Cheney School wins at inaugural Oxford Climate Awards

The school was crowned Sustainable Secondary School of the Year, while Year 11 student Laurie Barber clinched the Youth Climate Action Champion Award.

The event, organised by Oxford City Council and the Oxford Mail, aimed to recognise outstanding efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, protecting natural ecosystems, and promoting sustainable practices.

The winners were announced at a black-tie event at Oxford Town Hall on Friday, October 17, which honoured the outstanding achievements of the nominees and winners.

Laurie Barber was the first winner of the night, with 12 awards handed out in total.

Laurie Barber with his award (Image: Joe Baker) He was praised for his leadership at the school's Year 7 to 11 Eco Club, as well as his environmental efforts both in and out of school.

His prize includes a place on the Saïd Business School’s Future Climate Innovators Summer School Residential in 2025.

Cheney School's headteacher, Rob Pavey, said: "We recognise the importance of sustainability, and our students are helping the school achieve increased biodiversity, greater awareness, and reduced consumption on our path towards net zero.

"As a school, we have already reduced our carbon footprint from energy use by half in the last eight years, and we are about to have a full carbon footprint calculation, including supply chains and transport.

"The award gives our sustainability committee a boost as we continue to reduce our impact on the planet."

From more than 100 applications, four judges shortlisted three nominees in each category, and the sponsors of each category selected the winners.

Cheney School's history teacher and new sustainability coordinator, Vasy De La Cruz, and deputy head of English, Miss Mortimer, collected the Sustainable Secondary School of The Year Award on behalf of the school.

They said the award sponsor, First Light Fusion, was "struck by the way we were working with the whole school community, bringing in different groups in a myriad of ways".

Mr De La Cruz said: "This is a great moment to recognise what we’ve achieved and gives us lots of confidence that we’re on the right track and that the upcoming projects are headed in the right direction.

"We’re excited to put our plans into action.

"We are thankful to all our community who have played a part in this and continue to do so; this is a collective effort - a fully sustainable future is the responsibility of us all."

The Oxford Climate Awards also featured categories including Sustainable Medium Business of the Year Award, Innovation in Climate Action Award, and Biodiversity and Ecology Award.