Campaigning Wiltshire children celebrate new green works at their village school
Pupils’ enthusiasm sets an example to the community
Excited children who have been in correspondence with ‘green’ King Charles have celebrated the launch of new energy efficiency technology at their Wiltshire primary school.
The children from Coombe Bissett Church of England Primary School, Salisbury, invited guests, including our teams at Salix, to their site to see their new works funded through the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme.
The village school, which has just over 100 pupils, has replaced an old gas fired boiler with an air source heat pump installed by South West Heat Pumps, as part of a five-week project.
Headteacher Emma Haworth was delighted that the majority of work was completed outside of term time as well as providing a real talking point for the children.
She said: “This project has been very important for the children, the staff team and to the whole community.
“The children are learning so much and are growing up with key sustainability messages which is the norm here at Coombe Bissett.”
The children are learning so much and are growing up with key sustainability messages which is the norm here at Coombe Bissett.
The eco-minded children have already been corresponding with environmental champion King Charles about landfill.
Now they hope the new technology at their own school will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help meet the UK’s net zero ambition.
Emma added: “We have been very impressed with our students who have not only applied their learning in school but taken it out into our community and indeed all the way to the King!
“We hope our work at Coombe Bissett encourages other schools to embrace similar initiatives and move forward with their own decarbonisation efforts.
“We have managed to make it work here and our students, our team and the whole community has certainly benefited.”
We hope our work at Coombe Bissett encourages other schools to embrace similar initiatives and move forward with their own decarbonisation efforts.
The village school is a Voluntary Aided Salisbury Board of Education school and is surrounded by beautiful Wiltshire countryside. It has benefited from Phase 3c of the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme receiving a grant of £75k with further funding from the Diocese for the project.
Schools Estate manager for Salisbury Diocesan Board of Education Olivia Evans, said: “We managed to tap into Phase 1 Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme funding for another site and we have seen what a big difference this can make to a school and the way it is used.
“Our responsibility is to work together as a strong team, ensuring we help the children and young people within our Diocese realise their net zero ambitions.”
Pupil Toby, year 6, said the air source heat pumps, alongside the new handwriting scheme, were now his favourite things at the school!
He said: “Fossil fuels pollute, and our works here now keep the countryside cleaner. Coombe Bissett is the only school in Wiltshire without a fossil-fuel heating plant, so there’s a lot more work to do.”
Fossil fuels pollute, and our works here now keep the countryside cleaner. Coombe Bissett is the only school in Wiltshire without a fossil-fuel heating plant, so there’s a lot more work to do.
Toby added he loves seeing the visible copper pipes from the new heat pump installation.
Olivia explained some of the challenges with the project.
One such challenge was how to keep their Early Years Room warm – when the doors need to be open all the time for outdoor play. The contractors solved this by installing a thermostat and extra radiators in both the room and bathrooms to ensure the space stayed heated.
Emma Worth project manager for Nadder Energy added: “The real test will be during the winter when electricity consumption is monitored to ensure savings are being achieved.
“This data will be crucial for validating the long-term benefits of the project.”
Client support officer for Salix Hannah Amato said: “The school’s boiler was at the end of its life, which made them an ideal candidate for the scheme.
“Additionally, the small size of the school meant that the project could be completed with minimal disruption and within budget.
“The overwhelming takeaway from this visit is how passionate and engaged this community is in tackling climate change.
“It was truly inspiring to see how much the children understand and care about their future, and how they are actively sharing that knowledge with their families and the community.”
It was truly inspiring to see how much the children understand and care about their future, and how they are actively sharing that knowledge with their families and the community.
