Bringing clean energy to life in celebration day at St Mary's Catholic Primary School

Last week, our Head of Education, Wendy Litherland, visited St Mary’s Catholic Primary School in Consett, County Durham for a dynamic day of assemblies, workshops and community learning, marking the installation of 27kWp of solar on the school’s rooftops.

Facilitated by Headteacher Victoria Ramshaw, the event welcomed Liz Twist MP for Blaydon and Consett and celebrated the school’s commitment to sustainability.

The day opened with a whole-school assembly exploring the real-world impact of solar power and energy literacy, led by Wendy, science and sustainability teacher. Experts in behaviour change from AECOM and Meryl Batchelder - expert science and sustainability teacher from the Ministry of Eco Education supported. Student Council pupils then took part in hands-on workshops using the Solar Explorer Kit to understand how solar energy works, linking the school’s live system to energy use at home and future green career pathways.

Across the day, pupils from years 1 – 6 explored the schools’ energy graphs and live solar data in classroom sessions supported by our all of our experienced educators, including Hannah Fishburn from the local OASES (Outdoor and Sustainbility Education Specialists). Students and staff used Solar for Schools’ specially developed ‘Climate Action Cards’ to spark thoughtful discussion and practical ideas for their own whole school Climate Action Plan.

In the afternoon, the Student Council led a Key Stage 1 and parent assembly, showcasing pupil voice and leadership, followed by an ‘energy in the Home’ session for families.

 The day concluded with the Head Victoria Ramshaw presenting Solar Ambassador Certificates to the pupils and a school’s Climate Action Plan, ready to go, ensuring the day’s learning and discussion translates into long-term impact. This is at the core of all our education initiatives at Solar for Schools. Parents were then encouraged to look at the power of appliances and discuss energy saving tips for the home.

The event demonstrated how a solar installation can become an extremely powerful live learning tool. Combined with the Solar for Schools asset management programme, it connects curriculum learning, student leadership, careers awareness and community engagement — delivering impact far beyond the panels themselves.

“The energy transition needs to take place in people’s minds, not just on roofs,” said Wendy Litherland, Head of Education at Solar for Schools.

“We encourage pupils to focus on the actions they can control. Memorable and engaging days like this are about celebrating their ideas, curiosity and critical thinking, while ensuring those ideas are embedded in wider learning, and stay with the young people as they go onto further education, the workforce and beyond.”