Case Study 1 - Slough Grammar School

Introduction

Slough Grammar School is a Foundation school with a roll of about 1000 pupils. The Business Manager, Jackie Wardle, sits on the relevant management committees and is therefore very involved in running the business side of the school.

From the beginning the Business Manager was able to negotiate substantial reductions from all the utilities. Slough Grammar has a minimal requirement for LEA services, generally finding similar services at a competitive rate from the private sector or even free from parents and governors.

Environmental management within the school

A number of successful projects have been implemented to reduce energy and water consumption. However, an ambitious project to use the school as a recycling hub was not carried out, mainly because the business case was not strong enough.

Slough Grammar is very aware that a good environmental image can be a powerful marketing tool for the school. However, while this aspect helps to promote environmental projects within the school, it is unlikely that money would be invested in projects (such as buying green electricity) that had no other benefits to the school other than improving the environmental image.

The Business Manager estimates that the school needs roughly double the amount allocated by government for repairs and maintenance. Restrictions on borrowing also hamper the school taking a long term view of capital by investing in energy and water efficiency measures. Hence any way that the private sector can offer facilities management - effectively turning revenue spending into capital spending - is welcomed.

Encouraging better environmental performance outside the school

The experience at Slough Grammar has led to the setting up of a consultancy to help local schools improve their business management. This is particularly helpful for primary schools, which are generally too small to be able to afford a dedicated bursar or business manager. There is an environmental content in many of the services which will be offered to schools - mainly assistance in reducing consumption of energy and water. There are also plans to link the schools involved to a centralised building energy management system, so that energy use can be monitored continually. This BEMS may also be linked to a security system.

Curriculum issues

The school business manager can have an influence on the curriculum by helping to make certain part of the curriculum more business led. For environmental education this would involve local businesses and other groups influencing what is taught to produce the skills required for the job market. If the performance of the school building were used as part of the curriculum, the private sector might be persuaded to provide some of the monitoring equipment required.

Taken from "Greening Britain's Schools". Downloadable from www.e4s.org.uk