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• Switch it Off - schools

Switch it Off - schools

Welcome to the schools' page of the 'Switch it Off' campaign. Switch it Off is an energy saving campaign covering Coventry, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.  Its aim is simple – to show the saving that can be achieved when a lot of people turn off unwanted lights and electrical appliances that have been left on standby.

This year we invite schools to take part in the Energy Check Challenge and the Ecological Footprint project.

Schools have an important role to play...

Schools have a key role to play in the battle to reduce our impact on the environment. You are perfectly placed to raise childrens' and young peoples' awareness of the issues and show them how they can help. Schools can, of course, also take control of their own energy use and make savings by turning off lights and switching off equipments including computers.

The contribution of schools can go a long way and we hope that you will help us to raise awareness during October and build up a momentum to the Switch it Off  campaign during 20 October to 24 October 2008 and the Big Switch Off on Friday 24 October between 4.30-6.30pm. 

How schools can save energy

UK schools account for 25 per cent of public sector energy use and spend about 400 million pounds per year on electricity and fuel. The average school could save up to 20 per cent of its energy and reduce its water bill just by motivating staff and pupils to think about how energy and water are used. As an added bonus the effects this can have on the wider community are enormous, as children take the message home and get into good habits that will last them a lifetime.

How schools can get involved

This year, we are inviting schools to take part in ' The Energy Check Challenge' and helping us make this campaign a success again. Information on the Energy Check Challenge (pdf) can be downloaded here. We will provide energy audit postcards for the energy check challenge that should be sent back to us after completion of the task. All participating schools will also receive a certificate on returning the postcards to us.You can download the Energy Check Postcards (pdf) here.

Schools are also invited to take part in the Ecological Footprint project. There will be prizes of £500 for the best entry from a primary school and £1,000 for the best entry from a secondary school. The overall winning school will also receive the Jaguar leaper trophy to hold for two years. Follow the link for more information on the Ecological Footprint project (pdf). A poster on the project (pdf) can also be found here.

Picture of Switch it Off  painting competition 2006: Les Ratcliffe, Jaguar’s Community Relations Manager, presenting certificates to children from winning schools, Bishop Ullathorne Secondary (Coventry), High Meadow Infants (Warwickshire) and Brooke Special (Warwickshire).

Apart from contributing to the aims of the Switch it Off campaign of saving energy, money and reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, by taking part, schools will also get an opportunity of being a part of a huge regional campaign with a scope for media publicity. The Energy Check Challenge would also help schools in their work towards achieving their Eco-Schools Green Flag status.

Resources for schools

We have put together some suggested school assemblies for primary and secondary age children and we hope you will be able to use them either in the run up to 'Switch it Off' week or during the week itself.

Download our presentations and the accompanying teachers' notes for the presentations for use in your school assembly (please note that these presentations are very large and may take some time to download).

• Presentation for primary schools (PPT)
• Teachers' presentation notes for primary schools (PDF)
• Presentation for secondary schools (PPT)
• Teachers' presentation notes for secondary schools (PDF)

More resources

There are also some posters, stickers available to download free of charge and for use in your school.

• Poster on Switch it Off
• Switch it Off sticker sheet
• Switch it Off single sticker

Related links

• The Eco-Schools website - join an international group of schools working towards sustainable development and help your school to reduce its impact on the environment.
• The Energy Saving Trust website has excellent information for schools and homes.
• The Carbon Trust website has many publications for energy use in schools.

Contact details

Downloadable documents