SuDS for Schools

Year 5 pupils at Pevensey and Westham School taking part in outdoor learning activities delivered by our project partner, Our Rainwater.

The Blue Heart team are installing Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) in schools in Eastbourne, southern Wealden and Hastings areas.

We’ve completed SuDS for Schools with nine schools to date. See what we’ve done so far

We have now secured additional funding to work with another twelve schools in 2026-27, including three schools in Hastings. More information

Why do schools need SuDS?

SuDS help to reduce flood risk, improve water quality, and lower water, carbon, and energy usage.

They mimic natural processes by treating, storing, and reusing surface water as the natural environment still does in places where we haven’t built shops, roads, and housing.

SuDS designs incorporate processes such as infiltration (water soaking safely into the ground) , and using plants and rocks/soil/material to slow the flow of water by putting more obstacles in its way. Using plants also provides habitats for wildlife, increasing local biodiversity.

Schools are great locations for SuDS, where playing fields, playgrounds and roofs can be used to capture rainwater. This water is stored for future use or held back until after the rain stops which is good for reducing flooding and helping not to overwhelm drainage pipes.

School Project Stages

SuDS for Schools consists of the following 4 key stages, click below to learn more:

Find out more

Engagement

Engagement with staff and students to identify flood/drainage areas of concern and through educational workshops on sustainable water management and the benefits of SuDS.
Find out more

Co-design

Classroom workshops where students use their new learning to design SuDS features they wish to see in their school. The engineers later refine their ideas into unique SuDS proposals for each school.
Find out more

Installation

Construction of student’s ideas and engineer designs following approval by the school community, which are then installed on site.
Find out more

Monitoring

Installation of a rain gauge and/or telemetry devices to monitor the success of the SuDS, and to provide data to schools for future lessons plans and ongoing educational opportunities.

Learning Resources

Do you have SuDS and can’t quite remember how to look after them? Want to know more about our monitoring devices? Are you or your school are interested in learning more about water management and sustainability? Check out our learning resources here!

Contact us

If your school is in the Eastbourne or Southern Wealden area and you’re interested in any of the following options (or would like to ask us about something else) please get in touch via this form.