Time to get writing your climate action plan

The DfE's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy requires schools to write a climate action plan this year. But if this isn't on your radar yet, don't worry - there's significant support available, writes Alex Green, head of Let's Go Zero

2025 will be a busy year for schools, with many challenges, including the government’s directive for all UK schools to develop a climate action plan during 2025. If this isn’t on your 2025 to-do list yet, don’t worry; there is significant support available. 

Let’s Go Zero, the national campaign for all schools to be zero carbon run by Ashden, a climate solutions charity, can allocate you a Climate Action Advisor to provide guidance on creating and implementing a climate action plan. We have 32 advisors across England, offering completely free personalised climate action support.

Take inspiration from schools already working on their climate action plans – their feedback highlights three main benefits: first, it’s essential as schools face increasingly extreme weather. Second, it eases anxiety about climate change among students and staff by fostering positive action. Finally, it helps reduce bills and improves school infrastructure, grounds, and overall school community’s wellbeing.

For example, the St Marylebone CE School in London made significant progress in just three months into their climate action plan working with their Climate Action Advisor, Anna Orridge. With the support of the local authority, the school has undergone an LED light replacement project, held a mock COP29 with over 70 students, introduced food waste recycling, started the elimination of single-use plastics and are having plant-based meal weeks. We can’t wait to see their progress for the rest of their first year.  

Get ahead with plans

The Department for Education is asking for schools to create their climate action plans before September 2025, which means it would be good to finish them at the end of the school academic year. During this time a Climate Action Advisor would help you to complete a baseline survey, develop your plan, involve students, get approval from school leadership, and engage the community in actions both large and small. 

Joining Let’s Go Zero – which works with the Department for Education (DfE) as a key partner in helping schools implement their climate action plans – is your first step. We now have over 5,000 schools signed up to the Let’s Go Zero campaign, double the number we had at the start of 2024, so reach out to us soon (see link at the end).

The DfE’s Climate Strategy 

The DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, published in April 2022, is currently under review to assess progress, challenges, and whether any changes are needed. The two main directives for schools this year will remain: establish a Sustainability Lead and write a climate action plan.

The DfE’s strategy to improve sustainability in schools by 2030 sets out four main aims. First is climate education – preparing students for a world affected by climate change through learning and practical experience.

The second is net zero – reducing emissions from school buildings and involving students in the transition to net zero.

The third is a focus on resilience by adapting school buildings and systems for the impacts of climate change.

The fourth aim is to create a better environment for future generations by enhancing biodiversity, improving air quality, and increasing access to nature in schools.

Let’s Go Zero is part of the DfE Sustainability and Climate Change User Group. The DfE Sustainability Hub has designated 2025 as the year of planning, and Let’s Go Zero is there to support schools in writing their plans and starting actions.

The DfE is also leading the Net Zero Accelerator Project, which will transform 50 schools into sustainability exemplars. Let’s Go Zero is helping these schools to retrofit estates, reduce carbon emissions, and incorporate lessons learned into the broader school community.

Resources and support

Let’s Go Zero can provide help in a number of ways. It can offer school-specific support, advice, guides, case studies, and help establish a route to sustainability leadership. The team can provide a carbon footprint calculation, as well as a school audit and sustainability report if needed.

Let’s Go Zero can also co-create a Climate Action Plan with schools, and signpost to initiatives, schemes, and curriculum-linked resources. It can also support schools in accessing funding, grants, and accreditations.  

Let’s Go Zero helps your school address some or all of the 11 pillars of action – energy, waste, adaptation and resilience, curriculum, green skills and careers, food, procurement, water, transport, culture and nature – we inspire and inform the school community. 

Depending on your needs, Climate Action Advisors can visit your school, conduct presentations for senior leadership teams, staff, and governors, and lead assemblies and demonstrations for students, to help everyone understand why action is necessary and achievable. Then they co-create a climate action plan with the school. 

Climate Action Advisors also use engaging tools like thermal cameras (popular with students), carbon footprinting analysis (useful for site managers), and online data analysis (helpful for finance teams).

As Katie Ross, school business manager at Tunbridge Wells Grammar School for Boys, said: “Sustainability is a huge area, and my job often pulls me in many directions. Without their help in drawing up the Climate Action Plan, offering ideas for things we can do differently, and measuring the impact of our changes, I would not have got this off the ground.” She adds that the regular check-ins have kept her on track, and the valuable connections saved her time and generated ideas. “Now I feel that reaching net zero is achievable for us!”

A frequent query from schools is how best to retrofit cold, draughty, or energy-inefficient buildings. Climate Action Advisors simplify research on this and other technical matters, leverage local and national knowledge, identify funding opportunities, and connect schools with relevant organisations. 

Will Ewens, one of our Climate Action Advisors in the South West, who was previously a headteacher at two schools in Somerset, explains: “Some actions have big impacts, like installing solar panels or ground source heat pumps, switching to LED bulbs – which can reduce your carbon emissions from lighting by 65-90 per cent, reducing heating settings and setting up power-down systems for weekends and holiday times. 

“Other actions may have smaller carbon reductions but greater community engagement, like introducing healthier, lower-carbon meals, encouraging active travel (cycling, walking, scootering), or sourcing more local or sustainable resources for the school.”

Working with Multi-Academy Trusts

Collaborating with MATs offers great opportunities for shared learning across the MAT schools and also with the local authority. Our Midlands-based Climate Action Advisors have worked with the Diocese Board of Education, Diocese of Herefordshire MAT, and Herefordshire County Council. 

Through this partnership Let’s Go Zero has highlighted issues like food waste collection with the county council and suggested energy retrofits with the Diocese. Climate Action Advisor Rosie Pincott led workshops and a pilot project with the Diocese Board of Education and Herefordshire County Council to make climate action plans relevant to the county’s unique challenges. The Diocese of Herefordshire MAT had already secured Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF) funding for heat decarbonisation plans across its 18 schools which the Climate Action Advisor will incorporate into the MAT schools’ climate action plans and work with them to progress. The Climate Action Advisors, schools, and Diocese are excited about what’s to come.

Teamwork makes the Climate Action Plan work

Let’s Go Zero Climate Action Advisor in the South East, Melanie Parr, says: “One of the most crucial things we recommend is establishing a sustainability team with key stakeholders from across the school, with full support from the senior leadership team. Sustainability is too big and long-term to fall on one person’s shoulders.”

A holistic, whole-setting approach will ensure the most impactful and inclusive climate action plan. Sustainability can feel overwhelming, but a shared plan – no matter how long-term – gives schools motivation and direction. Even without immediate funding, the plan and vision will guide schools toward meaningful actions.

f you would like to join the Let's Go Zero campaign and request a Climate Action Advisor, get in touch here.