Pupils at Whitchurch Primary School are set to benefit from environmentally friendly classrooms after successfully applying for a schools energy efficiency loan from Oxfordshire County Council.  

The county council has been running the interest free loan scheme since July 2023 to help maintained schools reduce their overall energy usage, which in turn could help cut operational costs.

The school applied to the council for £22,000, out of an £800,000 fund, to finance the  installation of solar photovoltaic (PV) technology, designed to convert sunlight into electrical energy.

Councillor John Howson, Oxfordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Young People’s Services, said: “We’ve already carried out 50 energy efficiency audits on our council maintained schools. The latest round of the loan scheme was launched earlier this year, with Whitchurch Primary School being one of the first to make use of the fund.”

The school hopes to install the photovoltaic (PV) technology during the summer break in readiness for the new term in September.

Fiona Broadbent, School Business Manager at Whitchurch Primary, said: “We are committed to reducing our environmental impact and have already made the switch to LED lighting, so installing solar PV panels was the next step to take to both reduce our carbon footprint and make financial savings for the school.”

Dawn Chesters, Headteacher, said: We are looking forward to using this installation as an educational tool; to help the children understand about their carbon footprint and practical steps they can take to create a positive impact. We believe that nurturing an understanding of sustainability from a young age is essential for shaping responsible global citizens.”

Other schools are applying for energy efficiency loans and details of their plans will be released in coming months.

Action on Carbon and Energy in Schools (ACES), an energy efficiency support service, funded by Oxfordshire County Council and delivered by Oxford Brookes University and Low Carbon Hub, has been supporting schools with applying for the loan.

If you’d like to register your interest in future funding schemes, please fill out this simple form.