DULVERTON Middle School pupils will have first hand experience of how to cut their carbon footprint thanks to a new green addition.

The school has added to its already impressive list of sustainability credentials by installing solar panels.

And this week they were switched on, marking the latest environmentally friendly achievement in the school's programme of promoting renewable energy.

The panels, which feature alongside an installation of a composter to recycle food waste, will produce electricity and reduce the school's carbon footprint by an estimated 4.29 tons.

"The installation of the panels has made it possible to teach the children directly about the development of sustainable energy for the future," said a spokesman.

A display monitor inside the school shows the amount of electricity being generated and the amount of carbon saved, giving pupils the chance to witness energy being collected from the sun.

The project was part financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development and their switching on was celebrated at a special assembly.

The installation of new solar panels was helped by more than £26,000 of funding from LARC - Local Action for Rural Communities.

Photo: Steve Guscott