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Cassop Primary School, UK, Sustainable energy in schools

Uploaded by: AshdenAwards
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http://www.ashdenawards.org/winners/cassop Cassop Primary School won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2006. To find out more visit the link above and check out the Ashden Awards Blog http://ashdenawards.blogspot.com
Cassop Primary School has been extremely successful in making use of sustainable energy technology within the school premises, and integrating the understanding gained into the curriculum and ethos of the school.
The school was built in 1912 and internally modernised in the 1970s. A programme to make its use of energy more sustainable started in 1995, when light bulbs were replaced with compact fluorescents. This was followed by a recycling drive and the installation of cavity wall insulation. In 1998, the school took up an invitation from Durham County Council to have a 50 kW wind turbine installed in its grounds, which generates about 50 MWh of electricity per year. Overall, this meets the electricity demand of the school, although much of the output is generated out of school hours and is therefore exported to the grid. In 2003, the old oil boiler was replaced with an automated wood-pellet boiler, which burns pellets produced locally from recycled waste wood. Suspended ceilings in classrooms were then replaced, and more efficient lighting provided. A photovoltaic (PV) array was installed on a south-facing roof in 2005, with safety rail and stairs to allow access for visitors.
The use of sustainable energy is integrated into the curriculum of Cassop School, within a broader focus on social responsibility. An interactive display in a corridor shows where the current energy demand lies and how it is being supplied, and Year 6 pupils can confidently explain what is happening, and give presentations to other classes and to visitors. This display was started when the wind turbine was installed, and pupils monitor readings from the wind turbine and keep the display up-to-date. Maths is taught using energy data from the wind turbine, and sustainable energy posters are designed in art. An inter-school network to improve the writing skills of boys has included writing instructions and leaflets about the renewable energy installations.
This focus on education for sustainability extends beyond the school boundaries. About six other schools visit Cassop School each term to take part in energy and environmental activities, which use classroom demonstration equipment as well as the full-scale renewable energy systems. Cassop also has links with schools in other European countries and in Kenya, which focus on energy and the environment, and exchange visits have been made. Pupils give confident presentations and tours to visitors, and have also given external talks, including one to a full session of the County Council.
Many people have contributed to the achievements of Cassop school. Jim McManners, the Head Teacher, has led the programme on sustainable energy, but teachers, governors and the caretaker all play key roles. The wind turbine installation involved a community consultation carried out by the children, and showed 98% support for the project. Any major changes to the school property have to be carried out with the agreement of Durham County Council as the Local Education Authority, and they have provided considerable support for both the wind turbine and the biomass boiler installations.
The excellent examples of practical sustainable energy systems which Cassop have installed might be beyond the means of many schools. What is most replicable, and at the core of their success, is the ethos of caring for the environment, and using energy resources wisely.

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