Business manager meeting findings

 Sustainability interview questions – after meeting notes

Below are the notes written up from notes and discussion made during the interview with the business manager regarding the topic of sustainability in our school - an example of a British secondary school.

Sustainability

As a whole, do you feel this school is sustainable?

The school is not sustainable

 

Do you think more could be done to manage this?

Yes, Reusable energy could be considered

Large areas such as the serveries and the hall lose lots of heat

Do you feel it Should be the responsibility of staff, students or both to manage sustainability?

Everybody should be responsible for being sustainable

Ideas should be put forward by everyone such as having student council involvement

electricity

How much on average does the school spend on electricity per annum?

Electricity budget is £95000/annum

Gas budget is £60000/annum

Total of £155000 budgeted for energy per annum.

Are there any systems in place to reduce electricity usage?

Timer controls on heating as they do not come on outside of school hours-hence why it is always colder on a Monday as the heating has not had time to regulate itself. As well, the heating is still run throughout summer, on a low setting to cut down on maintenance costs as completely switching off could cause leaks or damaged pipework 

All the lights are turned off every night at 6.30 manually as caretakers lock up, apart from emergency lighting.

 

If not, is there anything that could be put in place to reduce this?

Automated shutdowns of equipment are something that could be used as IT equipment, such as projectors are teacher responsibility as because Mitie do not own the IT equipment they are not legally allowed to touch the equipment, preventing them being switched off.

Waste

Do you feel that enough is being done to manage recycling?

No- due to Covid 19 interruption, the separation of recycling has stopped.

A separation of recycling requires additional framework and cost.

 Material Separation bins are being looked into for the social areas.

Would you say that this is managed sustainably?

Not at the moment, however it is being looked back into at Mitie meetings

 

Do you feel paper recycling in particular could be managed more effectively?

Yes, paper recycling could be managed more effectively through the cutting down of printed resources.

Recycling much of the waste internally is not possible however, due to the safe disposal of personal documents, however these are shredded and sent for recycling.

Printing is also not good as it occurs financial costs as well as environmental costs as printers require ink, which contains a lot of chemicals, as well as the amount of paper used and production costs associated.

One way we are trying to cut this down is by sending only the important letters home and using e-mail and online letters as an alternative for routine communications.

 

Heating

Do you feel that the heating in school is used appropriately?

Not at current as covid 19 rules and regulations has meant having doors and windows open. Because of this, in winter it has been operating at full capacity to try to override the cold air and keep it at a reasonable temperature within the rights staff and students have in the Workplace heath, welfare and safety regulations act 1992.

 

If so, do you feel that it is regulated in a way that Is sustainable?

It will be regulated sustainably after covid as the school has been aiming to save money and not waste  it

Water

What types of water management (If any) are used in school?

Staff urinals have sensors so they only flush after it has been used to save water.

Non water urinals have also been installed in red social areas to prevent flushing, however these are required to be fully flushed every day which defeats the object of this concept as well as them giving off an unpleasant smell

Rainwater collection is also a big part of water management as this is collected and used to flush toilets

Having push taps and taps with sensors helps to reduce this water consumption as they are not able to be left on.

 

Do you feel like they help to reduce the waste of water?

Yes, in particular the taps are helping to reduce the waste of water as students cannot leave them on to waste water.

 

Buildings

Do you feel the buildings are currently sustainable?

No- the building is not currently sustainable. It is better than some older schools but not great in terms of modern sustainability requirements and standards.

Heat in particular is a concern as retaining heat in open spaces in particular such as the serveries is difficult. 

 

If not, do you feel they are apt for becoming sustainable?

Lots could be done to make the site sustainable.

Retaining heat is a way to make it more sustainable as well as implementing waste management and the framework for separating this waste as this is an area in particular that needs to be addressed

Renewable energy is also something that would be considered as an option as this would be effective especially within the community as the large roof space and large open field space provides adequate room for the infrastructure needed, however this plan as a whole is not able to go ahead at current due to funding but also legally not being allowed to use the roof space as the roof does not yet belong to school itself until the agreement runs out in 6 years-time. Placing them on the ground is also a problem as they would be targets for vandalism and could be at risk of damage.

Developing the school site further is another way that could be considered as increasing pupil numbers means extra space is required. This would be a major catalyst for change for the school as it would give itself responsibility for ensuring new methods are taken on by designers such as lighting sensors and automatic switch off functions as this would save time of caretaker staff and cost of running the building, all while having a positive impact on the environment and sustainability of the school. – these ideas may be adapted as different perceptions are sought on by developers, architects and everyday staff members

General summary questions

Referring to the current DEC score of D(83), what could be done to reduce this in the future?

There are many ways that this could be reduced, however are subject to the same issues faced before with ownership of the buildings.

Cutting down on current covid 19 procedures will also help as not having to ventilate the building will mean heating costs could be reduced significantly as it would not have to be on as long and on full blast.

A water heating pump system is also something that could reduce the DEC score as this would be very effective and take up minimal room on the large amount of green space surrounding the buildings.

 

Other than costs and funding, which large numbers of solutions require, are there any other factors that limit the level of sustainability in schools?

There are many other factors that limit this level of desired sustainability.

Financial control is a key factor again in this situation as due to the building being owned by a private financial investment (PFI)

Government priority has a major part to play as government funding is split between multiple public services such as hospitals and schools meaning money is being directed where most appropriate, leaving school funding often last in line. - a question could be asked here is what priority do schools have?

Involvement in schools managed and owned by PFI’s, authority and trusts may mean capital is not being directed into the right places.

 

Extra context

Electricity currently on a fixed tariff agreed in March 2021. This is a value that is hoping not to rise after the price fix is expired

Schools cannot go bankrupt, so electricity costs cannot exceed a particular level, especially outside of budgeted costs.

Although the school has been able to gain a surplus in cash, rare in many schools, however future energy costs may lead this value to become a deficit again

Cutting down trees around the school may cause flooding as well as damage to the environment due to water not being absorbed.

Hall and servery area have underfloor heating

Design of school not well considered due to toilets next to and above serveries (future leaks may get in food areas)

Some toilets taken out of order to help manage flow of water and waste around school

PFI or private financial investment is a benefit as good relations with Mitie means the school is managed and in good condition for when the ownership is handed to the school

waste collected by an external contactor every 2 weeks