School sustainability lead? You don’t have to tackle this alone, says Helen Burge, co-chair of UKSSN Ops Group
With increasing pressures on budget, and new requirements from the Department for Education, school sustainability leads like you need support from the wider community to succeed. I believe that sustainability training is essential to staying ahead. The Greener Schools Index (GSI) report, created in partnership between Zenergi and the UKSSN Ops Group, backed this up, showing that 74% of school sustainability teams felt they needed training.
I was unsurprised by these figures. Sustainability leads are under more pressure than ever. The Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy has mandated that every school in England will need a Climate Action Plan by the end of 2025. It’s coming around quickly and our GSI report showed that only 24% of UK schools have this already in place. Time is short and there is always so much to do. That’s where training comes in.
Accredited, Accessible Training
Alongside Zenergi’s senior energy consultant Harry Eaves I am delivering a wide-ranging training programme focused on supporting sustainability leads. Our first session on 4 February was a sell-out success – and we’re delighted to offer further regional sessions, now accredited by the Institute of School Business Leaders (ISBL).
The programme, called ‘An introduction to Energy and Carbon Management’, is a level one, workshop-style training that will equip leads with practical tools and insights needed to take control of energy and carbon management across their site. This training has been specifically developed to meet the need we’re hearing from schools and help school leaders like you implement the requirements of the DfE’s criteria.
The GSI report highlighted to me just how essential this kind of training is. In addition to the gap in schools having Climate Action Plans, we also found that only 33% of schools have an energy reduction goal and only 7% have a water reduction goal. I personally believe that goal setting, especially when paired with data and reporting, is essential to success. Without knowing where you are now and where you want to be, it’s nearly impossible to drive progress.
Information, Strategy and Culture
In our training we’ll cover these essential skills – including measurement, data-driven planning and strategic master planning, reducing waste with data as well as target setting.
This training will also help with engaging stakeholders and embedding sustainability into your schools’ culture. Information is power as they say, and from training like this you can take actionable and inspiring data back to your school population.
Creating a Ripple Effect
I think that this kind of data-informed narrative will help the school community realise the impact of their actions. If we’ve got informed school staff, then we’ll have informed students who might go home and inform families.
There’s a ripple effect that can be achieved. We’re all in this together, and it’s not just your school that will feel the impact, but the community around it and the education sector as a whole. That’s why advisers like myself and sector partners like Zenergi are so committed to helping you achieve – because together we can make a real difference.
So, if you’re responsible for sustainability in your setting and want to gain expert insights into energy and carbon management, this interactive workshop style training, aligned with the ISBL Sustainability Standards, is for you.
This is a sponsored article, brought to you by Zenergi
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