WMCCE held a Workshop on Thursday 24th June 2010 as part of a project it is developing with the West Midlands Climate Change Partnership on Best Practice in Adapting Schools to Climate Change.

Delegates from leading construction companies and local authorities engaged in school building heard from Julie Fay the Regional Climate Change Coordinator why it is vital to adapt to Climate Change
             
WMCCE’s Sustainability Advisor John Sharpe explained that Climate Change in the form of increased summer temperatures, increased flooding and more severe storms will affect many aspects of the built environment, including external building fabric, structural integrity, drainage and human comfort. These are likely to have knock-on consequences for operating costs, profits and rates of return.

The West Midlands has two best practice examples of schools which have adapted to Climate Change, Whitecross High School, Hereford and Redhill School Worcester.

Richard Wakeford is a Director of Stepnell Ltd who built Whitecross High School under a PFI contract and he told delegates that the climate change risks showed up in environmental and running cost considerations which led to decisions and actions against climate change impacts. In particular, the increasing pressure on the control of summertime overheating in the classroom led to measures to adapt to the risk of higher temperatures which has an adverse effect on levels of pupils’ concentration and productivity.

Redhill School Worcester has created a Quality Learning Environment by adapting to Climate Change and Jane Long the Head Teacher said that the pupils had gained so much from being involved in the design and running of the school building.

Delegates agreed that it was essential to use the PFI programme to adapt Schools to Climate Change.  Carillion is a leading contractor engaged in PFI in Schools and Paul Russell, a  Director of Carillion, said that Climate Change considerations in PFI Schools concentrates overwhelmingly on Carbon Reduction rather than Climate Change Adaptation.  He went on to explain the real benefits which would arise if of Schools were designed and built with Climate Change adaptation as a priority.
             
WMCCE will summarise the output from the Workshop in a report and the Coalition Government’s Review of the school building programme presents an opportunity for implementation.