Judges at the 2023 Milton Keynes Education Awards hail Glebe Farm School and Inspiring Futures through Learning (IFtL) for their environmental and sustainability initiative, showcasing a vision of the future of education that prioritizes eco-consciousness and community engagement
“Our winner is delivering today a glimpse of what the future of all schools could and should be into the 21st century and beyond”.
This was the feedback from judges of the 2023 Milton Keynes Education Awards as Glebe Farm School and Inspiring Futures through Learning (IFtL) scooped the Environmental and Sustainability Award.
The Environmental and Sustainability Award, one of 11 categories, sought to “recognise an individual or a team that is on a mission to save the planet, someone who is engaging students and members of school staff in their mission and who is inspiring positive change in the school community and beyond”.
In a glittering ceremony at the Double Tree by Hilton in Milton Keynes, hosted at Eamonn Homes, Glebe Farm School and IFtL beat off fierce competition to win the award for their “flagship environmental and sustainability initiative”.
Glebe Farm School, which opened its doors in September 2022, is an all-through school where children can enter at reception and stay all the way through to Year 11. There is also a 39-place full-time equivalent nursery.
The whole site is designed to have a minimal impact on the environment. Glebe Farm School is gas free, with Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs) used instead. The ASHP system is set up to provide continued heating and hot water if any of the units fail – there are five systems in total – and there is no back-up access to fossil fuels. All lighting comes from ultra-efficient LEDs whilst hundreds of solar panels generate power.
Energy-saving technology such as zero carbon site hoarding and an onsite solar powered generator were employed during the build by Morgan Sindall Construction, minimising any impacts on the local environment. In the school’s grounds, 840 saplings donated by the Woodland Trust have been planted. All mulch and topsoil have been reused and the levels of the ground carefully redesigned and raised to accommodate this additional material. In operation, this now saves 40 tons of CO2 each year.
The school’s approach to the involvement, and learning, of staff and students around environmental sustainability was also a focus of the nomination. It has embedded a code of conduct called “The Glebe Way”, which sets out a list of behaviours and responsibilities that it expects all pupils to follow to build on the environmental ethos of the school, include environmental and social responsibility as well as pupils taking responsibility for their learning.
Each house within the school is named after a current or historical figure felt to reflect that ethos, from Tessa Khan to David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg. These well-known figures were chosen not only for their environmental acumen and influence but also for the broader values that their stories and lives may inspire in Glebe’s young pupils. There is even a bike installed on campus that can children can pedal to add energy to the school grid, so they understand how that energy is developed.
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