Double Silver at the Green Apple Awards!

West Buckland School is proud to announce that we have won two International Green Apple Environment Awards, recognising both our energy reduction programme and our whole-school approach to sustainability. Out of more than 1,600 global applications, only 200 organisations were honoured, and we were the sole school represented at the prestigious ceremony at the House of Lords. We are also the first UK boarding school to receive a Green Apple Award in its 30-year history – a landmark achievement for our community.

From biomass boilers and solar energy to planting over 4,000 trees and cultivating wildflower meadows, our commitment to sustainability runs deep. Initiatives such as Green Futures Day, food waste reduction, and our first Sustainability Festival highlight how eco-conscious education is embedded in school life. This recognition not only celebrates our achievements but also inspires our students to embrace sustainable values that will shape their future studies and lives.

Biomass Heating

The school currently has 10 Biomass boilers serving the Swimming Pool, Main School Building, Orchard-Lisle, Langholme, Delderfield, Old Gymnasium, Parkers, Bamfylde and Boyer, Prep School and some residential properties.

Sustainable Buildings

150 Building

The 150 Arts and Drama building is RIBA award winning, designed to be highly environmentally sustainable and energy efficient. The facility is mainly a glulam construction with significantly dense walls to insulate and retain heat in winter and cool in the summer.

Sustainable Buildings

Parker’s Boarding House and Morpurgo Library

The buildings were constructed with sustainability in mind, utilising the latest technology in line with the Passivhaus concept to control underfloor heating, controlled lighting and air ventilation allied to the biomass energy production.

Solar Panels

Solar Roof Panels were installed in 2004 and the ground mounted PV Array System was installed in 2023. They have a maximum combined peak potential output of 410kWp.

Our aim is to align the school with UK Paris Agreement undertakings to achieve an absolute reduction of carbon emissions of 40% within the school by 2030.

Green Futures Day

Every year, the whole school is involved in Green Futures Day – a day dedicated to Sustainability – learning in action, with Creative Arts for a Greener Future.

Previous projects have included:

• Textile art inspired by Spanish artist Vanessa Barragao and a Devon bank.
• EcoSTEM with Building a Green Minecraft World, Calculating a Carbon Footprint and Bumblebee survey.
• Performing Arts and the Planet: Environmentally-themed creative animation, Poetry and story-telling by renowned author Joseph Witchall exploring conservation and nature plus Environmental-devised theatre.

Pledge for Nature Winner

We are so proud of every student’s contribution to our sustainability within our community. Special mention goes to Juliette, who was awarded the Pledge For Nature Award Winner in May 2023 – the esteemed UNESCO Biosphere Nature Pledge Award.

Juliette was one of our environmental prefects in 2023, leading assemblies on sustainability and co-ordinating tree planting of 320 new trees. She also led the inaugural second-hand clothes sale. Her EPQ focused on evaluating sustainable alternatives to plastic food packaging, demonstrating her extensive knowledge and dedication to finding eco-friendly solutions – a true Climate Champion!

MaD Monday

Make A Difference Monday is a day when students engage in community-focused projects, to improve wellbeing both within the school community and out in the local community.

This includes conservation and gardening work in the school grounds. We supply cut flowers to local residential homes. Students also design and implement initiatives to support local charities.

Prep School Gardening and Conservation Club

Conservation work and awareness is a through-school application.

Our Sixth Formers provide guidance and support to prep students, who enjoy picking beautiful flowers to take home and sampling homegrown cucumbers, tomatoes, chard and even a chilli. This collaborative approach between Sixth Formers and Prep fosters community spirit, teamwork and a shared passion for sustainability.

Our Schools, Our World Conference

‘Our Schools, Our World’ is being rolled out to five hubs around the country – Devon being the first due to the shared status of the UNESCO Brighton Biosphere and the UNESCO North Devon Biosphere.

West Buckland School joined the Our Schools, Our World project supported by Planet and People and Let’s Go Zero, hosting the first conference in October 2024, where 22 schools across Devon and Cornwall were represented by Headteachers, Governors, Sustainability Leads and Business Managers who attended sessions exploring Leadership for Change, Greening the Curriculum and Business Management working towards net zero.

Coastal field trips

In summer of year 12 A-level biology and Applied Science studets visit Braunton Burrows UNESCO biosphere reserve. With the assistance of eminent local botanist Mary Breeds students study the process of succession on the internationally recognised sand dune system. Students are introduced to the huge biodiversity and conservation of the site whilst conducting ecological fieldwork.

In year 13 A-level biology students design their own investigations into the rocky shore ecosystem at Lee Bay near Ilfracombe. Lee Bay is a beautiful site with fabulous intertidal habitats that make an excellent ecological study site.