School Sustainability Strategy

Following the government’s publication of their Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy in April 2022, schools may
find themselves needing to implement their own sustainability policy to ensure expectations are met and standards
maintained.

While this is not yet a statutory expectation, leaders may wish to use this fully editable template to generate a
sustainability strategy policy document, removing the pressure of writing a policy from scratch and saving valuable time.

Using this document

Use this school sustainability strategy template to help you write a clear and comprehensive policy. The document is
editable meaning you can add/remove elements to make the template work best for you and your needs. You will need to
edit and adapt the document to reflect the requirements of your school and to complement any other documents and
policies that you have in place.

There are three different types of writing in the template document:

Bold headings in black are suggested headings.

Writing in black offers prompts to help you develop the content of your policy. You should review the wording to ensure it
meets the needs of your school.

Writing in blue indicates sections where you will need to personalise the content.

Writing in green is intended to guide you in your completion of the school sustainability strategy template. Suggestions
and areas for your consideration are included to prompt your thinking and help you ensure the strategy is relevant to your
school’s circumstances. This text can be deleted after use.

Disclaimer: This resource is provided for informational purposes only. It is your responsibility to ensure that the information this resource contains is
appropriate to use in your situation. This resource contains links to external websites. Please be aware that the inclusion of any link in this resource
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we have no control over the availability of the linked pages. If the link is not working, please let us know by contacting TwinklCares and we will try to fix it
although we can assume no responsibility if this is the case. We are not responsible for the content of external sites.

School Sustainability Strategy

 Sustainability [delete as applicable] Strategy/Policy
[Insert academic year]

Schedule of review

Date written: [Insert date]

Shared with SLT/governing body/board of trustees: [Insert date]
Next review: [Insert date]

School Sustainability Strategy

Overview
[Use this section to demonstrate your school’s intent. You may wish to rename this section accordingly.]

Sustainability is an important and integral part of day-to-day life at [insert school name]. We aim to become an
environmentally friendly educational setting that reduces our carbon footprint and impact on the planet. We wish to instil
an understanding and awareness of the importance of sustainable practice in pupils, staff and our wider school
community. [Insert further relevant details here as required.]

In line with the government’s goals to become a net zero nation, our school is committed to promoting the importance of
sustainable living. We regularly review our curriculum to ensure that we are actively preparing our pupils for a sustainable
future, developing their awareness and appreciation of caring for the environment. Extracurricular activities give our
pupils further opportunity to deepen their understanding and become active, caring citizens. [Insert further relevant
details here as required.]

Our school environment is managed in a manner that demonstrates positive, sustainable practice to our pupils and their
families. Our goal is to ensure that our school site and the practices that occur both inside and outside of the school
building are sustainable and in line with government expectations relating to sustainability and climate change. The ways
in which we manage matters of food, transport and travel, waste reduction and our consumption of energy and water
reflect the values and ethos we wish to promote. [Insert further relevant details here as required.]

Aims
The aims of this sustainability strategy/policy are:
1. [Insert aim]
2. [Insert aim]
3. [Insert aim]
4. [Insert aim]
5. [Insert aim]

[In developing your aims, consider your overall implementation goals for your school’s sustainability strategy/policy.
Address key outcomes you hope to achieve and remember to consider the impact you hope it will have on pupils, staff,
the wider community and the physical school environment. Consider how you want this policy to be used by all
members of your school community and how you will know that it has been successfully implemented.]

Roles and Responsibilities

This policy has been written by [insert name/s of staff] in collaboration with [insert name/s of staff].

Our school’s sustainability [delete as applicable] lead/champion/team [delete as applicable] is/are: [insert name/s of
staff member/s responsible].

The [delete as applicable] governor/trustee with responsibility for sustainability is: [insert name/s of relevant person/s].

