Five London schools signed up to Ashden’s Let’s Go Zero campaign are set to benefit from the first wave of the Mayor of London’s Greener Schools Fund, helping them slash energy bills, tackle the climate crisis and create healthier, more resilient learning environments.
The announcement reveals that 38 schools will receive tailored support to make their buildings more climate-resilient, with improvements such as insulation, ventilation and efficient heating systems. Among these are five schools engaged with Let’s Go Zero: Elm Court School (Lambeth), Greenleaf Primary School (Waltham Forest), Torriano Primary School (Camden), Lauriston Primary School (Hackney), and Central Park Primary School (Newham).
Two of the schools – Lauriston Primary and Central Park Primary – have been supported by Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisor Holly Campbell, helping them build robust, achievable climate action plans and begin implementing changes.
“Central Park and Lauriston School have both been supported by Let’s Go Zero to write Climate Action Plans and to also start completing many of the actions,” said Holly Campbell.
“Central Park have planted 10 trees in their concrete playground, are in the process of investigating installing 44 solar panels on their roof and have worked with the council to implement a Healthy School Street. Lauriston Primary have signed up to heat health alerts and are hoping to revive their broken ground source heat pump. In both schools, the GLA funding is going to be invaluable in getting the larger infrastructural actions that they need off the ground. We are really looking forward to seeing the benefits this will bring to the schools.”
Shannon Griffin, Sustainability Lead and Year 4 Teacher at Central Park Primary, spoke of the transformative support her school received through Let’s Go Zero:
“Working with a Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisor has been an absolute game changer – one hundred per cent. It’s given me a clear direction; working with Holly and putting it all together into a working document to refer back to, and being able to tick things off with links to access… I absolutely felt like this streamlined and organised everything. I couldn’t recommend the support – and Holly – enough! I’m so glad we signed up. It’s made such a difference.”
Let’s Go Zero is a national campaign led by climate charity Ashden, supporting schools to become zero carbon by 2030. The campaign works with schools, nurseries and colleges across the UK to deliver expert, tailored support through a network of Climate Action Advisors. These advisors help schools access funding, improve energy efficiency, and bring sustainability into every corner of school life – from buildings to biodiversity to lessons. There are now more than 5,870 schools signed up to the Let’s Go Zero campaign, representing the demand to go zero carbon from 2m young people and 311,000 school staff.
Ashden CEO, Ashok Sinha, said: “The Greener Schools Fund is a bold and welcome step forward – this is exactly the kind of investment schools need to deliver real change for people and planet. The fund will pay for measures that will save money on schools’ annual fuel bills that can be reinvested in their pupils’ education, whilst slashing carbon emissions and engaging the wider community on the benefits of going green. Ashden is proud to see so many Let’s Go Zero schools leading the way.”
This funding boost comes at a vital time: UK schools are responsible for over a third of public sector building emissions, and many face mounting energy costs. Programmes like the Greener Schools Fund, paired with the support of Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisors, offer a powerful route to net zero – while supporting pupil wellbeing, resilience and learning.
