1,400 and counting: record number of charging sockets at UK schools thanks to Government funding

School teachers and EV drivers can charge their electric cars more easily with 1,407 sockets now outside schools and colleges in the UK.

On Friday 28th January, Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood confirmed the landmark number of chargers that have been fitted at UK schools since March last year, thanks to £3m from the Government’s Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS).

It marks a crucial milestone in the Government’s mission to boost charging infrastructure across the country. The new chargepoints at schools follow over 59k workplace charging sockets that the scheme has funded since 2016. In addition to schools, the workplace charging scheme supported a further 6,500 sockets in workplace car parks in 2024.

Sitting at the heart of communities, schools can also open the chargepoints to local residents and visitors, helping to fit charging around people’s daily lives and providing an additional revenue stream to schools.

The Workplace Charging Scheme, alongside the Electric Vehicle Chargepoint Grant, has also been extended for another year, the Government  has confirmed. This provides the certainty needed to continue rolling out chargepoints to flats, rental properties, schools, offices and workplaces, so that drivers can charge in more and more places.

The funding is part of over £2.3bn to help industry and consumers make a supported switch to EVs. This is creating high paid jobs, supporting businesses up and down the country and tapping into a multi-billion pound industry to make the UK a clean energy superpower and deliver the Plan for Change.

Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said: “Schools are the beating heart of our towns and communities, and rolling out chargers here shows we are building a practical and reliable charging network designed around people’s daily lives.

“Reaching 1,000 sockets at schools is a particularly significant milestone and builds on a record January for electric car sales, as consumer confidence in the electric transition grows every day. This is helping support jobs, make the UK a clean energy superpower and deliver our Plan for Change.” 

While the Government is investing almost £300m to build 300 miles of new cycle and footways to encourage more children, parents and teachers to cycle, walk and wheel to schools, the announcement will also make greener journeys easier and more accessible for those who need to drive.

The UK’s public chargepoint network continues to grow every day, with over 74k public chargers now available across the country and a record of nearly 20k added last year alone.

With £200 million announced at Budget to continue powering the chargepoint rollout and £6 billion of private investment in the pipeline, the UK’s charging network will continue to see tens of thousands of chargers added in the coming years, delivering resilient infrastructure so that EV owners can drive with the confidence that they’re never too far from a socket.

With over 382k EVs sold in 2024 – up a fifth on the previous year – the UK is the largest EV market in Europe. There’s never been a better time to switch to EVs, with one in three 3 used electric cars under £20,000 and 21 brand new electric cars RRP under £30,000.

Owning an EV is also increasingly becoming cheaper, with drivers able to save up to £750 a year compared to petrol if they mostly charge at home.

The average range of a new electric car is now 236 miles – that’s about two weeks of driving for most people – all the while emitting just 1/3 of the greenhouse emissions of a petrol car during its lifetime.

With 24/7 helplines, contactless payments, and up-to-date public chargepoint locations, charging has now become easier than ever.