Ashden Winners

Cassop Primary School / Sustainable energy in a rural school

Area of work:

Renewable Energy, Sustainable Buildings

Region: UK

Awards Year: 2006

Play Video

Cassop School’s 2006 Ashden Award recognised its achievement in using, and learning from, sustainable energy technology.

Cassop Primary is a village school in County Durham. It has successfully used sustainable energy technology within its premises, and integrated the understanding gained into the curriculum and ethos of the school.

A 50kW wind turbine was installed in the grounds in 1998, producing about 50MWh per year of electricity.

Six other schools visit Cassop School each term to take part in energy and environmental activities.

In 2006, 96 pupils benefited from the additional energy education in the curriculum.

"We're not producing as much CO2, as if we were using coal because all we're doing is putting the CO2 that was in the tree to start with, back into the air."

Tom Hobbs, pupil

The school

Cassop Primary is a village school in County Durham. It has successfully used sustainable energy technology within its premises, and integrated the understanding gained into the curriculum and ethos of the school. The sustainability programme began in 1995, with light bulbs replaced by compact fluorescents, a recycling drive and installation of cavity wall insulation.

Update: what happened next?

Cassop used its Ashden Award funds towards the refurbishment and equipment of a classroom as a dedicated sustainable energy centre, for use by Cassop pupils and visiting schools.