In its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, the Department for Education (DfE) outlined its vision for all education settings to have a Climate Action Plan in place by 2025. Climate education is one of five key areas for inclusion within these plans, highlighting its importance, empowering teachers and school leaders to ensure there is time for it within and beyond the teaching day, and delivering on the need for a national, guiding framework. This vision takes steps to address Action 3 and Action 9.
In addition, the DfE's strategy has a goal of establishing a nominated sustainability lead by 2025. This individual will own the local Climate Action Plan, benefit from carbon literacy training, and be supported in adopting a joined-up approach to leadership that brings together young people, governors, and others involved in the education of our next generation. The move towards identified leadership aligns with Action 4.
Implementation will vary between settings given that each is unique. The detail of, and approach to, developing Climate Action Plans will be facilitated and supported rather than prescriptive. The DfE will make setting-level data available to inform their development, and assist in building networks and sharing good practice. In spring 2023, the University of Reading welcomed a group of local schools to participate in a pilot workshop, a first step towards helping providers to think about how individual Climate Education Plans might be developed; the schools were welcomed back in spring 2024 to reflect on progress, share experiences and focus on next steps.