Headteacher blog 22/1/2021

We had very disappointing news today with confirmation that our bid for a six figure chunk of the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (for air source heat pumps and a big solar installation) has been unsuccessful. Almost all Leeds’ bids were rejected as they couldn’t be completed by March 31st. Given that the fund was only announced in October, and are subject to things like tendering processes and surveys, how did they expect them to be completed in such a timescale? Schools, in particular, can typically only have significant works in the summer holiday.  Our bid apparently met every other criteria so we hope to be included in any extension to the scheme and I will lobby to this effect. I wonder how much of the £1bn announcement will actually be spent under these conditions? I am determined to markedly improve the school’s environmental performance this calendar year, and I hope to be at the front of the queue if further monies are found or the scheme is extended.

More positively, we have had a relatively calm and successful week at school: no late night announcements from the prime minister, no dumps of snow and no positive cases of COVID reported. A neighbouring primary school has been hit hard with 21 confirmed cases this month; this reiterates the need to minimise numbers in school where we can and continue to implement strong hygiene and social distancing measures in school. I don’t see schools returning to full capacity any time soon and we are apparently getting two weeks’ notice of when it will be implemented. Whilst the 12 hour notice of school partial closure was ridiculously short, two weeks’ notice for re-opening seems excessively long (our biggest issue would probably be ordering sufficient food, and that would only take a couple of days).  If the minister is true to his word, then any decision to re-open schools after February half term will need to be made by Monday 8th February.