Sustainability
Our Vision and Values
Saving our Planet
As a school we are shaped by our values, which include looking after one another and our environment.
We believe that every student should understand the importance of looking after the world around them. So, whether that’s at school, home, the local community or across the world, our students will act now to make positive changes that impact future generations.
Green Team leads by example
Our Green Team share ideas and work together to enhance the school environment.
The team hold open forums where pupils can share their ideas and lead on new projects that will make a difference.
Some recent projects include:
Building a bug hotel at the Upper school.
Improving recycling and reducing plastic waste across the school.
Working with the school catering team to develop vegetarian and vegan meal options that are popular among pupils.
Award-winning Eco Team at The Perse Prep
The Perse Prep’s Green Team will be working hard to retain the Eco Schools Green Flag Award in 2023-24 after receiving the prestigious accolade this year.
The topics of waste, biodiversity and energy were targeted as the focus of their energies to help the school become increasingly eco-friendly.
The group identified simple, yet effective measures that could be taken to make the school a cleaner, greener place.
These included measuring the weight of stationery collected to be recycled by the Bic writing instruments recycling scheme (a whopping 7.3kg by May 2023), helping establish a wild area where wildlife and insects could roam undisturbed, as well as encouraging everyone to save energy by remembering to switch off lights and screens wherever possible.
Sustainable buildings
We want our pupils to enjoy learning in state-of-the-art buildings that are also as environmentally friendly as possible.
New building projects in the school are undertaken with energy efficiency and environmental impact being included as top priorities.
The Peter Hall Performing Arts Centre, which opened in 2018, is a very environmentally friendly building with an A rating in its Energy Performance Certificate (EPC).
On the roof, there is a solar farm with 49 south facing solar panels (Photovoltaic Panels) generating 12.5Kwp and there is also a rainwater harvester which collects around 500 litres of rainwater for the irrigation of plants on Ellison Court.
The building benefits from two ground source heat pumps (GSHP) which generate an expected annual heat of 168,000 kWhth. Under-floor heating, which is also more efficient, also serves the adjacent classics building. The classics block also has a sedum roof installed that offers a habitat for butterflies and other insects.
Our Outdoor Pursuits Centre is generating heat with an air source heat pump, which is another source of ‘green’ technology. In addition, the Upper and Abington site each have a borehole and water storage tank. This water is used on the sports pitches during the summer months.
“We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and doing all we can to ensure our buildings are sustainable for future generations to enjoy.”
Alison Shakespeare, Perse Bursar