All staff and pupils at [insert school name] have a role to play in developing a sustainable school environment. We all
have the following responsibilities:
1. [Insert responsibility] [e.g. We must act in a kind and compassionate manner, thinking of how our actions affect
the school environment and wider world.]
2. [Insert responsibility]
3. [Insert responsibility]

[In developing specific responsibilities for this section, consider how you wish for staff and pupils to promote the ethos
and values of your school in line with sustainable practice. You may wish to stipulate specific roles and responsibilities
of other staff not listed above, such as your headteacher, site manager and even parents/carers of children at your
school. It may be pertinent to include details of how new staff will be supported to ensure they are meeting the
expectations of this strategy/policy, including any continuing professional development opportunities, and who will be
responsible for ensuring these occur.]

School Sustainability Strategy

Curriculum
Ensuring pupils at [insert school name] access a curriculum that teaches them about the importance of sustainability and
how to live more sustainable lives is integral to the ethos and values of our school. [Insert further relevant details here as
required.]

Across our curriculum, opportunities are developed to enable pupils to learn about sustainable living. These opportunities
may be targeted and specific, based on national curriculum objectives.
[Insert examples from specific subjects/curriculum areas, e.g. In science, pupils may learn… Learning about the
environment is promoted through…]

However, opportunities may also occur outside of our usual curriculum expectations. For example, ad-hoc opportunities
to educate our pupils on sustainable practice may arise when discussing the day-to-day life of our school, such as the
reasons why we must turn off lights when leaving a room and why utilising both sides of paper before recycling is a usual
practice in our classrooms. [Edit examples as necessary to reflect your school’s practice/expectations.]

Our programme of extracurricular activities and clubs also enables pupils to access further learning opportunities about
sustainability. [Insert further relevant detail here as required]

Beyond the classroom, our pupils will be given the following opportunities to extend their understanding and learning of
sustainability:
1. [Insert opportunity]
2. [Insert opportunity]
3. [Insert opportunity]

[Consider including opportunities or events which enable curriculum aims and expectations to be upheld. Address
specific curriculum objectives or areas that can be experienced outside of the classroom, e.g. how dining hall routines
and etiquette teach pupils the value of reducing waste.]

Food Management
To ensure that [insert school name] meets sustainability expectations relating to the management of food and the
catering system at our school, the following actions will be taken:
1. [Insert action]
2. [Insert action]
3. [Insert action]

[Consider including actions which are easily measurable and practical to implement. Refer to the government’s
Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy to ensure you are addressing expectations relating to food management in
your setting, e.g. sourcing food from local vendors to reduce the impact of deliveries on the environment.]

Through introducing these practices, we hope to make a considerable impact, demonstrating sustainable practice to our
staff, pupils, their families and the wider community. We hope that pupils will implement their learning at home, widening
the influence of their education and increasing the benefits of these sustainable practices.

As part of our curriculum expectations, pupils will be taught a clear and comprehensive food curriculum that encourages
them (and by extension, their families) to adopt sustainable life skills and approaches to food.

[Insert further relevant detail here as required.]

Waste Reduction
[Insert school name] is committed to reducing the amount of waste we produce and divert to landfill. To ensure we are
able to limit the amount of waste generated in our school, we aim to instil good practice among pupils, staff and the wider
community to ensure that, where possible, materials are recycled and repurposed.

We will endeavour to:

1. [Insert action]
2. [Insert action]

School Sustainability Strategy

 3. [Insert action]

To further our commitment, we are also ensuring that, where possible, our school sources, procures and uses
sustainable, reusable materials and products. This will enable us to contribute to efforts to reduce the use of single use
plastics [insert other relevant examples as required] and to ensure that items are not disposed of into landfill.

[Insert further relevant detail here as required. Include information about how your school will support staff, pupils and
their families to contribute to waste reduction practices, e.g. using reusable water bottles as standard, writing on both
sides of the paper in classrooms, reducing the use of photocopiers. You may wish to include details about how your
school will repurpose or donate old or unwanted resources, such as books and school uniforms.]

Energy and Water

To reduce the impact [insert school name] has on the environment through the use of energy (electricity and gas) and
water, our school aims, where possible, to monitor and limit our consumption. The following actions have been
implemented to demonstrate our commitment to this goal:
1. [Insert action]
2. [Insert action]
3. [Insert action]

In line with the government’s recommendations, [insert school name] has chosen to install and implement a smart meter.
This will enable us to keep track of our energy usage. We will use the data gathered from this smart meter to identify
potential actions to reduce our energy consumption.

