Climate Action Plan - Years 1-13 - School Decarbonisation, Nature Recovery, Education and Resilience

Sep 11, 2026

A school-wide Climate Action Plan template for a coordinated approach to decarbonisation, nature recovery, climate education, and resilience across Years 1–13. It sets a vision and whole-school commitments, defines scope across estate, resources, people, governance and finance, and provides guidance on appointing leadership, forming a steering group, and enabling pupil voice. It includes baseline data requirements, adaptation targets and KPIs, reporting cadence, and key action areas covering energy, travel, food, water, waste and procurement.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPaper Templates

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time2 min

AccessFree to download

Vision and Commitments

Scope (what this plan covers)

Leadership, Governance and Participation

Baseline Targets and Reporting

KPIs and Reporting Cadence

Key Action Areas

Energy and Buildings

Travel, Commuting, and Trips

Food and Catering

Water (efficiency + reuse)

Waste, Procurement, Cleaning Products and Pupil Consumption

Climate Action Plan (Years 1-13) This is a Climate Action Plan Template that has been created so that it can be easily adapted to any school setting. It is intended to provide a succinct, whole-school plan for decarbonisation, nature recovery, climate education, and resilience. | School | | | --- | --- | | Baseline Year | | | Plan Period | 2026-2030 (adapt) | Vision and Commitments ▪ Become a climate-resilient, low-carbon school that reduces emissions, improves biodiversity on the site, and equips pupils (Years 1–13) with the knowledge, skills, and agency to act. ▪ Use a “whole-school” approach: governance, operations, curriculum, community, and partnerships. ▪ Deliver improvements in manageable phases, prioritising high-impact actions first and aligning timelines with available funding. Scope (what this plan covers) ▪ Estate and Operations (where applicable): classrooms, specialist blocks, halls, libraries, ICT, kitchens, catering, laundries, sports centres including swimming pools, grounds and vehicles. ▪ Resources: energy, water, waste, procurement and contracts, food and cleaning products. ▪ People and Learning: curriculum and enrichment (Years 1–13), staff CPD, pupil leadership, trips and travel. ▪ Governance and Finance: capital investment decisions, investment policies, reporting, and assurance. Leadership, Governance and Participation ▪ Appoint a Sustainability Lead with protected time and clear responsibilities. ▪ Create a Sustainability Steering Group (Head, Business Manager or Bursar, Estates, Catering, Sports Manager, DSL and Wellbeing, Governors, pupil representatives across year groups, and a parent or community member. ▪ Pupil Voice and Agency: Eco-Council with representatives from KS1/2, KS3, KS4 and Sixth Form; termly campaigns and co-design projects. ▪ Publish a one-page summary for stakeholders and keep an internal action register for delivery. Baseline Targets and Reporting Baseline (first 0–3 months) ▪ Gather 12 months of data: electricity, heating fuel, water, waste, catering volumes, and school fleet mileage. The SECR regime under which larger schools (meeting two or more of these criteria: turnover (or gross income) of £36 million or more; balance sheet assets of £18 million or more; 250 employees or more) will already be reporting on this and this data can be used for the baseline. ▪ Ensure metering includes high-load areas (kitchen, ICT suites, sports centre) . ▪ Complete a simple site walk-through audit to identify quick wins and maintenance issues (heating schedules, lighting, controls, leaks) . ▪ Record current curriculum provision and pupil engagement activities (clubs, outdoor learning, trips) . Targets (adapt after baseline) ▪ Operational Carbon: reduce by 15–25% within 3 years; 50% within 10 years; aim for net zero operational emissions by 2050 or earlier where feasible. ▪ Biodiversity: map habitats and deliver at least 3 measurable habitat improvements per year. ▪ Education: complete at least one climate or nature learning sequence per year; Sixth Form should offer pathways into green skills for future careers. KPIs and Reporting Cadence ▪ Operational emissions (tCO₂e) and energy use (kWh) per pupil ▪ Electricity (kWh), heating fuel (kWh), and % renewable energy (on-site + purchased) ▪ Water use (m³) per pupil and leak events resolved ▪ Waste (kg) per pupil; recycling rate; food waste (kg) per pupil ▪ Travel: school fleet mileage; % active or public transport commuting (sampled) ▪ Biodiversity: habitats mapped; area improved; pupil participation ▪ Education: staff CPD completed; curriculum coverage; pupil-led projects ▪ Internal dashboard: termly; external summary: annually (website and Governor report) . Key Action Areas (what we will do) Energy and Buildings ▪ Quick Wins (0–12 months): LED upgrades; optimise heating schedules; reduce setpoints where appropriate; shut-down protocols for holidays; device power manage

FAQs

What does the Climate Action Plan template cover across the school?

It covers estate and operations (where applicable), key resources such as energy and waste, people and learning across Years 1–13, and governance and finance including reporting and assurance.

How should the school establish its baseline before setting targets?

Collect 12 months of relevant data (electricity, heating fuel, water, waste, catering volumes, and fleet mileage) during the first 0–3 months, ensure metering covers high-load areas, and complete a site walk-through audit for quick wins and maintenance issues.

What KPIs and reporting cadence are suggested in the plan?

KPIs include operational emissions and energy per pupil, electricity/heating and renewable energy, water use per pupil and leak resolution, waste per pupil and recycling rate, travel mileage and transport modes, biodiversity measures, and education outcomes such as CPD and curriculum coverage. Reporting is termly internally and annually for external summaries via the website and Governor report.

Sep 11, 2026

Upload by นรินทร์