What this site is
solarpanelsforschools.co.uk is an independent guide to solar PV for UK primary schools, secondary schools, sixth-form colleges, special schools, independent schools and multi-academy trusts. It is published by SEO Dons Ltd (Company No. 16766013). We are not an installer, and we do not survey, design, fund or install anything ourselves. We publish guidance on cost, funding, planning, grid connection and safeguarding, and when a school asks a question, we reply by email.
Why schools need their own guide
A school is not a warehouse with a different sign over the door. Its electricity demand is term-time and weekday; it empties for six weeks in summer at the peak of the solar year; and it has children on site, which changes how any contractor is allowed to work. Most solar advice is written for businesses or homes and gets those things wrong — and the funding rules for schools have changed faster than almost any other sector’s.
How we check what we publish
Every figure and scheme on this site should trace back to a primary source: gov.uk, legislation.gov.uk, Ofgem, DESNZ statistics or the scheme administrator itself. When the facts change, we correct the page and say so. In October 2026 we corrected a long-standing error across this site: earlier pages presented a “Salix Decarbonisation Loan” as the default funding route for English state schools. No such loan is open to English schools, and our guide to solar panels for schools grants now sets out what is.
Safeguarding comes before the solar
We cannot vouch for anyone else’s staff, so we tell you what to check. Under Keeping Children Safe in Education (2026 edition) the school must satisfy itself that contractor staff have had the appropriate checks: contractors in regulated activity need an enhanced DBS check including the children’s barred list, and a contractor on whom no checks have been obtained should never work unsupervised. Ask the installer for that evidence in writing before anyone starts on site, and schedule the disruptive phases for the school holidays with the May–June exam window kept clear.
How this site works and who receives your enquiry
solarpanelsforschools.co.uk is published by SEO Dons Ltd. When you use the school solar check or send a message, your details come to us by email, and we reply by email. We do not currently pass enquiries to installers. The estimate on the result page is worked out in your browser from the published sources it lists, and nothing on this site is a quote. Our privacy policy sets out what we hold.
Checking an installer
Certifications are only worth something if you check them. Before you sign, look the installer up on the MCS register and confirm any NICEIC, RECC or TrustMark membership they claim on those bodies’ own websites — the links are below. Our guide to how to choose a solar installer for your school lists the questions to ask and the evidence to ask for.
solarpanelsforschools.co.uk is operated by SEO Dons Ltd (Company No. 16766013), 71–75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London WC2H 9JQ. To ask a question, use the quote form.