• Insulating pipework and lofts – most accessible areas are now insulated.
• Secondary glazing of 158 windows (while being sensitive to Grade II listing).
• Installing LED lighting – ongoing programme throughout whole school.
• Swimming Pool cover – paid for itself in energy cost savings within a year.
• Adjustments to machinery to increase operational efficiency, e.g. pump inverters.
• Overhauling the water treatment system, saving electricity and eliminating waste.
• Refurbishment of the Laundry to use more efficient machinery, remove dry cleaning machine and convert from oil to LPG.
• Working with our catering contractor, Chartwells - food waste goes to the Adnams biodigester, and oil to the Olleco scheme. Sustainably sourced non-plastic disposables are used when reusable tableware cannot be, for example, during the October 2019 replacement of the dishwasher for a more efficient model.
• Purozo Stabilised Aqueous Ozone (SAO) for cleaning. This replaced 80% of cleaning chemicals used up to August 2020. The units produce aqueous ozone solution created from clean water, and which reverts to water after 24hrs, so there is no chemical waste. All containers are reusable, and there is no packaging, production and transport from buying chemicals. The filter used to create the SAO is recycled by Purozo at the end of its life.

Our work since 2019 has been hampered somewhat by Covid, as we have not been able to maintain our carbon log but we are committed to renewing this status over the coming years. 'Small Changes, Big Impact' is the Eco Committee’s next focus, looking at how everyone can make positive changes to live more sustainably. These include: 

• Waste generated has increased in recent years. Day to day waste from the running of the business has not increased, but that generated by refurbishment works, which integrate energy efficiencies, have created a temporary increase in our ‘waste footprint’. This will decrease in future years as major projects decrease.
• More efficient and dynamic staff working practices, coupled with several major projects have increased vehicle use, and an increased range of off-site activities, increasing pupil transport, have seen a gradual rise in diesel and petrol consumption in recent years. Three electric vehicles have been added to the fleet, but unfortunately the purchase of more electric vans fit for purpose proved unaffordable.
• Planning permission has been approved for solar panels on one of the non-listed buildings, to be completed as soon as funding is available. Work continues with the Eco Committee and Chartwells to eliminate single-use plastic in packed lunches, and ‘Meat Free Mondays’ seeks to highlight the issue of mass-produced meat and cut down the volume of it in the school menu.