Pupils at Newington Green school will soon benefit from solar panels

A FAMILY have made what is thought to be the largest ever donation to an Islington primary school to help it install solar panels on the roof.

The family – who want to be anonymous – donated £50,000 to Newington Green Primary School late last year to assist it in its mission to generate its own electricity and “go green”.

The school, in Matthias Road, Newington Green, became the first to bring its catering in-house last year, and will be the first school in the borough to have solar panels when they go up later this year.

The family told the Tribune: “We’ve been absolutely delighted by the incredible standard of education at Newington Green Primary and wanted to show our appreciation by supporting the school with a long-term donation that generates additional income for the school over the next 25 years.”

A recent Ofsted inspection at the school, which is in a federation with nearby Rotherfield Primary School, found that should a graded inspection be carried out, it was likely be found Outstanding.

Councillor Jenny Kay, who is a school governor at the federation, is helping the installation go ahead through her work with the Newing­ton Green Action Group (NGAG).

While the £50,000 donation covers a third of the cost, the NGAG is working with Stokey Energy to fund the remaining amount.

Engineers are currently working on installation plans while the funding drive is completed.