A ray of sunshine in the classroom

Oct 9 2007 By Catherine Lillington, Birmingham Mail

CHILDREN at a city school are beaming with pride after being the first in the city to have solar panels fitted on the roof.

And youngsters at Forestdale Primary School, in Wareham Road, Frankley, are keeping a daily tally of how much power is generated by the sun.

A digital display monitor in the entrance hall of the school shows 180kg of fossil fuel have already been saved.

Head teacher Sue Robertson said: "The children have a look every day to see how much they're saving and they think the solar panels are wonderful.

"They like the look of them on the school as they make it look even more modern and they're really interested in their own environment.

"We do alot of recycling anyway but this is just another way to make sure we go into this century with a fuel sustainable for the planet.

"Schools have a vital role to play in educating the next generation about climate change and using this renewable energy technology to power our own premises will help us to really bring that message home."

The school is one of the first to benefit from The Co-operative's £1 million national Green Energy for Schools Scheme.