Enabling zero-emission journeys for schools staff

Having charging facilities on a school site allows staff that drive electric vehicles to charge whilst at work. They can also help with a school’s wider sustainability agenda, and have the potential to raise revenue by opening the facilities up to the public. Here’s what you need to know. 

The amount of battery electric vehicles grew 7.4 per cent in June, taking its highest monthly share this year, accounting for 19 per cent of all new vehicle registrations.

What’s more, the UK now has a legally binding zero emission vehicle (ZEV) mandate in place, which requires 80 per cent of new cars and 70 per cent of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030.

With more electric vehicles joining the roads, the need for more local facilities to charge them is paramount. 

Education settings now have a dedicated grant to help them with the cost of installing electric vehicle charging infrastructure - called the Workplace Charging Scheme for state-funded education institutions.

State-funded education settings, including schools, colleges, nurseries and academies, can apply for the grant which provides up to 75 per cent of the cost to buy and install chargepoints, up to £2,500 per socket – which is a rise from the previous £350 which schools were able to receive through the Workplace Charging Grant.

The grant aims to boost the chargepoint facilities for staff and visitors, and has the potential to help schools generate revenue by making their chargepoints available to the public.

Applications for the grant are made online, and the closing date is 31 March 2025. Successful applicants will receive a voucher that is valid for 180 days from the date of issue and the installation must be completed within this time. 

Improving sustainability

The Department for Education’s Sustainability and climate change strategy states that: “Seeing sustainability brought to life in the buildings around them will allow children and young people to gain experiences which will enhance and contextualise their learning.”

Having electric vehicle charge points facilitates this, by allowing children to see zero-emission transport in action, opening up wider conversations about air quality and energy usage.

At the time of launching the grant, the Department for Education’s Baroness Barran, said: “Developing a greener education estate is a key element of our sustainability and climate change strategy. The expansion of this grant supports our ambition to improve the sustainability of our schools in the ongoing move towards net zero.”

Further benefits include helping the community by offering more local options to charge a vehicle, which is particularly important for those that are unable to charge at home, and the ability to generate revenue by charging the public to use the facilities.

What you need to know

The school’s grant is for state-funded schools and education institutions, which must have dedicated off-street parking facilities that are clearly associated with the premises, although the parking may be used by customers, guests, visitors, staff or others. It must also have a site survey done by an installer, who has confirmed that the grounds can support EV charging.

To be eligible for the grant, the school must have received less that £315,000 in minimal financial assistance over the past three fiscal years, and not have applied for funding for the same chargepoint under any other government grant scheme. 

If a school wants to open their chargepoints to the public and charge for usage, they will need to ensure they comply with the Public Chargepoint Regulations 2023 and associated guidance.

Independent schools

The above grant is not available to independent schools. Instead, they can apply for funding through the Workplace Charging Scheme which covers up to 75 per cent of the total costs of the purchase and installation of EV chargepoints (inclusive of VAT), capped at a maximum of £350 per socket and 40 sockets across all sites per applicant.