UKSSN Ops Group – Going from Strength to Strength

As the UK moves closer to its 2050 net-zero target, school leaders have a critical role to play

Over the past year, UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN) has grown to a collaborative network of over 800 schools and trusts – uniting sustainability leads, business managers, CFOs, COOs, estates leads, teachers, trustees and governors around one shared mission: embedding sustainability and climate action into the culture and day-to-day operations of every school.

Steering Group evolution

When ‘UKSSN Ops’ launched in 2021 under the umbrella of Global Action Plan, its steering group consisted of just two people: Paul Edmond and Helen Burge. Fast forward to today, and that duo has grown into a leadership team of seven, with Julie Rowlandson, Gemma Tunstall, Vicky Fraser, Hetal Parmar and Elaine Brook joining in the intervening years. Each member of the team brings expertise from their specialism, from estates resilience, energy and water management, carbon literacy, climate education and sector engagement, through to curriculum design and engaging children and young people with climate action

A growing network

In August 2024, UKSSN had 443 participating schools and trusts. By July 2025, that number leapt to over 800 – an 80% increase in under a year. We engage our community through LinkedIn posts, weekly newsletters, website discussion boards and our half-termly network meetings. The diversity of roles and experience has helped transform UKSSN into a one-stop hub for practical guidance on everything from energy procurement to risk management – ensuring every school, regardless of geographic location or resource, can tap into collective know-how.

A Call to Action

As we look forward, our invitation is clear: if you are tasked with sustainability or climate action at your school or Trust, you don’t have to go it alone. UKSSN is free, volunteer-run and open to anyone working in or supporting nurseries, schools or trusts. Join via ops.ukssn.org, also follow us on LinkedIn – UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group.

In the network and want to do more? You can offer blogs and articles for the website; participate in website discussion boards; offer to contribute to a network meeting; like and repost our LinkedIn posts promoting network meetings; speak at conferences or events; anything that promotes sustainable practices and shares knowledge and insight to colleagues across our sector.

A Highlight Reel of Collaboration

The UKSSN calendar over the past 12 months reads like a roadmap of sector-shaping activity:

• Engagement with the DfE: From participating in the DfE Sustainability and Climate Change group through to our work with the CAPE Alliance and Sustainability in Education conference series.
• Institute of School Business Leadership (ISBL) Sustainability Standards: Created in partnership with ISBL members, the newly published standards set out the skills, knowledge and expertise required to deliver sustainability measures within schools and Trusts. These are an addendum to the ISBL Professional Standards and you do not need to be a member to access. For more information, take a look at https://www.isbl.org.uk/sustainability-standards
• Greener Schools Index: Created in partnership with Zenergi, this self-assessment tool is used by schools and Trusts to benchmark their sustainability performance and identify areas of development for their Climate Actions Plans. For more information, take a look at https://greenerschoolsindex.co.uk
• Conferences: Over the last 12 months UKSSN has delivered a wide range of presentations, workshops and participated in panels for EdExec and ISBL regional conferences, the Schools & Academies Show, The Trust Network National Conference, CST forums and the ASCL Sustainability Conference.
• CPD: The UKSSN team have delivered training to SRMAs, ISBL Fellows, school and trust leaders, school business networks, and delivered sustainability training via the DfE and ISBL’s Local Support Offer. UKSSN has also developed an accredited Carbon Literacy training programme as well and delivering Climate Fresk.

We are hopeful that 2025-26 will be another action-packed year. We have been asked to many events already, so please do say hello to us if you’re at one of the same events as us!

Termly Network Meetings

One of our most powerful engagement tools has been our regular, themed, expert-led network meetings. Last year our meetings included discussion and guidance on Climate Action Plans, Energy, Procurement, Retrofit, Culture & Climate and CPD. Each session is recorded and is available in our resources section of our website. We advertise these events via LinkedIn, our website and our weekly newsletter.

We are so incredibly grateful to all those who support our work behind the volunteer steering group, our education sector suppliers, and bodies supporting and amplifying our work.

A Shared Journey to Net-Zero

Our strength lies in collaboration: every conversation, meeting and case study enriches our network. As UKSSN moves into its next chapter, we’re committed to leaving no school behind. Join us at ukssn.org/ops-group and help shape the next wave of sustainable school leadership.