Rebuilt school 'one of first to be carbon neutral'

A rebuilt infant school in Leicester is now one of the UK's first carbon neutral schools, according to the Department for Education (DfE).

The new £14m Catherine Infant School, built as part of the DfE's School Rebuilding Programme, features air source heat pumps, solar panels, heat recovery and solar-powered wind catchers, alongside a natural ventilation system.

The Belgrave school will create more energy than it needs in the summer, according to builders Galliford Try.

Demolition of the old building was completed in March as part of the scheme to update outdated buildings and the area where it stood has been landscaped.

Head teacher Mitesh Madhaw, 38, said: "I feel very lucky, as do the teachers here, that we can teach in such a beautiful environment compared to our old school which was falling apart.

"We've got amazing facilities, new classrooms, breakout rooms, a specialist unit for children with autism, large outdoor grounds, a double sports pitch, and a beautiful sports hall as well."

Bill Flannigan, 60, a contracts manager at Galliford Try - which worked on the rebuild for two years - said it had a special ceremony to mark the moment it removed the school's gas supply.

He added: "One of the first things we did was knock down the old school.

"We had a cut the gas ceremony with all the kids which they really enjoyed. It was the last time there was any gas coming into the school.

"Thanks to solar panels, the school will generate more electricity than it uses throughout the whole school year."

Georgie, six, and Eliana, seven, were two of the children chosen to cut the ribbon on the new school building.

Eliana said: "I like that it has bigger windows so we can see outside. The library is also very, very big and there's lots of stuffed animals."

Georgie added: "The classroom is so big it can fit 100 people in there, it also has a jungle library."