Check out our new green credentials!

We're pleased and excited to announce the sedum roof of our new Sports Centre has now been laid and photovoltaic panels have been installed onto the roof of the Sixth Form Centre!

So what is a sedum roof and what are the benefits to the environment? A sedum roof is a type of living green roof. A green roof is a layer of vegetation that is added to a conventional roof surface.

Green roofs improve the quality of water and it is possible to use this run off rain for other uses (for example flushing toilets). They can also significantly reduce the need for air conditioning and can provide a degree of insulation in the winter. They improve air quality as the vegetation helps to reduce both gaseous pollutants and dust particles by removing a proportion of them from the immediate environment.

And a photovoltaic panel? Solar panel electricity systems capture the sun's energy using photovoltaic cells and convert the sunlight into electricity. Electricity can still be generated on a cloudy day since these cells do not require sunlight to work. The panels have been mounted onto the roof of the Sixth Form Centre and the electricity generated will feed into our new Sports Centre. This will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint as solar energy doesn't release harmful carbon dioxide or other pollutants! Any excess that the School doesn't use will be fed back into the National Grid. The solar panels which cost £50,000 to install will provide a £220,000 return on investment over their life expectancy of 25 years and are expected to pay for themselves within 6 years.