WHERE TO START: Informing your Climate Action Plan

 

Everyone can do something – it’s about finding the best place to start and understanding what can be achieved within the timescales and resources available.

By the end of 2025 all education settings will be expected to have nominated a sustainability lead and developed a Climate Action Plan.  More information about what is expected in that plan can be found here.  This page will help you to think about what may need to go in that plan.

Watch the DfE Introduction outlining the six steps to Climate Action Plan – including some free initiatives!

FREE EXPERT CONSULTANCY FOR cHURCH sCHOOLS to you in your journey.

                                                                                            YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

A National Framework has been established by the Church of England Education Office to assist, support and encourage all Diocesan Boards of Education and Church MATs to engage appropriately with their schools and academies on the Net Zero agenda.

To support the decarbonisation of school buildings the National Framework has provided a group of Regional Consultancies each of whom are experts in net zero carbon and energy projects within schools. They are available to work closely with each Diocesan Board of Education and be on hand to advise and guide as well as working with the regular diocesan building consultants.  This is particularly to support all Voluntary Aided schools and Church Majority Multi Academy Trusts.

A Regional Consultant is available for a number of purposes, and could include completing grant bidding forms; advising on which buildings would most benefits from solar PV, additional roof insulation or cavity wall insulation; assisting in ensuring that any capital funded building work assists with the move towards decarbonisation; and advising Schools and MATs on decarbonisation projects which can be applied for through School Capital Allocation or Condition Improvement funding.

Step One explore the art of the possible

mULTI aCADEMY tRUSTS, lOCAL aUTHORITIES AND Diocesan Boards of Education have a central role to play in the decarbonisation agenda.
  • FInd your quick wins! It's not all about the funding

    Replacing fossil-fuel heating systems is expensive and distruptive. But schools and academies can do lots to cut their carbon - and their energy bills - without significant financial outlay. LetsGoZero and Count Your Carbon can help identify what these might be. First step is to sign up to these initiatives. Also see the 'Quick Wins for Schools' document at the bottom of this page.

  • Energy

    Your use of energy is key - and there's lots of quick wins in being able to reduce it. Also, we recommend installing a SmartMeter so you have a better understanding of your energy use. Energy Sparks uses smart meter data to help schools identify energy quick wins and tackle energy waste!

  • Influencer

    Schools, academies and MATs can be a significant influencer within their local communities and amongst parents and pupils. Take active steps to promote the wider sustainability, conservation, nature, biodiversity agenda and encourage pupils to engage with it.

Connect everything together using the following:
  • ALWAYS Start with your Attitudes, Behaviors and Culture

    The Decarbonisation Diamond encourages all schools and academies to reflect on their Attitudes, Behaviours and Cultures towards the broader sustainability, climate, biodiversity and nature agenda. This will help address waste, recycling, and energy-use issues. There's lots of good ideas about small behaviour changes in the 'Practical Steps' paper below. Also, lots of organisations across the country help with engagement with nature and wildlife as well as with energy measuring and saving- please see the ABCs page. Our Diamond links to the Execution Plan through the + symbol.

  • Data Decarbonisation Plan

    Decarbonisation Plans help to collect and analyse your energy and building performance data to determine what technologies and improvements need to be added within current buildings to move them to net zero carbon. They also give indicative costs and provide information helpful for funding bids. Not every school needs an HDP to continue on its journey to Net Zero Carbon.

  • Energy and Fabric

    Installing SMART meters to measure and monitor and then help reduce energy bills should be a priority for all schools. Moving to low-energy products, especially LED lighting is a positive step, whilst some schools will be in a position to install PV Solar to help with electricity generation. For most schools improving their fabric through better insulation will help cut heat loss, reduce costs and save carbon. More information on Solar can be found in the links at the bottom of the page.

You can find more details on writing your action plan further down this page.

Step Two Use the Decarbonisation diamond

Energy and Buildings Self-Audit

Net Zero Governance - declarations and Annual Resilience Statement

Whole Community Engagement 

Buildings Resilience Plan

Execution Plan

This may result in the need for a Heat Decarbonisation Plan.

Energy and Buildings self-audit

Install SMART meters

Switch to Green Energy Tariffs

Some of these could be ‘Immediate Actions’

Whole Building retrofit works with aim of reducing energy use.

This could also fall under immediate actions.

Optimise potential funding

Step Three Consider your heating source especially if it is oil-fired

To decarbonise, schools and academies will have to remove their oil or gas boilers and replace them with a heat pump solution. This is always expensive and disruptive and may not be possible without significant additional grant funding. For More information about the challenge and opportunities of this please see the wayfinders report below.

It may be worth taking guidance in identifying whether your school or academy is most eligible for large scale grant funding as it is expensive and time-consuming simply to bid for funding. Church of England schools could go through their Boards of Education and use the Regional Consultant network.

Additional Information

Extra articles and useful information sheets to help you get the most out of your net zero journey.

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psalm 96:11

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.