West Berkshire school reduces its carbon footprint

A Compton school has been awarded a £232,000 grant to go green.

The Downs School has installed a number of new features on its buildings in a bid to reduce carbon emissions, after applying for a grant in November last year.

The sustainability initiative was funded by public body Salix, which provided a £232,000 grant to the school in February.

The donation was conditional on the improvements being finished by March 31, giving them just weeks to get the project completed.

But they did it just in time, finishing on March 23, with help from a project team sent by sustainability firm Ridge.

The new additions include LED lights covering 80 per cent of the school and 31 new windows. Solar panels have been fitted to two buildings on-site.

On Friday, West Berkshire Council executive member for children, young people and education Dominic Boeck (Con, Aldermaston) visited the school to view the improvements.

Mr Boeck told the Newbury Weekly News he was impressed by the alterations to the school.

He said: “It’s a good step forward in reducing their carbon footprint.

“We are looking to fund improvements and initiatives as they come forward.

“It’s all part of West Berkshire’s ecological strategy.”

The Downs School headteacher Chris Prosser said: “This project really aligns with the heart of The Downs’ School values, focusing especially on courage and responsibility.

“It took real courage for our school team to take on this project, given the short timescales for completion, but we knew we had a responsibility to reduce our carbon emissions as a school and play our part in helping to protect the environment.

“We are truly delighted with the installations and would like to thank Salix and all of the companies we worked closely with for making this happen.”

Salix is funded by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Education.

It is dedicated to sustainability and lowering energy bills on public sector premises.