Ernulf students attend environmental event in Parliament

++ St Neots pupils meet MPs to help schools become ‘net-zero’++

Two students from Ernulf Academy in St Neots visited the Houses of Parliament earlier this month, meeting MPs, fellow students and representatives, at a ‘Teach the Future’ and ‘Let’s Go Zero’ Parliamentary Reception, organised to discuss the decarbonisation of schools. Ernulf students Dylan and Edward, chair and vice chair on the school’s eco-committee, were invited to attend the prestigious event, attended by a small number of other schools. As part of the ‘Let’s Go Zero’ campaign, the students, accompanied by Vice Principal Cheney Payne and Astrea Academy Trust’s Sustainability lead Rob Chambers, attended a Parliamentary reception at the Houses of Parliament.

The idea behind the meeting was to gather cross party support from all the major political parties to agree to spend substantially more money in updating school buildings, retrofitting, repairing and rebuilding to a twenty first century ‘green’ standard, in order to decarbonise schools. Campaigners and stakeholders are aiming for schools to become net zero, or not contribute any more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, by the year 2030.

Eco-committee chair Dylan, and vice-chair Edward, met St Neots’ MP Ian Sollom, talking to him about the challenges that schools face in retrofitting, that is updating buildings to a more modern fuel efficient design, rebuilding and repairing older school buildings. The students spoke to the St Neots MP about the essential need for public funding, to support the decarbonisation of schools.

Dylan, a year 11 student, said: “It was an amazing opportunity to be invited to discuss the state of our schools with local government representatives in such a prestigious building”.

Edward, a year 9 student, added: “It was great to meet so many like-minded people and discuss how we could adapt our schools to be more environmentally friendly.”

Thomas Fisher, principal at Ernulf Academy said:

“What an amazing experience for our Ernulf students. Many thanks to Cheney Payne and Rob Chambers for organising and facilitating our representatives from the school eco-committee, who were brilliant ambassadors for Ernulf at the Houses of Parliament.”

Richard Tutt, Director of Secondary Education for Astrea Academy Trust said:

“This is a brilliant example of developing student leadership and giving our students a voice, at a national level. Our Astrea GoGreen strategy is important not only environmentally but for our students and their future as well. I hope that more of our students across our academies will have the chance to take part in such important discussions. Many congratulations to Dylan and Edward in stepping up and talking so confidently to people at this House of Commons event.”

All schools in the Astrea Academy Trust are signed up to the ‘Let’s Go Zero’ pledge, a national campaign for all schools to be net zero carbon emitters by 2030.