Tag: Climate Action Plans

Infographic titled "Climate literacy as safeguarding in schools" with five sections: Acknowledgement, Care, Honesty, Support, Shared Responsibility. Each section has an icon and brief explanatory text, emphasizing emotional and educational roles in addressing climate change.

Climate literacy as safeguarding: What reasonable professional responsibility looks like

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

The final part of the "This isn't activism, it's duty of care". Here I propose five 'reasonable responsibilties' of educators regarding climate change and its impact on children. By combining the three reports explored, we recognise children's emotional connections to nature, school systems' contributions to environmental issues, and officially recognised ecological risks. Rather than advocating for heroic actions, I call for acknowledgment of climate-related concerns, careful language, and institutional honesty. The aim is to cultivate climate literacy without placing undue burden on students, grounding responsibilities in shared, reasonable actions rather than individual blame.

When ecological risk becomes a planning assumption: reading the National Security Assessment with care

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

Part 4 of the "This isn’t activism, it’s duty of care" series. Recent reports highlight the intersection of climate change, education, and responsibility, specifically the UK government's National Security Assessment on biodiversity loss. This internal document emphasises foreseeable risks to food, water, health, and economic stability. It calls for awareness and preparation rather than prescriptive measures, advocating for ecological risk acknowledgment in education. Thus, climate literacy should focus on safeguarding rather than activism, fostering resilience and understanding amid uncertainty.

Infographic showing key findings on environmental impact: 40% transport, 27% energy, 32% food, 72% scope 3 emissions, under 1% water/waste, over a blurred image of children outdoors.

Schools are not neutral: What school carbon data reveals about responsibility, modelling, and care

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

Part 3 of the "This Isn't Activism: It's a Duty of Care" series discusses the findings of the Count Your Carbon 2026 report, which analyses carbon emissions from over 1,600 schools in England. It reveals that structural decisions, such as transportation and food sourcing, significantly contribute to school emissions, often beyond children’s control. I emphasise that framing climate responsibility on students is misleading and may lead to emotional burdens, and so there is a need for institutional honesty and alignment of actions with the realities of carbon impact to support safeguarding rather than shifting blame onto young people.

A bar chart shows that most children and young people in England agree that being in nature makes them happy, with 40% completely agreeing and 29% strongly agreeing.

Children already know this matters: What Natural England’s Survey tells us about wellbeing, inequality, and care

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

Part 2 of the "This Isn't Activism: It's a Duty of Care" series on climate education. I look at the importance of understanding children's experiences and relationships with nature as revealed in the Children’s People and Nature Survey for England, highlighting that most children feel happy in nature, but access to it is uneven, influenced by factors like income and ethnicity. Safeguarding frameworks need to account for these inequalities, as children’s emotional connections to nature exist before climate-related concerns. Educators should approach these topics with care, awareness, and honesty rather than avoidance or panic.

Curriculum Reform, Climate Literacy & Safeguarding: Decolonising What We Teach (and Why) in Light of the DfE Review

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

The Department for Education's Curriculum and Assessment Review outlines potential educational reforms by 2028. While improvements are noted, significant gaps remain in curriculum time and assessment for climate education. Action steps for school leaders to mitigate shortfalls include embedding climate education into policies, assessing decolonial practices, and enhancing teacher training. A free subscription is required to read this post.

Drake Primary School’s Climate Journey: A Success Story

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

Drake Primary shows how climate action and safeguarding can work hand-in-hand. From energy audits to outdoor learning and eco-anxiety support, their journey proves sustainability isn’t an add-on—it’s a mindset. Here’s what schools can learn from their whole-school approach.

Londoner Annie Risner Supporting Education Settings in the Charge for Climate Action

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

The Climate Ambassadors scheme empowers young people to address climate change, with nine regional hubs across England. Annie Risner, leading the London hub, draws from her diverse background and community engagement experience. Her focus is on empowering schools and early years settings, fostering collaboration, and promoting creative climate action. With her leadership and the scheme's support, London's youth are empowered to create a more sustainable future.

Calling All Climate Champions: Meet Cormac, Northwest Climate Ambassador Regional Manager

Posted on by Kit Marie Rackley (they/she)

In a recent episode of the Coffee & Geography Podcast, I sat down with Cormac Lawler, the dynamic new Regional Hub Manager for the Climate Ambassadors scheme in the Northwest of England. A self-proclaimed "sociable introvert" with a passion for community and the environment, Cormac is the perfect person to lead this important initiative. Originally … Continue reading Calling All Climate Champions: Meet Cormac, Northwest Climate Ambassador Regional Manager →