Schools across Surrey to receive £90,000 to improve climate resilience

Surrey County Council is investing £90,000 to help schools across Surrey adapt to the growing impacts of climate change, while enhancing biodiversity and embedding sustainability into school life.

The climate in Surrey has changed significantly since most schools were built and many now experience flooded playing fields, overheated classrooms and a decline in biodiversity. 

The county council has allocated £56,000 of funding to help schools install measures to improve resilience, create meaningful links to learning and empower students to act on the impacts of climate change. Schools can apply for grants between £4,000 and £7,000 to support the installation of climate resilient measures such as green roofs, Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) planters, shading structures and tree planting.  Schools will also receive support and advice from the county council to ensure they make the best decision for the school.

In addition, a total of £34,000 is being given to a further two schools, Guildford Grove and Town Farm School who will each receive £17,000 to implement more comprehensive interventions and share best practice to highlight what can be done in schools to become more climate resilient.

Surrey County Council continues to lead the way in environmental education, holding the highest number of Eco-Schools Green Flag awards in England. All participating schools will be encouraged to work towards this accreditation and embed sustainability across the curriculum

Marisa Heath, Surrey County Council Cabinet Member for Environment said: “This project is a powerful example of how we can improve our school environments and support our schools to become more resilient to climate change while inspiring the next generation of environmental leaders.

“By investing in practical solutions like planters, trees, and green roofs, we’re helping schools reduce flooding, overheating, and biodiversity loss while embedding sustainability into everyday learning. Schools are at the heart of our communities, and this initiative will help them lead the way.” 

Jonathan Hulley, Cabinet Member for Children, Families and Lifelong Learning said: “It’s fantastic that Surrey schools are being offered the opportunity 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 I look forward to seeing the best practice learning from Guildford Grove and Town Farm School being shared across the education community in due course.”

The deadline for applications is 17 November 2025. Schools can find out more and apply on the Together for Surrey website.