School Climate Action Plans: A quick guide
By the end of 2025, all education settings in England – from nurseries through to schools and universities – must have a Climate Action Plan and designated sustainability lead in place.
We’ve put together a quick guide to help you understand the requirements, how to comply, and how you can benefit.
What are the Climate Action Plan requirements for education settings?
The Department for Education (DfE) expects all education settings to nominate a sustainability lead and put in place a Climate Action Plan by 2025.
It’s part of the DfE’s wider Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for Education, and applies to early years establishments, schools, multi-academy trusts, colleges, and universities.
The idea is that education settings must play their part in responding to climate change, and well as help the UK meet other targets to improve air quality, biodiversity, water and reduce waste.
The government also wants to encourage children to be close to nature both in and out of school. Having a Climate Action Plan and sustainability lead is one way to help schools take small actions that will boost children’s relationship with nature and inspire them to take positive climate action in their daily lives.
Do independent schools need a Climate Action plan too?
Yes – the expectation is that independent schools also comply with the DfE’s requirements for a Climate Action Plan and sustainability lead. The Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for Education makes it clear that the rules applies to “all education settings”, and as independent schools are regulated by the DfE, they too fall under the new requirements.
What should a Climate Action Plan cover?
A Climate Action Plan should be a clear, strategic framework, outlining how your education setting will start (or progress) actions to become more sustainable.
Your plan can be designed for a single institution, implemented across a trust, or applied at both levels.
It should cover the following four areas:
- Decarbonisation: for example, calculating and taking actions to reduce carbon emissions, such as becoming more energy efficient.
- Adaptation and resilience: for example, taking actions to reduce the risk of flooding or overheating.
- Improving the environment and biodiversity: for example, increasing planting and green space in your school.
- Climate education and green careers, such as ensuring you give comprehensive teaching about climate change, and that your teaching staff and lecturers feel supported to offer this.
There is no expectation for storing a Climate Action Plan in a specific way, but many establishments choose to publish their plan on their website, to celebrate their achievements and engage parents, children, the local community and external stakeholders.
What does a sustainability lead look like?
A sustainability lead is the person ultimately responsible for the development of the plan and ensuring you act on it.
We know that some education settings lack the expertise and resource for this role, so Concept can provide an outsourced sustainability lead to work with you. We can help you calculate your current carbon emissions, establish where you are “now” and create a plan which includes realistic actions that meet your budget expectations. For advice or more information about how we work, get in touch.
The guidance recommends that you also put together a wider sustainability team – this should include both educational (e.g. teaching) and operational (e.g. estates) staff, as well as senior leaders who have the authority to “make stuff happen”.
Involving students too is a fantastic way of increasing their knowledge, giving them agency and pride.
What are the benefits of having a Climate Action Plan?
While the Climate Action Plan requirement may seem like yet another tick box exercise, there are benefits to be had for schools that set a clear roadmap to becoming more sustainable.
We often find there are very quick (and even no-cost) wins to address energy waste, which can help you reduce your energy bills. Even capital investments like solar panels can deliver quick returns, and there may be funding available.
Beyond cost savings, students gain hands-on experience with sustainability, fostering a deeper understanding of climate issues and inspiring them to take action. A wealth of evidence shows that engaging with nature, whether through outdoor classrooms or green spaces, improves mental health and academic performance.
How do I get started?
Before you start your plan, it’s important to establish a baseline of where you are now. This will give you a starting point – so that you can identify the most impactful measures and report on progress. So, a useful first step is to collect data on:
- How much energy you use
- How much waste you generate
- How much water you use
- How students and staff travel to and from your setting
Concept can help you collect this data and calculate your overall carbon footprint. It should reveal some quick win measures that you can put in your plan.
What is the deadline for completing my Climate Action Plan?
The DfE states that education settings must have appointed a sustainability lead and have a Climate Action Plan in place by 2025, with no set day or month specified. While this is a little ambiguous, (with some settings interpreting this as in place by the start of the academic year, i.e. Sept 2025), it certainly means that plans must be in place by the end of December 2025.
How we can help
With so many other demands on their time, we understand education settings may not have the capacity and resource to develop a Climate Action Plan and drive initiatives forward. Concept has extensive experience working with schools on energy and environmental matters, often with a focus on measures that quickly tackle energy waste and deliver cost savings.
Read our case studies to see some of the work we do in school. If you’d like no obligation advice and how to get started, get in touch.
