The school's heating system has been upgraded and expanded

Curridge School is thought to be the first in west Berkshire to use a boiler which is fuelled by wood chips.

"When our oil-fired boiler packed up we thought this was the way forward," said head teacher Marilyn Dollard.

She said they had the support of the governors of the school and the project was funded mostly through grants.

It involved upgrading and expanding the heating system in the school, construction of a storage facility for the wood chips and installing the new boiler.

Trail blazers

Ms Dollard said that as a school with a priority focus on the environment they asked TV Energy - the Thames Valley renewable energy agency - for an ecologically sensitive solution and the process was set in motion - including funding proposals.

"By installing an entirely carbon-neutral heating system Curridge School, a small school in a rural corner of west Berkshire, has not stopped at talking but has taken a bold leap into the realm of doing - leading the way for others," said Mary Miller, director of TV Energy.

TV Bioenergy - a division of TV Energy - will be operating and maintaining the boiler and selling the heat to the school.

The project was funded by the school, West Berkshire Council and South East England Development Agency.