Two years ago the government promised to make the education sector a “world leader“ in environmental sustainability. But the National Audit Office (NAO) says the policies won鈥檛 鈥渕ake a contribution towards achieving government鈥檚 overall goal鈥 of slashing emissions by three-quarters by 2037, before net zero in 2050. In a , the spending watchdog called for changes to be 鈥渞olled out at a much larger scale, and relatively soon鈥. So what鈥檚 going on? Schools Week 颈苍惫别蝉迟颈驳补迟别蝉鈥 Are schools cutting emissions? Government guidance states large MATs that consume more than 40,000 kilowatt-hours of energy in a year . The bosses of smaller organisations don鈥檛 have to report their energy use. Councils must, but it鈥檚 not possible to extract the energy use for schools only. Nick Hurn Schools Week analysis of the 30 biggest trusts shows per-pupil carbon emissions fell by 2.9 per cent between 2019-20 and 2021-22. Covid is likely skewing the findings, with school closures temporarily compressing figures. And in 2020-21, the keeping of windows open to thwart the virus鈥 spread probably halted progress. Nick Hurn, the chief executive of the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which has cut per-pupil emissions by 42 per cent since 2019, said it was 鈥渄ifficult鈥 to have environmentally friendly estates when buildings were old and dilapidated. The NAO report said 24,000 primary and secondary buildings 鈥 38 per cent of the school estate 鈥 were beyond their 鈥渋nitial design life鈥. The government estimates repairing all of England鈥檚 school buildings would cost 拢11.4 billion. Speaking to Schools Week, Keith Davis, the director responsible for the NAO report, said that if 鈥渨ater鈥檚 coming through the roof, leaders are going to have to address that first鈥. The NAO study also found a 拢2 billion yearly shortfall in capital funding for schools, meaning emergency repairs take precedence over routine maintenance. Jonathan Timmis, the chief operations officer of Astrea Academy Trust, said: 鈥淚f you want to get to net zero, you鈥檒l have to knock the buildings down.鈥 MPs sitting on the . Conservative Philip Dunne, who chaired the hearing, is urging ministers to use the RAAC emergency as an opportunity to address green concerns. Decarbonisation scheme cash drops The 拢2.3 billion public sector decarbonisation scheme (PSDS) was launched by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) in 2020 to offer grants to the likes of schools and hospitals for efficiency upgrades. Jonathan Timmis Schools Week analysis suggests 拢270 million (21.19 per cent) of the 拢1.27 billion handed out across the last two phases of the project went to bids featuring schools. This represents a drop of 20 percentage points since the first funding wave three years ago. It鈥檚 also just below the 24 per cent of public sector emissions that state primaries and secondaries produce. The proportion of cash going to schools is likely to be lower, too, as council applications do not state how much money is earmarked for schools, as opposed to wider services. The government last year introduced 鈥渟ector caps鈥 to ensure funding 鈥渂roadly matches鈥 emission numbers. Schools, alongside colleges and universities, now get between 30 and 35 per cent of the pot. Results from a Freedom of Information request show Harris Federation was the second-largest recipient of PSDS grants from the education sector. It鈥檚 been allocated 拢17.2 million since 2020, which is 拢2.7 million less than the sum Cranfield University in Bedfordshire has received. Big trusts 鈥榖etter off鈥 At Harris, the money has gone towards new heating systems in seven academies, solar panels and 10,000 new LED fittings, among other things. A spokesperson said so far the trust had 鈥渁chieved a 95 per cent aggregated carbon saving across the 11 schools benefiting from this funding鈥. The trust, one of the country鈥檚 largest with 52 schools, 鈥減ut together credible [funding] bids quickly鈥 as it had appointed a company to support it with energy-efficiency work two years before PSDS began. Paul Edmond But Paul Edmond, the chair of the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN), said it was 鈥渁 challenge鈥 for smaller organisations to put bids together. Our analysis shows trusts that lodged successful applications in the latest round of PSDS had, on average, 22 schools. The average-sized MAT in 2022 had seven academies, according to England鈥檚 biggest trust, United Learning, received the go-ahead for five separate bids totalling 拢5.7 million. Speaking to MPs on Wednesday, Dr Jonathan Dewsbury, the DfE鈥檚 director of capital operations and net zero, said PSDS was 鈥渃onsistently oversubscribed鈥. Officials recognised it was a 鈥渃hallenge for particularly small schools or SATs to access it鈥, but were working with DESNZ to change the next phase of funding to fix this. Baroness Barran, the academies minister, also acknowledged the 鈥渇irst-past-the-post system [for applications] isn鈥檛 working very well for schools鈥. How schools are taking the initiative to go green Despite a lack of funding, more schools are prioritising going green. Nearly 66 per cent of respondents to a said leaders had taken 鈥減ractical action in their school or trust on environmental sustainability鈥. Larger trusts are using their own cash to fund changes. E-ACT will fork out 拢8 million 鈥 drawn from reserves and capital grants 鈥 to install