Bloxham Sustainability Challenge

Powered by Partnership: Equipping Young Minds for Climate Action Through Education, Industry and Geospatial Technologies

Our Partner Our Challenge
Students powering climate solutions - in collaboration with Dalcour Maclaren and enabled by Esri UK’s geospatial technologies

The Bloxham Sustainability Challenge


Powered by Partnership: Equipping Young Minds for Climate Action

At Bloxham School, we believe that the most powerful learning happens when students are given the tools, trust, and real-world relevance to lead. That’s why we created the Bloxham Sustainability Challenge (BSC) - a bold, student-led programme that connects education, industry, and geospatial technologies to tackle real climate issues.


What Is the BSC?

The BSC is more than a school project. It’s a nationally scalable model for climate education that empowers students to become sustainability leaders. Through partnerships with Dalcour Maclaren, a leading environmental consultancy, and Esri UK, the global leader in GIS technology, students work on live sustainability challenges - from planning renewable energy infrastructure to mapping underground cable routes using ArcGIS.


In just one year, students from Bloxham School, Stratford Girls’ Grammar, and The Warriner School have:


⚡Engaged in advanced geospatial analysis using ArcGIS to assess real-world energy infrastructure scenarios

🧩Built teamwork, communication, and problem-solving skills for future climate leadership

🎉Presented their their ideas at Esri UK's Annual Conference 2025!


Why GIS?

Geospatial technology is at the heart of the BSC. With support from Esri UK’s ArcGIS for Schools programme, students learn to visualise, analyse, and communicate complex environmental data. They don’t just learn about climate change - they map it, model it, and propose solutions.


GIS is more than a tool — it’s a career pathway, and the BSC is helping to build the next generation of geospatial professionals.


A Model of Partnership

The BSC thrives on collaboration:


🧠Educators bring curriculum expertise and student insight

🌍Industry mentors provide real-world challenges and career guidance

💻Technology partners deliver the tools and training to make it all possible


Together, we’re creating a bridge between classroom learning and climate careers - especially for students in underserved communities.


Why It Matters

With the UK’s Department for Education requiring all schools to appoint a Sustainability Lead by 2025, the BSC offers a ready-to-implement solution. It’s:


📘Curriculum-integrated

🏘️Community-connected

🤝Industry-informed


And most importantly, it’s student-powered.


Join the Movement

Whether you're a teacher looking to inspire your students, a GIS professional eager to mentor the next generation, or a school leader seeking a scalable climate education model - the BSC is your invitation to be part of something transformative.


👉 Learn more and get involved - email: cee@bloxhamsustainabilitychallenge.com

Inside the Challenge: Real Projects, Real Impact


Each year, students participating in the Bloxham Sustainability Challenge take on a live sustainability brief co-designed with industry experts. These aren’t hypothetical exercises — they’re real-world problems with real-world implications.


In our pilot year, students explored the feasibility of a solar park in Oxfordshire, using ArcGIS to plan an underground cable route to the National Grid. Along the way, they developed not only technical skills, but also the confidence, creativity, and collaboration needed to lead in a changing world.


From renewable energy planning to sustainable development mapping, every challenge is designed to:


🎯Mirror real industry scenarios

🗺️Build geospatial and analytical skills

💪Foster leadership, teamwork, and resilience

Challenge 1: Buckland Marsh Solar Park - Powering Possibility -


Students tackled a live brief to assess the feasibility of a solar park and plan a sustainable cable route to the National Grid - using ArcGIS, industry insight, and bold thinking.


Buckland Marsh Solar Park: The Pilot Challenge This image captures a key moment from our pilot year, where students were tasked with evaluating the feasibility of a Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) — the proposed Buckland Marsh Solar Park, located 17km west of Oxford. Using ArcGIS, students mapped a potential underground cable route to the Botley West National Grid Substation, weighing environmental, technical, and planning considerations. The map highlights: The location of Buckland Marsh and Oxford A zoomed-in view of the proposed solar park site The central question: “Would we approve this project in its entirety?” This challenge exemplifies how the BSC blends geospatial analysis, critical thinking, and real-world decision-making to prepare students for future climate leadership.Read More Here
Challenge 2: Abingdon Reservoir Development - Future Impacts & Challenges -

In this challenge, students explored the proposed Abingdon Reservoir, a major infrastructure project planned for completion by 2040. Located southwest of Oxford in the Thames Basin, the reservoir is designed to hold 150 million cubic metres of water, making it the second-largest in England.


Students investigated the environmental, social, and geospatial implications of the development, including:


💧Long-term water security for the region

🦋Impacts on local ecosystems and biodiversity

🚣‍♂️Opportunities for recreation and flood management

🤔Community concerns and planning complexities


Using ArcGIS, students analysed land use, hydrological data, and stakeholder perspectives to assess the project’s viability and sustainability.


Read More Here

The Bloxham Sustainability Challenge has been an incredible opportunity for developing my teamwork skills. The ArcGIS software has allowed me to apply my skills from my A-Levels in a practical and meaningful real-world situation.

Sixth Form StudentThe Warriner School

The Bloxham Sustainability Challenge has made me more aware of the widespread issues surrounding water security. I have also become more conscious of my own water usage. I now follow more sustainability issues in the world and am able to more accurately critically analyse political decisions surrounding it.

Sixth Form StudentStratford Girls' Grammar School

My son has just experienced the opportunity of a lifetime thanks to the 'Bloxham Sustainability Challenge'.  What a wonderful way to immerse students into enquiry-based learning whilst training them in the latest Geographical Information Software! 

Parent of a Sixth Form Student The Warriner School

How could you not be inspired by the Bloxham Sustainability Challenge? Fantastic work by Bloxham School, Dalcour Maclaren and Esri UK to get future leaders thinking about and analysing the impacts of some of the biggest challenges we face in our society such as climate change, water security and energy transition.

Simon NavinHead of Geospatial Services, Ordnance Survey

"The BSC has given me an insight into the complications of establishing new developments - such as considering demand and resources, and balancing the concerns of locals with the needs of a wider population"

Sixth Form StudentBloxham School

"Esri has helped us to visualise the [Abingdon Reservoir] project many years in advance, which has helped us to understand the effects that it might have."

Sixth Form StudentStratford Girls' Grammar School

Through Esri's Survey123 we have been able to survey the surrounding areas to collect primary qualitative data which will allow us to get a closer understanding of how the locals feel they will be affected in positive and negative ways.

Sixth Form StudentBloxham School

I'm so happy to see the Bloxham Sustainability Challenge on stage at the #EsriUkAC today! Showcasing how schools GIS now connects directly into industry, with school students equipped with the key skills they need to unlock engaging and rewarding careers, and help fight climate crisis.

Katie HallSchools Manager at Esri UK

BSC in Action: A Visual Journey

See how students are using GIS, teamwork, and innovation to lead climate solutions

1 / 6
The Inspiration ...