Abbeyfields First School’s Outdoor Education Centre wins the IStructE Northern Counties Region Zero Carbon Award 2021

Abbeyfields First School in Morpeth are very proud of their new bespoke Outdoor Education Centre which was designed and built by Green Roof Structures and provides them with over 100m2 of extra teaching space as well as the perfect base to explore their extensive school site.  It consists of 2 indoor classrooms with a log burner and kitchen, toilet facilities and a covered outdoor space with sinks and boot storage. The new design is carbon positive and provides a safe and eco-friendly space for the school. 

Outdoor learning is proven to have a huge positive effect on learning, so this dedicated centre has only added more value to the educational experiences on offer across the curriculum at Abbeyfields. To learn more about the advantages to outdoor learning, please read our Trust blog post.

Everyone involved was so pleased with the building and it’s green credentials that it’s design engineers, s h e d,  entered it into the Institution of Structural Engineers Northern Counties Structural Awards in the ‘zero carbon’ category. The whole team is delighted to say that they have won the Zero Carbon Award!

Sandra Ford, Headteacher at Abbeyfields - was thrilled to hear the news, “We work really hard to make changes to help the fight against climate change and the effects of global warming, so to have a building on site which has received such an award is a real bonus and an inspiration. The quality of the Outdoor Education Centre has made such a huge impact on our pupils and community already.  It is also extremely exciting considering recent events at COP26. We are incredibly proud that  s h e d  and GRS have won this prestigious award, and it is testament to the approach we are all taking from a sustainability aspect.”

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank IStructE Northern Counties Region for this award, and will continue to show our willingness to change in order to help the climate crisis.”