Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what his planned timetable is for the rollout of solar panels for schools in (a) Preston, (b) Lancashire and (c) the North West.

​​Work is progressing on finalising the short lists of projects to participate in this first year of the Great British Energy Solar Partnership programme. We hope to have finalised the selection before the summer break with installs to complete in 2025/26. ​

​In the interim, we are providing support for all schools and colleges to start on their journey towards net zero via our new online sustainability support for education platform and our climate ambassador programme. More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sustainability-leadership-and-climate-action-plans-in-education.

Where schools are considering the purchase of solar panels or other sustainable systems, our ‘Get help for buying’ service provides support to ensure that schemes procured are of high quality and value to the sector. More information can be found here: https://gethelpbuyingforschools.campaign.gov.uk/.

​Details of other government funding available to public bodies for sustainability can also be found at this website, prepared by the Crown Commercial Service: https://www.crowncommercial.gov.uk/social-value/carbon-net-zero/funding-and-grants.