimo, are still at the end of the phone for the next 12 months. They have a responsibility to make sure that any repairs are carried out and that we are well prepared to take over the long term managements of the new system in March 24.
Our ultimate aim is achieved. We have reduced our carbon footprint. We are cleaner and greener.
The children who started the conversation over 2 years ago raised a genuine worry for their future. They challenged the adults at the school to respond with action, not words or empty promises and token gestures.