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Staffordshire County Council and Entrust: Supporting schools to reach a net zero future

Entrust, a joint venture between Capita and Staffordshire County Council has worked with numerous schools and district councils to deliver ambitious decarbonisation programmes across Staffordshire.


Summary

The  decarbonisation programmes not only reduce carbon, but save money for schools, leaving more funding to spend on materials for learning. On securing the funding, the team will undertake a holistic review of energy efficiency with the aim of reducing carbon output across the whole site. This usually includes suggestions for more efficient boilers, modern lighting systems, robust insulation, and digital controls. For example, the team secured national funding more than £800,000 to deliver a staged project in carbon reduction at Chase Terrace Academy. The team was awarded the grant as part of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and delivered by Salix Finance, to support the UK’s Net Zero goals, boost carbon savings and protect jobs.

The challenge

Often schools are not built to current best practice standards, a lot of them are aging buildings with poor energy efficiency standards. Many school leaders want to save money, carbon and energy but often do not have the time to engage with the process or have the funds to invest.

The solution

We work with school leadership teams to develop a strategic decarbonisation plan across an ageing school estate. The ambition is to achieve a net zero carbon future through technological innovation, teaching and good practice. The Entrust External Funding Team has an excellent track record on successfully securing national funding for schools for decarbonisation.

The impact

We have helped empower and transform schools so that they are fit for the future in carbon and energy terms. Our approach engages, educates and empowers school leaders, teachers and pupils in the importance of reducing carbon, and how they can work towards the county council’s ambition of net zero carbon by 2050.

How is the new approach being sustained?

Entrust monitors and evaluates the reduction in carbon across projects and continues to work with school leadership teams long after the physical transformation has taken place. This ensures continual challenge and awareness for leadership teams to make sure they keep carbon reduction as a priority.

Lessons learned

Engaging teachers and pupils as well as school leaders has been key to delivering successful projects. With their support, more lights get turned off, fewer computers get left on and the pupils are empowered to look after their environment. This results in tangible energy conservation to reduce carbon emissions.

Contact

Liam Walsh: [email protected]

Debbie Alcock: [email protected]

Staffordshire school