Earl of Wessex opens Exeter’s Greenest school

The Earl of Wessex officially opened Exeter’s Greenest school today.

 

His Royal Highness visited Montgomery Primary in St Thomas which has been formally certified as England’s first zero-carbon school.

 

His Royal Highness spent over an hour touring the building and chatting to pupils, staff, parents and governors.

 

He said: “Thank you for inviting me and sharing what you are doing in your school

 

“Its a fantastic and brilliant school." 

 

And he told the children: “Make the most of it and have fun.”

 

The Devon County Council school is one of the Greenest buildings in the UK and generates all its own electricity – and a surplus – from an array of solar panels on the roof. 

 

The innovative, air-tight Passivhaus design means it doesn’t need a boiler to provide heating.

 

For most of the time, the building is warmed by the body heat of pupils and staff and the thick insulation keeps it cool in summer and warm in winter.

 

Montgomery is believed to be the first school in Europe to be both Passivhaus and zero-carbon.

 

Headteacher Martyn Boxall said: “We were delighted that HRH The Earl of Wessex came to visit our school and opened the building.

 

“He toured the school and heard about teaching and learning at Montgomery School.

 

“He saw lessons in action and talked to children as they worked.

 

“The Earl also met some of the people involved in the design and construction of the building.”

 

Earlier this year inspectors from the school standards agency Ofsted said there was no ceiling to what pupils at Montgomery could achieve.

 

They said the rapid improvements in pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching in the last two years meant Montgomery was a good school with outstanding features.

 

And, they said, it had ‘undoubted capacity’ to get even better over the next few years because of the outstanding leadership and management.

 

“This is a good school,” they said. “All groups of pupils make good progress throughout the school.

 

“Teachers have high expectations of pupils and plan interesting tasks that excite and motivate them.”

 

The curriculum was outstanding and motivated and stimulated pupils to achieve their best and to apply their developing skills.

 

The inspectors said pupils were proud of their new school and keen to keep it in good order.

 

“They enjoy telling visitors about the building’s eco-friendly and sustainable features, such as the use of solar panels to generate electricity,” they said.

 

Exciting developments were now taking place in the curriculum because of a variety of opportunities presented by the new accommodation.

 

The Ofsted report praised the dynamism of Mr Boxall, who joined the school in September 2010.

 

“Leaders and managers at all levels place the improvement of teaching and pupils’ achievement at the heart of their work,” it said. 

 

“A notable feature of the school is the energy and enthusiasm with which (they) drive improvements in teaching and pupils’ achievement.

 

”To quote a member of staff: ‘There is no ceiling to attainment at Montgomery’.”

 

The governing body had worked diligently with staff to bring about improvement, said the inspectors. 

 

They also ensured that the good after-school club provided safe, high quality childcare with a range of activities that children enjoyed.

 

To see photos of HRH The Earl of Wessex' visit to RAMM see http://www.theexeterdaily.co.uk/news/local-news/hrh-earl-wessex-gives-royal-seal-approval-ramm