Guide to a better future : Southwark schools get climate action template

A guide to help schools embark on climate action plans has been rolled out by Southwark council after a collaboration with students in the borough.

The guide will help teachers to create a climate action plan so they can go green and create new opportunities for students and staff alike. It will also help schools to comply with new government requirements.

It was launched at an event in Belham Primary School, where four local primary schools showcased green projects that students had been working on and were presented with certificates by the council.

These included student-led projects like beehives to help improve biodiversity, and school refill shops for shampoo and shower gel.

The guide has been created with new Department for Education (DfE) requirements for all schools in mind. The DfE strategy states that “By 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan”.

However, creating a climate action plan is something which a number of schools lack the time or expertise to do. The online guide has been created to overcome this challenge, with input from council specialists, educational staff at schools within Southwark, and students at St Michael’s Catholic College and Southwark’s Youth Parliament.

An online event for educators will be held on Thursday, November 14, at 4pm to get more information and advice on using the guide and writing their climate action plan.

Councillor Jasmine Ali, Southwark council deputy leader and cabinet member for children, education and refugees said “Schools are an essential part of our programme of change. They help to shape future generations. As some of our largest institutions, they can have a huge impact on our emissions.

“They have a massive appetite to work together on climate change, and after hearing so much of the good work that our young activists are already doing, we’re thrilled to be able to offer this new free resource to help them do even more.”

Councillor John Batteson, cabinet member for climate emergency, jobs and business added: “Schools have the potential to be a huge strength in our climate work. They can make changes in their buildings and on their grounds to reduce emissions, teach children new green skills, and also inspire our future generations to take action.”

The guide has come out of the network of climate action schools in Southwark, which has been running since 2022. Any school in Southwark can join – whether a primary, secondary, or further education college.

Pictured top: Children from four local primary schools at a celebration event for the launch of the climate guide (Picture: Southwark council)