Before half term, our Eco group met with our Director of Estates, Mr McKenna, to talk about the possibility of installing solar panels for cleaner, renewable energy at Abingdon Prep School. The pupils were presented with a challenge: they were given maps showing possible roof spaces which could accommodate solar panels and asked to consider the advantages and disadvantages of each site. The children reflected on the angle of the sun, any overlooking obstructions, how well used the area was in terms of construction, as well as whether the roof was strong enough to sustain the panel weight. They then presented their findings to Mr McKenna who was very impressed with the careful consideration and reasoning behind their recommendation to build the panels in ‘location three’ and discussed when this could realistically happen for the school. This has been a super activity giving the Eco group insight into how planning decisions and processes work, as well as time frames and varying constraints.
