Location: Moorhouse Lane, Ashington, NE63 9LP
Thomas Bewick
Head of Campus: Mrs J Williamson
Pupils: 200
Consultant: Matt Savill
School background
As part of Bishop’s Primary School and the Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust, we are a one-form entry campus of over 200 pupils with additional provision for the care of two-year-old children. Thomas Bewick is a happy, welcoming and friendly school where each and every child matters and their individual needs are our focus. Our experienced staff make great efforts to create an environment where the children are engaged in a rich curriculum, inspired to learn further, happy and secure at school being surrounded by friends. We provide a stimulating learning environment for the children in our care. Our staff are a committed and dedicated team sharing a rich wealth of expertise and experience. At Thomas Bewick we all want the best for each other so that our children can grow and develop into responsible, knowledgeable and productive citizens.
School’s previous lighting situation
Thomas Bewick was fitted with outdated fluorescent strip lighting that was producing insufficient output and frequently needed replacing. This was quite difficult and time consuming for the school, which meant that there was some time delays in replacing them. This all came at a cost to the school. The lights had fluorescent glare and the starters kept going causing the lights to flicker. All of these things are the types of things that distract students from learning.
“Our school lights used to be really dark, so it used to be to hard to see the books when we were writing so all the window curtains used to have to be up.”
Casey, 10 – Year 6 Thomas Bewick
Funding
The School funded the scheme using The Educational Social Enterprise Fund for LED Lighting. The ‘Social Enterprise Fund’ enables schools to install LED Lighting, lower energy costs and reduce their carbon footprint without having to find the upfront capital to purchase the equipment. By simply paying an annual lease amount the scheme generates cash surpluses for the school from day one to be reinvested in educating disadvantaged children. There are no capital costs to the school and the lease repayments are made from the savings, there will always be a surplus left for the school after the lease payments are covered.
End Result
Thomas Bewick had nearly 200 fluorescent lights replaced with LEDs, They now benefit from improved classroom lighting which creates an enhanced learning and teaching environment. The school also has reduced energy consumption and requires zero hours of maintenance time changing lamps.
We are delighted that work was able to start on this fantastic project and the Trust has been pleased to be able to work with Renewable Solutions Lighting to make it happen.
Our Trust is committed to making the Ashington area a greener, more environmentally friendly town and these LED lights will help us save a significant amount on our energy bills, as well as provide a brighter and healthier environment to learn and teach in.Alison Alden, Director of Finance and Central Services
