The Mayor of London has unveiled a £2.9 million Greener Schools Initiative aimed at improving energy efficiency in classrooms across the capital.
However, schools in Harrow have not been selected in this round of funding, prompting questions about the borough’s exclusion from the latest phase of eco-investment.
Launched as part of Sadiq Khan’s ongoing commitment to make London greener and more sustainable, the initiative will fund a series of environmentally friendly upgrades in 38 schools across 16 London boroughs. These upgrades include solar panels, heat pumps, insulation, and LED lighting — all designed to lower energy use and carbon emissions.
This first wave of funding is further backed by an additional £9.6 million from participating councils, bringing the total project investment to over £12 million.
City Hall estimates that schools benefiting from these green improvements could each save nearly £15,000 annually on energy bills. But the Greener Schools Initiative goes beyond cost savings — it also includes education-focused elements.
According to the Mayor’s office, the scheme will support:
- Whole-school sustainability projects
- Water conservation initiatives
- Hands-on climate engagement activities
These measures aim to empower young Londoners as future climate leaders and foster awareness of environmental stewardship within communities.
Sadiq Khan expressed his hope that this pilot will inspire a broader government-led strategy. He believes that scaling similar interventions to all London schools could result in savings exceeding £50 million per year for the education sector.
“This investment will help schools reduce their energy costs, so they can spend more on vital resources such as books, technology and staff, and cut carbon emissions so schools can play their part in tackling air pollution in the capital,” the mayor said.
“Working with the boroughs, we’ve been able to leverage a further £9.6m to fund more vital projects in more schools, helping to meet our target of achieving net zero by 2030, as we continue working to build a greener and fairer London for everyone.”
Harrow Omitted from Beneficiary List
Despite the benefits, no schools in Harrow are among the 38 selected. The list includes institutions from boroughs such as Camden, Enfield, Westminster, and Lewisham. Notably, some schools — including federated or partner institutions — will jointly benefit from the grants.
Schools Benefiting from the Greener Schools Initiative
- Barking and Dagenham
- Hunters Hall Primary School
- Village Infants’ School
- William Bellamy Primary School
- Barnet
- Wessex Gardens Primary School
- Camden
- Agar Children’s Centre
- Regent High School
- Torriano Primary School
- Enfield
- Capel Manor Primary School
- Durants School
- Garfield Primary School
- Hackney
- Lauriston Primary School
- Haringey
- The Brook Special Primary School
- The Willow Primary School
- Risley Avenue Primary School
- Islington
- Drayton Park Primary School
- Laycock Primary School
- Richard Cloudesley School
- Rotherfield Primary School
- Vittoria Primary School
- Kensington and Chelsea
- Avondale Park Primary School
- St Anne’s & Avondale Park Nursery School
- Bevington Primary School
- Colville Primary School
- Lambeth
- Elm Court School
- Lewisham
- Baring Primary School
- Stillness Infants School
- Stillness Juniors School
- Newham
- Central Park Primary School
- Plashet School
- Roman Road Primary School
- Southwark
- Bird-in-Bush School
- Tower Hamlets
- Bangabandhu Primary School
- Bonner Primary School
- Waltham Forest
- Belmont Park School
- Greenleaf Primary School
- Wandsworth
- Garratt Park School
- Smallwood Primary School
- Westminster
- Essendine Primary School
- Hallfield Primary School
- Queen’s Park Primary School
Helen Bruckdorfer, Executive Headteacher at Brecknock and Torriano Federation, said: “We are thrilled to have received grant funding from the Greener Schools Pilot, which will play a key role in advancing the goals outlined in our Torriano School Climate Action Plan…”
Rachel Carli, Headteacher at Durants School, echoed that excitement: “As an Eco School, we are committed to supporting the health of our planet…”
While many celebrate this step towards a sustainable future, the absence of Harrow schools in this round could prompt lobbying for inclusion in the next phase of the programme.
