Sustainability

Muntham House School is embarking on work with Let’s Go Zero, a sustainability charity, to adapt our policies and practices to make the school more sustainable in the future.  The school has involved pupils in this project to raise their awareness of recycling and the environment.  

Historically, the school has always sought to do things in a sustainable way, but it has been as a consequence of other decisions, not a decision in its own right.  For example, if we were ever to build a new space in school, such as the recent Muntham Café building, then we would want to build it sustainably.  The school has also completed previous work, resulting in the Eco-Schools Distinction Award in 2024-25.

Things we have done in the past include installing LED lights throughout the school, planting a Jubilee orchard, adding Forest School, Horticulture, and the Farm to our curriculum, and installing double glazing in the main school building.

We are now going further and have created a Sustainability Working Group and identified a list of projects that are driving sustainability.   Working with staff and pupils, we have identified four pillars and over 20 projects that support them.

Pillars:   

·        Decarbonisation

·        Adaptation and Resilience

·        Biodiversity

·        Climate Education & Green Skills

Analysis of our carbon footprint shows where we have the biggest opportunities to make a difference, and we will prioritise actions for staff and pupil to address.  It has been noticeable to see pupils becoming more interested and considerate about their environment, and just how important

Our biggest ambition for the current year is to install Solar panels on school roofs to generate power for our own use in term time and to sell back to the National Grid in school holidays.  Plans are well advanced and will be presented to the School Governors in January 2026.  We plan to be operational after the Easter 2026 school holidays.

Other activities planned for this school year include wider recycling, more water butts to capture rainwater, a more diverse planting on school land, light switch monitors, better transport planning and management, and seeking more local suppliers.  This is just the start, and we will update this page with more news throughout the year.

It has been worthwhile to involve and educate pupils during this process to develop their environmental knowledge and understanding.  It has been powerful to see our pupils become more environmentally considerate and aware of the positive effects recycling can have.