Vale leads the way as all new schools in Wales now to be net zero Carbon 

Rob Thomas, Paula Ham, and Kelly Williams, were alongside Education and Welsh Language Minister Jeremy Miles yesterday as he announced that all new school and college buildings in Wales, including major refurbishment and extension projects, will be required to meet net zero carbon targets from 01 January 2022.

02 November, 2021

The announcement was made at the new Llancarfan Primary School, in Rhoose, and this was no coincidence as this school, which is being developed by our 21st Century Schools team, will be the first carbon neutral school in Wales when it opens next year.  

Construction began last November and is due to be completed early in 2022, by which time there will be two other net zero carbon schools under construction in the Vale of Glamorgan.

To help reduce its emissions the school includes its own on-site power generation and battery storage. 

The project team have also developed teaching resources that will provide an insight into the net-zero carbon agenda, which provides a tangible link between the technology in their new school and how this affects the environment around them.

Through our Project Zero we are contributing to a national agenda to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050. 

Rob Thomas, Managing Director, attended the visit and said:

“I’m so proud that a Vale of Glamorgan Council project is being recognised and replicated on a national scale. We’ve well and truly set the bar on this one. 

"Da iawn to all of the officers involved in our 21st century schools programme, which truly is innovative in many ways.”

Paula Ham, Director of Learning and Skills, added

“We are incredibly proud to be opening Wales’ first net zero school here in the Vale of Glamorgan, and to have two others planned.

“It has been designed not only to provide a building that reduces our carbon output but one that will provide a first-class learning environment for pupils to learn about their impact on the environment. 

“We’re delighted that ISG construction have also managed to keep their carbon footprint to a minimum during the build, using local suppliers and being conscious about the materials they’re using. This is a model that we will take forward for all future schools in the Vale of Glamorgan”.