Private schools exempt from England's hosepipe bans

England's hosepipe bans exempt private schools and golf courses from water restrictions, allowing their sports pitches to remain irrigated while public parks brown and paddling pools close. St Paul's School in London – fees up to £57,000 annually – maintains lush playing fields under a regulatory loophole that permits educational and sporting grounds to continue watering during drought conditions.

The exemption exists because water companies classify school sports pitches and golf courses differently from public amenities. Private schools argue the distinction is necessary to maintain educational standards and fixture schedules. But the optics are sharp: affluent institutions preserve their landscapes while working-class communities experience the full weight of drought restrictions.

This isn't a sustainability story dressed as one. It's a governance failure. Water scarcity is a climate-adaptation challenge – one that demands transparent, equitable policy design. When regulatory exemptions systematically advantage fee-paying institutions over public provision, they undermine both water stewardship and social legitimacy.

Water companies and Ofwat need to justify these exemptions publicly, with data on actual consumption and environmental impact. If the argument is that educational continuity requires irrigation, that case should be made explicitly – not hidden behind regulatory categories that feel designed to avoid hard choices.

The question isn't whether private schools should water their pitches. It's whether water policy reflects genuine climate adaptation or just entrenched privilege.

‘It’s all right for them’: private schools and golf courses stay green despite England’s hosepipe bans

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