EV charging for schools: grants, installation and what it costs.

Electric vehicle adoption among teaching and support staff is rising steadily. Schools that install EV chargers now benefit from government grant funding that covers the majority of the cost, and position themselves ahead of a shift that will affect every employer with a car park within the next few years.

Three things make the case straightforward for schools right now:

For schools in multi-academy trusts, the WCS can be applied for separately at each site, multiplying the available funding across the trust.

The Workplace Charging Scheme covers 75% of the cost of purchase and installation, up to a maximum of £350 per socket. Schools can claim for up to 40 sockets per site, giving a maximum grant of £14,000 per application.

Costs vary depending on the distance from the main electrical supply to the parking area, the condition of the existing distribution board, and whether groundworks are required. Your installer will carry out a site survey and provide a detailed quote before any work starts.

A school EV charger installation follows the same general process as any commercial installation, with a few site-specific considerations.

1. 01
   Site survey

   Your installer assesses the car park layout, the location and capacity of the main electrical distribution board, cable routes, and the number of sockets the existing supply can support. For older school buildings, a distribution board upgrade may be required.
2. 02
   WCS application

   Apply for your WCS voucher on GOV.UK before booking the installation. You will need the school's Companies House number (or charity number for charitable trusts), the installation address, and the number of sockets you plan to install.
3. 03
   Installation day

   The installer fits the charger units, runs cables from the distribution board to the parking bays, and connects charge management hardware if required. A straightforward two to four charger install in an existing car park typically takes one to two days.
4. 04
   Commissioning and handover

   The installer commissions the chargers, sets up access control (RFID cards or app-based), and shows you how to use the charge management dashboard. They then claim the WCS grant directly from OZEV, deducting it from your invoice.
5. 05
   Ongoing management

   Once live, the chargers can be monitored and managed remotely. Usage reports show kWh delivered per session, allowing you to track costs and bill staff if required.

For staff car parks, 7kW AC smart chargers are the right choice in almost every case. At 7kW, a charger adds around 25 miles of range per hour. Over an 8-hour school day, that is 200 miles: far more than any staff member needs. There is no benefit to installing faster chargers for daytime staff parking.

All chargers installed since June 2022 are smart chargers by law, meaning they support remote monitoring, scheduling, and charge management software integration. For schools installing four or more chargers, integrating with an OCPP-compatible charge management platform from the outset is advisable.

For school sites with multiple chargers, charge management software handles three things that become important quickly: load balancing, access control, and cost recovery.

Popular platforms used in UK school and education sector installations include Monta, Ohme for Business, and Zaptec. Your installer will advise on which integrates best with the hardware they fit.

The net cost of a school EV charger installation depends on the number of sockets, site conditions, and whether a distribution board upgrade is needed. A typical four-socket staff car park installation works out as follows:

For larger installations, the per-socket cost typically falls as fixed costs (survey, distribution board connection, project management) are spread across more units. Getting a site survey before committing to a socket count is worthwhile.

See our guide to EV charger tax relief for businesses for more on how capital allowances apply and how to calculate the full net cost after tax.

Many schools have published sustainability strategies, net-zero commitments, or climate action plans. EV charging fits directly into these in several ways:

• Reducing staff transport emissions: supporting staff EV adoption reduces the indirect emissions associated with the school's workforce travel, which often forms the largest part of a school's scope 3 carbon footprint.
• Pairing with solar panels: schools with roof-mounted solar panels can use surplus generation to charge staff vehicles during the school day, further reducing grid electricity demand and costs.
• Curriculum and community: visible EV charging infrastructure provides a practical example of low-carbon technology for use in science, geography, and PSHE lessons. It also signals to parents and the wider community that the school takes its environmental commitments seriously.

• Employer's guide to workplace EV charging — the full picture on WCS eligibility, benefit-in-kind tax, and what to install for employee charging.
• EV charger tax relief for businesses — how to deduct 100% of charger costs in year one via the Annual Investment Allowance.