Where possible, [insert school name] will endeavour to update and replace existing systems and equipment which are
less energy efficient or outdated. This includes, but is not limited to, our heating system, the toileting facilities and
electrical equipment, such as computers and other related technology. [Edit examples as necessary.] This will enable us
to ensure that our school’s energy and water consumption is sustainable and in line with our wider goals of becoming
environmentally friendly. Updating these aspects of our school may also provide a significant financial benefit for [insert
school name], reducing costs and futureproofing our systems.

It is important that staff, pupils and their families are informed of the importance of adopting sustainable practices in
relation to energy and water consumption. For example, we will ensure that all members of our school community
understand and value expectations, such as keeping windows closed in colder temperatures and turning off electrical
equipment when it is not in use. [Edit examples as necessary.] Instilling these practices in day-to-day school life will
enable our values and ethos to be driven towards our goals and ensure that our consumption is reduced for the benefit of
all.

[Insert further relevant detail here as required. Consider including details about any further adjustments or
implementations that have occurred at your school. It may also be pertinent to refer to any communications or
information displays used in your school to promote sustainable energy and water usage. This may include energy
rating certificates, signage that reminds staff/pupils of key practices and educational posters.]

Transport and Travel

Where possible, [insert school name] will endeavour to promote sustainable practices relating to transport and travel.

Our efforts in this area include initiatives which will encourage staff, pupils and their families to travel to school via more
sustainable, environmentally friendly means, including walking, use of bicycles and scooters and, as necessary, public
transport. This will enable our school to reduce the impact of our carbon footprint, reducing the number of vehicles on the
roads and the frequency of vehicles idling on, or near to, our school grounds.

To support our school community with their efforts to reduce the impact of transport and travel on the environment, we
will do the following:
1. [Insert action]
2. [Insert action]
3. [Insert action]

School Sustainability Strategy

Where additional transport or travel arrangements are required, such as on the occasion of educational visits or assisting
pupils and their families with attending the school site, we will endeavour to procure transport via eco-conscious
organisations and companies.

[Insert further relevant detail here as required. Consider any additional implications transport and travel arrangements
for your school may have on the environment, offering reasonable suggestions as to how these will be
reduced/avoided. It may also be pertinent to include details of how pupils will be supported to learn about road safety
alongside any travel initiatives].

School Buildings and Site

To demonstrate [insert school name]’s continued commitment to improving its sustainable practices, the following
actions will be taken in relation to the existing school building/site:
1. [Insert action]
2. [Insert action]
3. [Insert action]

[Consider giving details of how your school building will be adapted/adjusted to ensure it is energy efficient, insulated
and suited to purpose in how it promotes sustainable practice.]

Where new school buildings are required, [insert school name] will endeavour to ensure that all plans and building works
are carried out in accordance with recent guidelines and initiatives. Our aim is to ensure that any works conducted are
kind to the environment and demonstrate sustainable practice to staff and pupils and their families. [Insert relevant
further details, particularly if your school already has planned building works in place. This may include details of
specific initiatives or funding which you have secured in relation to your building works.]

Our school site will be used to promote the benefits of living in a sustainable manner. Where possible, pupils will be
educated in outdoor spaces that enhance the delivery of our school curriculum. [Insert examples as necessary.]

We will work with [delete as applicable] our site management team/the local authority/our trust to ensure that the
outdoor environment of our school promotes the ethos and values we are hoping to uphold, providing our pupils with
opportunities to learn about flora and fauna and increase the biodiversity of our school site. [Insert relevant further
details. This may include information about any initiatives or programmes which your school is involved in, such as the
National Education Nature Park or the Climate Action Awards. Consider also providing details about planned works to
improve the outdoor environment of your school, perhaps with the support of your parent/families association or other
supporting partnerships.]

School Sustainability Strategy