Sustainability at MCS: September 2023 Update

As part of our 2030 vision, MCS is committed to becoming a more sustainable school by enhancing our positive impact on the environment.

We have an active Sustainability Committee, which enables staff to contribute to setting policy and become involved in wide range of initiatives designed to encourage best environmental practice at the school. There is also an Eco Club and an Environmental Society for the pupils, which is led by our Sustainability Co-Ordinator.

As was presented to staff at INSET on Monday, the school has three major areas of focus currently:

1.  Trying to create a credible and affordable decarbonisation plan for the estate
2. Sustainable travel
3. Reducing the school’s energy usage

Decarbonisation

We now have a first draft of a decarbonisation strategy, which has been produced in collaboration with building services engineers Max Fordham. The proposed works vary from minor improvements to building fabrics to running arrays for heat pumps under the playground. The next step is for us to work through the proposed strategy with the Governors, before integrating it into the Estate Masterplan.

Sustainable travel

During the previous academic year, we established a new bus partnership with Headington School, which went live on September. With a network of 12 ‘Core Service’ bus routes, the partnership offers a home-to-school solution for pupils who cannot walk, cycle or take public transport. More details can be found here.

Energy reduction

When compared to the 2021-22 academic year, 2022-23 saw a 6.3% reduction in our electricity usage and an 8% reduction in our gas usage.

There are three factors which underlie this exciting improvement in performance:

First, all MCS staff and pupils were challenged to reduce their personal energy consumption over the year, by making sure to turn off lights and unplug chargers when they were not in use. Second, the school has changed the way in which our heating system is managed out of hours and during the holidays, leading to fewer areas being heated during times when it is not necessary. Finally, we have also made some technological improvements across the school, including the installation of energy-efficient LED lighting across the site and a new ground-source heat pump in the Link Building.

If you would like to learn more about sustainability at MCS, please visit our Sustainability page or look at our latest Partnerships and Sustainability Report, which can be found below: