Engaging pupils, teachers and governors in the science, engineering and technology of carbon neutral schools

The project will work with teachers, governors, pupils, building designers, researchers and policy makers in Leicester over two academic years to engage with them in the science, engineering and technology of carbon neutral schools. Leicester is the UK's first Environment City and has a long history of carrying out energy efficiency improvement work and installing renewable energy technologies. It is in the first wave of the national programme Building Schools for the Future which will refurbish all the city's 17 secondary schools in a 220 million programme. Leicester is also unique in that most of its schools have intelligent metering to read the electricity, gas and water consumption every half hour. The project will address the science, engineering and technology of energy efficiency and renewable energy in school design and operation through training courses, hands on activities, visits and a dialogue between pupils and both building energy experts and policy makers. It will focus on the schools that are being rebuilt in Leicester as part of the Building Schools for the Future initiative. There would be two main areas of engagement, firstly between the pupils and the energy experts from the project partners and secondly between pupils and policy makers from Leicester City Council and the Department for Children, Schools and Families.The pupils will experience practical energy related projects. These will include:discussions on thermal performance, ventilation, daylighting and appliance use in school buildings,visits to sustainable buildings , workshops with building energy experts, researchers and policy makers relating to their school building,multimedia presentation work and role play, building small scale renewable energy models and investigating the siting of wind turbines,computer simulation,analysing electricity gas, water and temperature data.This will stimulate teacher and pupil interest in future energy use and inspire them through hands on experience of sustainable energy projects. They will be able to explain the role of thermal insulation, daylighting, ventilation, electrical appliance use and renewable energy in buildings to both policy makers and the wider school community. The pupils will engage with young researchers, so hopefully being inspired to think about a career in science and engineering. The project will also analyse the post occupancy performance of the four low energy schools currently being built, so helping to determine whether predicted energy and water consumption reductions have been achieved. Finally the pupils will engage with the policy makers (the Leader of Leicester City Council and the other senior decision makers involved in the BSF process). This will then inform the design and operation of the new schools being built in Leicester and also inform the DCSF about the design and operation of new school buildings to maximise environmental sustainability.Evaluation is a key part of the project. On-line questionnaires will be completed by participants before, during and after the engagement. The results of these evaluations will be disseminated at BSF and other events that will take place over the next three years. It will help inform the national BSF programme development.