Earlier this year, we shared our ambition to create a greener future through the Glow Up Sustainability Challenge 2026, launched in partnership with WN1. That blog set out our commitment to reducing carbon emissions, embedding sustainability into everyday school life, and empowering young people to lead change.
Today, we’re proud to share a powerful example of that commitment being turned into action.
One of our schools has become the first in Manor Hall Academy Trust to install an electric vehicle (EV) charging point, marking an important milestone on our collective journey towards net zero.
A practical step towards sustainability
The EV charger was installed during the Easter holidays and will be available for staff, visitors and fleet vehicles. While the school didn’t initially set out to be the first in the Trust, the decision reflects a clear and growing focus on sustainability and forward planning.
The installation supports several key priorities:
Enabling the use of a hybrid fleet car for school operations
Supporting staff with long commutes to transition to electric or hybrid vehicles
Removing barriers for colleagues who want to make greener travel choices but previously lacked access to charging facilities
As Mark Butterworth explains:
“We want to become a much more sustainable school. Installing an EV charger gives staff the option to use electric vehicles and has allowed us to lease a hybrid fleet car. For colleagues commuting long distances, it offers a more sustainable way to travel to work.”
Located in Knutsford, the school serves a wide geographic area and supports staff travelling from across the region. The charger provides a practical, everyday solution that aligns environmental responsibility with staff wellbeing.
Connecting to our Trust-wide sustainability vision
This development directly supports the aims outlined in our Glow Up Sustainability Challenge 2026, where schools across the Trust are:
Reducing energy consumption
Embedding climate awareness into learning
Encouraging sustainable habits through pupil-led initiatives
While the original challenge focused on carbon reduction through behaviour change, education, and energy use, the installation of EV infrastructure shows how operational decisions also play a crucial role in reducing emissions.
As the team reflected:
“We didn’t realise we were the first in the Trust, but it’s great to be taking this step. Being slightly ‘out on a limb’, this gives us – and our staff – a more sustainable commuting option.”
A full-circle moment
What began with a bold sustainability challenge is now being reinforced by meaningful, visible change. This is exactly what our net zero journey is about: values turning into decisions, and decisions turning into impact.
From pupil-led climate campaigns to greener travel, improved infrastructure, and low‑emission fleet choices, we are building momentum across Manor Hall Academy Trust – step by step, school by school.
This is not the end of the journey, but an encouraging milestone along the way.
Together, we’re proving that education doesn’t just talk about sustainability – it leads it.
🌱
If you’d like to learn more about our sustainability work or share ideas, please get in touch.