solar panels in each of its 28 academies. Chris Wiseman, its deputy chief executive, said the scheme was 鈥渃entral to reducing our reliance on mains services where possible鈥. Astrea spent 拢1.1 million 鈥 half of which came from its reserves 鈥 on solar panels and LED lights. Jessica Marshall of Oasis Delta Academies Trust, which runs 53 schools, launched an 鈥渆nvironmental strategy group鈥 18 months ago. Paul Tarn, its chief executive, said classroom projectors had been replaced with LED screens and that the chain has committed to installing solar panels whenever a roof was refurbished. Jessica Marshall was appointed by Oasis Community Learning, which has 53 schools, to the newly-created role of national environmental and sustainability manager in January. She 鈥渃an鈥檛 imagine鈥 who would be doing the 鈥減rocurement and administrative documents that are required鈥 for funding applications at an 鈥渙rganisation that doesn鈥檛 have a role like mine鈥. Energy costs make green measures affordable Sam Freedman, a former DfE adviser, said while largest trusts would be able to afford facilities teams with 鈥渃apability and knowledge鈥 of green issues, this 鈥渨ouldn鈥檛 make [financial] sense for an average MAT鈥, which would instead have to 鈥渃ontract out鈥. But the surge in energy costs have pushed many to act. Mark Greatrex, the boss of the 10-school chain Bellevue Place, said after energy bills leapt from 拢16,000 to 拢60,000 in two years at one of his schools, he would review whether it was 鈥渟ustainable to have someone to do this because the savings could pay for their role. It鈥檚 something that鈥asn鈥檛 as financially attractive before.鈥 Marino Charalambous To reduce costs, some eco-minded chains, such as Oasis, have signed up to long-term contracts with companies that fit solar panels for no initial cost. In return, the schools pay the firms a lower-than-market rate fee for each unit of electricity generated by the panels. Under the deal, North Star Community Trust pays 16p per unit. From national grid suppliers, a unit of electricity is worth about 34p. Marino Charalambous, its chief executive, said he chose this option as he could not afford to buy the panels outright. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a no-brainer 鈥 as long as you go with the right companies.鈥 Essex County Council officials aim to retrofit their schools 鈥渨ith energy-efficiency measures by 2030鈥. Funding for capital works 鈥 such as replacing old gas boilers with air-source heat pumps 鈥 is coming from the authority鈥檚 maintenance budget. In Kent, council chiefs have . The authority has also purchased a solar farm. Net zero 鈥榓ccelerator鈥 plan for schools The DfE launched its own sustainability and climate change unit (SCCU) in April 2021. But the delivery plan is already rated 鈥渁mber-red鈥. Baroness Barran Barran revealed on Wednesday that seven of are 鈥渙ff track鈥, although she called the rating 鈥渁 bit harsh鈥. Among them are promises to ensure all new school buildings are net zero by the end of this year and to develop standards for retrofit and repair by 2025. Ministers intend on rebuilding 500 primaries and secondaries (about 2 per cent of the school estate) by 2030, costing 拢1 billion a year. Barran also said the government has a target of retrofitting 650 schools to get them 鈥渘et zero but without a rebuild鈥. Meanwhile, the government-owned LocatED is working on a 鈥渘et zero accelerator鈥. Documents say the scheme will 鈥渇inance and deliver practical improvements to the education estate鈥. This will help councils and trusts assess the condition of their schools and advise 鈥渨hat building works they need to do, and the order in which to do them鈥. It will 鈥渁lso seek to aggregate participating schools to harness their collective buying power鈥 to create 鈥済reater value-for-money鈥. 鈥榃ho鈥檚 going to tell me off for not going green?鈥 But the NAO found cash for the DfE鈥檚 resilient schools programme 鈥 which is testing retrofitting options for primaries and secondaries 鈥 had been quietly cut from 拢90.5 million to just 拢4.6 million in August 2022. However Edmond, of UKSSN, said there鈥檚 鈥渘o real accountability to make schools green. Who鈥檚 going to tell me off if I don鈥檛 do it?鈥 Ministers estimate that at the current rate of progress, 80 per cent of the existing [education] estate won鈥檛 be retrofitted by 2050, while the NAO has branded current sustainability schemes 鈥渇airly small-scale鈥. Davis said the DfE now must 鈥渟et an emissions target and get its decarbonisation plan in place. There鈥檚 been no substantive progress on this.鈥 A DfE spokesperson said the department is piloting approaches to decarbonisation which will 鈥渆nable us to set targets by 2025 and allow us to take action efficiently and with least disruption鈥. Specifications for new buildings are also already 鈥渂etter than national standards鈥.
7 November 2023 It’s not only energy that needs to be reduced. Schools are well placed to show how a Circular Economy works and to also embed Sustainability into the curriculum. It’s not all about the Green Stuff, but also links to well-being, systems thinking and pupil agency. Sustainable schools also reduce overall consumption due to the hidden embodied carbon in ‘stuff’. The science and aesthetics of nature are also important elements. I document all this and more in my book Leadership for Sustainability: saving the planet one school at a time.