Climate change
Strategy for education settings
Department for Education (DfE) policy is that all education settings must have sustainability leadership and climate action plans by 2025.
Sustainability and climate change strategy for education and children’s services | GOV.UK
Sustainability leadership
This team develops and implements the climate action plan. They should be a diverse group of passionate individuals. The team should include operational and educational staff, to bring a range of expertise.
Sustainability Lead Forum
The forum is open to the sustainability leadership team and anyone interested in climate change.
To support you, we send regular email updates and host meetings to:
- share best practice
- discuss funding opportunities
- develop networks in your local school community
If you would like to be part of this forum, email CS.ClimateChange@eastsussex.gov.uk
Climate action plan
The education setting or trust must have a climate action plan. This is a detailed plan to begin, or progress, sustainability initiatives.
The climate action plan should cover four areas:
- Decarbonisation
- Adaption and resilience
- Biodiversity
- Climate education and green careers
Council strategy
Children’s Services has a climate change strategy.
School premises represent 55% of the Council’s total emissions from buildings. The strategy focuses on school buildings and the way schools use them.
It also covers:
- potential impacts on the curriculum
- developing green skills
- increased biodiversity
- connection with nature
- school travel and behaviour change in families
To support education settings, we've compiled a list of climate change teaching resources.
For more on the strategy or to join the Sustainability Lead Forum, email CS.ClimateChange@eastsussex.gov.uk
Partnerships
- Plastic Clever Schools – Reducing single use plastics is an award scheme to reduce waste.
- Let’s Go Zero is a national campaign for schools to work together to be zero carbon by 2023.
- Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to make outdoor time part of every child’s day
- Switch Off Fortnight | Energy Saving Trust encourages schools to switch off lights and appliances when not in use
- Five-day walking challenge | Living Streets is an annual 'walk to school' week
- Greenhavens Network work to connect people and wildlife
- Green United – Let's change the way we do things - works with pupils in primary and secondary schools in Lewes, East Sussex.
Leadership
- School travel plans aim to enable more pupils, their families and staff to walk, cycle, use public transport or car share to and from school
- Greener Careers Sussex | Get Career Confident to explore courses on sustainability, net zero and the green economy
- National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Awards | Natural History Museum empowers young people to make a positive difference to both their and nature’s future
- Transform Our World has free resources for teachers on sustainability and climate learning
- Energy saving guide for schools [314.2 KB] [pdf] has advice on good housekeeping practices for schools
The Charter
The Charter is and East Sussex framework which will help empower education settings to reach the goal of being zero-carbon by 2050. The framework was co-produced by children and young people. They have supported us in creating the actions we are asking schools to take forward. All educations settings should have a climate action plan by 2025. This framework will help create your action plan or support in developing your current one. East Sussex has focused on 9 areas and developed actions that schools can take forward as part of their own plan. This charter is a living document and will be further developed by education settings and young people.
East Sussex Climate Change Charter for Education Settings [6.0 MB] [pdf]
