Sustainability

The sustainability and climate change strategy for education states: “By 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan”.

Why having a sustainability leadership and a climate action plan is important

We have seen that settings and trusts have the greatest success in driving change where there is a holistic action plan that is supported by a leadership team with the authority, knowledge, and commitment to take it forward.

Ensuring you have clear leadership for sustainability in place, and a climate action plan, will help your setting to:

• increase the confidence and expertise of your leadership team, staff, learners, and students in understanding climate change and how positive change can be achieved

• create a culture that prioritises sustainability

• share effective practice with other education settings and develop a peer-to-peer learning network

• use data to identify and prioritise action

• improve energy and water efficiency

• calculate your carbon emissions and identify ways to reduce them

• reduce operating costs

• increase resilience and start adapting to the impacts of climate change

• enhance biodiversity

• help learners develop skills and knowledge which help them to contribute to sustainability and climate change in their lives and future jobs

• bring together related actions and plans, such as your School Travel Plan, and Waste Management Plan for a cohesive approach

A whole-setting approach

It is important that the whole education setting, or trust, is engaged so that planning becomes action.

Learners

Involving children, young people and learners is important in climate action planning.

Doing so can:

• inspire their enthusiasm to help drive positive change

• increase their practical knowledge of sustainability and climate change

• give young people a sense of agency where anxiety stems from climate concerns

• create a sense of pride in their education setting

• enable them to share their knowledge and enthusiasm in their local communities

• enable them to engage their parents, carers, and wider community in sustainability and climate change

Senior leadership team (SLT), governors, trustees and executive leaders

As senior decision makers, SLT and governors should support and drive your sustainable activity. They should:

• provide the authority and support to drive and embed culture change

• ensure climate change and sustainability feature on the agenda at key meetings

• be responsible for succession planning, so that commitment to sustainability endures in the setting

Estates management

The sustainability of your estate section of the Good estate management for schools guidance explains the role of estates management in encouraging sustainability and managing energy and water use.

Resources

• • Reclaim the Green, Reclaim the Nature

  • RHS Tatton Park 2022

  • Mersey Region S.S.N

  • Citizenships, Comics & Action

• Consult the National Governance Association’s greener governance campaign