Important Update on the Department for Education’s Climate and Sustainability Strategy
The DfE expects that “By 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan.”
As schools begin preparations for the upcoming academic year, we want to emphasize the importance of incorporating net-zero actions into your school development plans from September 2025.
We recommend that by December 2025, schools implement the following initiatives:
following initiatives:
Designate a Sustainability Lead: Appoint a dedicated member of staff to spearhead sustainability efforts within your school or academy.
Designate a Governance Sustainability Lead: Assign a governor to oversee sustainability initiatives (see role description)
Create a Climate Action Plan: Develop a Climate Action Plan, sometimes referred to as a ‘Sustainability Strategy,’ that outlines your school's approach to reducing its carbon footprint.
We understand that many schools may already be making progress toward these objectives with the assistance of Local Authorities or Academy Trusts. However, the DBE is committed to ensuring that every schools receives the support it requires. To that end, we have partnered with the national agency 'Let's Go Zero' who will lead online workshops during the Autumn term. Each workshop will equip schools with the tools and resources necessary to develop an effective climate action plan.
CREATING YOUR CLIMATE ACTION PLAN WORKSHOP WITH LET’S GO ZERO
Save the Date - Registration opens soon. The FREE workshop will be delivered via Zoom. There will two dates to choose from:
Wednesday 24th September, 1:30pm
Wednesday 1st October 1:30pm 1:30pm
In this workshop, you will deepen your understanding of the key pillars essential to a comprehensive Climate Action Plan. With expert guidance, you will begin creating a plan tailored to your school.
Drawing on their expertise in educational settings, our Climate Action Advisors will help you identify the most effective actions for your plan. Throughout the session, you will have the opportunity to engage with advisors and peers, ask questions, and gain confidence in your decisions.
In the session, we will:
Give you an overview of the DfE's expectations and how you can meet them
Introduce carbon footprinting, enabling you to measure and reduce your setting’s emissions effectively
Provide proven, ready-to-implement climate actions to kickstart your journey
Guide you in selecting the most impactful actions for your Climate Action Plan
By the end of this workshop, you will have a first draft of your Climate Action Plan, and be equipped with the tools and knowledge to start taking meaningful climate action in your school.
Registrations will open soon.
Please get in touch if you have any questions about Let’s Go Zero. We particularly look forward to hearing from you if there’s someone on your team who is passionate about this work. If you need more information, please contact David Burrows, Schools’ Adviser if you would like to get involved.