This is the second of Sustainable Schools’ series of blogs on sustainability support for schools responding to the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.
I was delighted when last year my company was awarded a contract by the Department for Education to build a free digital hub to support education settings (nurseries, schools, colleges and universities) to develop their climate action plans. As someone who has developed my own Climate Action Plan ( ‘The road to a Low Carbon 2030 – a year at a time’ ). I know how hard it can be to know where to start.
Free, online guidance
We have spoken to many, many schools on our journey to build Sustainability Support for Education. The service is built on the understanding that teachers, support staff and senior leadership teams have a desire to do something on sustainability for their setting, but are time poor, have many competing priorities and that the information available is often overwhelming.
Building your climate action plan
The service is about helping schools think strategically about how to build their climate action plan, and to find the right actions for them now. As someone using the service, by putting in information about things like the type of setting and how far you are on your journey, you will be provided with suggestions of what to do next. Those suggestions are accompanied by third party resources, which we have quality assured, which will help you implement those actions.
Support for you whatever your role
The service is about getting you as quickly and simply to information that helps you to take action. For example, by selecting your specific role, for example estates management, leadership team or governor, you are offered suggested actions that you could take.
There is also help on there for if you need to procure services from professionals, with advice and guidance on how to work with existing suppliers or what to look for when engaging someone new.
Watch this space
The service is still in development and before the end of the year we’ll be launching more ways to help you quickly identify what you might do next, for example based on specific topics you might be focused on in school such as energy or waste management.
You can ask Lizzie about the service at our next Sustainable Schools Networking on 4th Februrary when we’ve invited more contributors to speak about the support available to schools on their sustainability journey, and viewpoints from local schools. The online termly Networking events are open to all Schools’ staff; particularly Sustainability Reps, governors and PTAs, and the wider District schools’ community.
To know more about the work of the Sustainable Schools Group in St Albans District, including SustFest Schools Week, please sign up to our newsletter using the form on our Schools page here. We send out twice-termly news and information on making your school more eco-friendly, and hold termly online networking sessions. The Sustainable St Albans Schools Group webpages are here with lots of useful information. If you are still in need of advice or support, Sustainable Schools will try to link you with an experienced school eco-rep in our District. Use the contact form on our main Sustainable Schools page.
By Lizzie Insall, St Albans resident, who works for TPXimpact on delivering an online sustainability support service for schools and other education settings.