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KES SUSTAINABILITY
With big ambitions and an all-encompassing plan for the future, the KES Sustainability Strategy is at the heart of everything we do at school, from the food we eat and the new facilities we build, to the energy we consume, and the career advice offered to our sixth formers.
Our pupils take a leading role in setting our strategy, working closely with members of the Senior Management and Estates and Facilities teams alongside staff as part of the Sustainability Committee.
Our Sustainability Strategy embraces six key areas of school life:
- The ENERGY we consume
- The FOOD we eat
- Our WASTE MANAGEMENT policies
- How we tend and preserve our BIODIVERSITY/GROUNDS
- Our approach to TRANSPORT to and at school
- The embedding of sustainability in our CURRICULUM
For many years, KES pupils and staff have added strong voices to initiatives such as the Environmental Action Group and the B&NES Youth Climate Summit. I am delighted that they are again helping to lead on ambitious projects that will help both the School and current and future generations of pupils to reflect on and tackle the climate challenges that we are facing.”
Martin J BodenHeadmaster
OUR progress
With a clear vision for the future, KES is making significant progress in realising its sustainable targets. Recent initiatives across our six pillars include:
- The installation of solar panels at the School’s North Road campus which now provide nearly 40% of the site’s energy.
- The School is also committed to reducing private car travel associated with the School and is continually reviewing its school-run bus routes and other initiatives to support pupils, parents and staff alike as we seek to achieve this objective. As an example, the School has recently expanded its very successful ‘cycle to work’ scheme which supports our employees in purchasing new bikes, including e-bikes, for their daily commute.
- The School’s next major development – a new Academic and Pastoral building for the Senior School - has also been designed to ensure that it is ‘net zero carbon’ in use. We are also working to continually improve the energy efficiency of all of our buildings across the School’s estate and have successfully achieved reductions in our carbon emissions for the last three years in a row.
- A food procurement policy mindful of waste, food miles and origin, for example, all dairy is organic and sourced within a 20-mile radius of KES. All meat is Red Tractor certified (as a minimum) and sourced from local producers. All eggs are free-range and locally sourced. Fish is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council to ensure sustainability. Wherever we can, vegetables and fruit are sourced from local producers and are seasonal, where possible. All tea is Ethical Tea Partnership certified and all coffee Fairtrade certified. Where palm oil is included in bought in items, the ingredient must be from a certified sustainable source.
- Where possible, all food waste is separated from other waste and composted. King Edward’s is also committed to drastically reducing its food packaging and single use plastic. We no longer use pre-packaged food in our serveries and all single use plastic items have been replaced by a sustainable alternative.
- All Estates and Facilities road vehicles used by the North Road site are being replaced with Electric alternatives.
- Co-curricular clubs including the Environmental Action Group in the Senior School and Eco Warriors in the Junior School lead pupil-led action within school eg the construction and enhancement of animal habitats within the school campus, whilst Forest School and curriculum topics in our Pre-Prep and Nursery help build understanding of environmental issues at an early age.
- Looking ahead to life beyond KES, our student careers programme promotes opportunities within the sustainability sector and a recent Green Careers Convention saw experts speak to our Sixth Form about their experiences working in the environmental industry.
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