Schools (including academy trusts)

Climate Ambassadors: mobilises a network of hundreds of enthusiastic, trained volunteers from across England to support early years settings, schools and colleges to act on climate change and biodiversity loss. By helping make climate and sustainability education more widely available to young people and develop the citizens and workforce needed for the green transition.

Education Decarbonisation Framework: West Mercia Energy’s Decarbonisation Framework, delivered by Barker as single supplier, gives UK education settings a clear route to access consultancy support for reducing carbon. It supports WME’s “Use Cleaner, Use Less” strategy for public sector customers.

Let’s Go Zero provides free, tailored support for schools, colleges and nurseries to cut carbon, develop climate action plans, access green project funding and get practical advice from Climate Action Advisors. Schools are key to the UK’s clean power and opportunity missions, but need support to decarbonise and create modern, energy-efficient buildings.

The Nineveh Charitable Trust supports UK based schools and not for profit organisations with funding for a range of projects and activities that promote a better understanding of the environment and countryside, whilst facilitating improved access, education and research.

Net Zero Funding information for Schools: Schools can make their decarbonisation journey without need for additional funding. Integrating energy-efficient features does not mean a financial hit. Such investments result in long-term savings.

Sustainability and climate change: for education and children’s services

This strategy applies to the education and children’s services in England:

  • Early years
  • Schools (and independent schools where applicable)
  • Further education
  • Higher education
  • Children’s social care

DfE has an important role to play in all aspects of sustainability. But the area in which we have the most work to do is reducing our environmental footprint, particularly in the drive to achieve net zero. While the policies set out here are focussed on the environmental aspect of sustainability, this is done with consideration for how those policies will interact with the social and economic aspects of sustainability.