As educators, we know that climate action can’t exist in a silo. To drive real change, sustainability must be woven into the very fabric of school life—from safeguarding to curriculum planning. That’s why I’ve created ‘Linking education setting statutory documents and approaches to Climate Action Plans: Exploration and Reflection Activity‘, a ready-to-use workshop toolkit designed to help schools seamlessly integrate their Climate Action Plans (CAP) with mandatory policies.
Why This Matters
With the Department for Education requiring all schools to adopt a Climate Action Plan and named Sustainability Lead by the end of 2025, this resource turns compliance into opportunity. By anchoring climate initiatives to statutory frameworks—like the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) guidance or Behaviour in Schools policies—you:
- Embed sustainability into daily operations, not add-ons.
- Strengthen accountability through existing governance structures.
- Unlock funding/Ofsted alignment by demonstrating whole-school commitment.
What’s Inside the Toolkit
This plug-and-play resource includes:
- Card-Matching Activities:
- Sort “Policy Heading” cards (Safeguarding, Curriculum, etc.)
- Match “Climate Action” cards (e.g., flood-risk assessments, biodiversity zones) to statutory policies.
- Link actions to CAP pillars: Adaptation (A), Biodiversity (B), Climate Education & Green Careers (C), and Decarbonisation (D).
- Policy Checklists:
- 20+ actionable ideas per statutory area (Safeguarding, SEND, PSED, etc.).
- Reflection prompts to classify actions: “We do,” “Should do,” or “Aspirational.”
- Implementation Templates:
- Model wording to embed climate actions into existing policies.
- Cross-referencing strategies for standalone CAPs.
How It Works in 15 Minutes
- Match policy cards to climate actions.
- Discuss how actions like “no-idling zones” tie to Behaviour Policies.
- Audit your progress using checklists.
- Update policies using the template language provided.
Example: Your Behaviour Policy could now include:
“We plan for potential behavioural impacts during Met Office heat advisories particularly on SEND pupils. Plans include…”
Which includes an action in your CAP such as:
“Analyse climate impacts on vulnerable groups, e.g. potential for increased unregulated behaviour during hot weather (new section of Behaviour Policy re: behaviour in times of heat stress)”
Get the Resource
Download the Full Toolkit Here (PDF, 11 pages).
This resource is offered free for internal school use. Please contact k.rackley@uea.ac.uk for sharing permissions or adaptations. It is intended as a reflective guide and does not constitute legal advice or consultation.
Why I Created This
In my role as the East of England Regional Hub Manager for the DfE-funded Climate Ambassador Scheme, I see a critical gap: policies and sustainability plans were disconnected. This toolkit bridges that divide—turning statutory frameworks into engines for transformational change.
Try it. Adapt it. Let me know how it works for you!
🌍 Share your feedback using the comments section below!
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