£125,000 for Surrey schools to tackle the impact of climate change
Surrey County Council is investing a further £125,000 to help schools across the county adapt to the growing impacts of climate change.
Schools can apply for grants of between £5,000 to £10,000 to install climate resilient measures such as green walls, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) planters, shading structures and tree planting, supported by expert guidance from the council to ensure value for money.
Last year, £120,000 was awarded to 21 schools, in addition to Guildford Grove Primary School and Town Farm Primary School each receiving around £17,000 to deliver more comprehensive interventions and share best practice.
Surrey continues to lead nationally on environmental education, with more Eco‑Schools Green Flag awards than any other county in England for the third year running. All participating schools will be encouraged to work towards this accreditation and embed sustainability across their curriculum.
Marisa Heath, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning said: “We know that our climate is changing and seasons are becoming more extreme, this is something we all witnessed during the recent heatwave. It’s important we support schools to adapt to these changes and make sure children are able to learn and thrive at school. By offering further grant funding to schools, not only are we helping schools be more climate resilient but we are inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.”
Rona Mackie, Headteacher at Guildford Grove Primary School said: “We needed to respond to the fact the climate is changing and we’ve been really lucky as a school to benefit from working with Surrey County Council. They have worked with us to think about areas around our school that we could develop and it will have such an impact on our school, the current pupils and future generations.”
Helyn Clack, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning said: “It’s fantastic that we are offering Surrey schools the opportunity again to apply for this funding to enable them to make adaptations and improvements in light of the impacts of climate change. I’d encourage schools to apply and look at the improvements Guildford Grove Primary School and Town Farm Primary School implemented earlier this year to see the benefits they offer.”
The deadline for applications is 31 July 2026. Schools can find out more and apply on the Together for Surrey website.
