Skip to main content

< PREV HOME NEXT>

Two boys planting trees at Radley College

1 May 2024

‘Being green’ is the number one issue of the day. So how are schools accommodating and encouraging such an outlook and is it something parents should pay close attention to when choosing a school? 

You don’t have to be an Extinction Rebel, treehugger or (nod to the 90s) Swampy to include the quest for net zero on your list of must-haves when choosing schools. Their approaches to sustainability will not only increase your child’s awareness of environmental issues, but also prepare them for future jobs and maybe even help contain ever-increasing school fees. 

If former US Vice President and climate campaigner Al Gore is correct in his claim that ‘we are in the early stages of a global sustainability revolution’ – and we accept the UK government’s Climate Change Committee’s assessment that ‘you don’t reach net zero simply by wishing it’ – then educational institutions should rightly be at the forefront of the movement. 

What are schools doing?

Ever received the full Greta treatment from your child, only to find yourself turning off every light behind them? Even if the results are a little inconsistent, children are environmental enthusiasts and sustainability is now on the radar of practically all schools. We see a plethora of initiatives on our visits – often pupil led – ranging from single-use plastic bans, Thrift Thursdays and repair shops to no-mow lawns, natural dye gardens for use in textiles and no-dig allotments selling wonky veg. We’ve seen a pop-up climate café used to address anxiety around global warming while making low carbon snacks, costumes and sets for productions using solely recycled materials and even lycra clad headteachers cycling to work. 

Outdoor learning also plays a part, and we are no strangers to throwing on our wellies and heading out to forest schools to bear witness to the value they bring to learning about the environment. Then there are living walls and green roofs – not just for aesthetics but utilised to reduce pollution and remove CO2 from the air. Radley College, Eaton House Belgravia and Sevenoaks Preparatory School all have fine examples.  

Then onto bigger ticket items. ‘We have a lot of roofs, so our capacity is significant,’ says Wycliffe College – cue installation of solar panels expected to generate 75,000 kWh per annum. Radley College plans to build a 20-acre solar farm, re-wild farmland and plant 50-acres of trees to reach the target of carbon-neutral by 2030. Felsted School has recently appointed its first head of sustainability – a role icreasingly featuring in ‘exciting job opportunity’ ads. 

James Allen's Girls' School (JAGS) has a punchy strategy including a 200-litre composter which currently transforms 20 per cent of the school’s waste (well on the way to hitting their 30 per cent target by 2030). An energy saving group at King Henry VIII, Coventry, audits energy consumption. 

The cash-strapped state sector has been getting in on the act too. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford last year installed solar panels on all of its 160 schools and has already saved 150 tonnes of carbon and £60,000 of electricity. Just one of many such examples. 

Preparing for a green future

With the future job market in mind, parents would do well to consider schools’ environmental credentials. ‘Green careers’ have grown exponentially with the ‘Build Back Greener’ post-pandemic mantra. The green economy is worth at least £70 billion, with potential for far more. But how do schools help their students stand out in an ever-more competitive field? It’s perhaps no surprise that 55 UK universities now offer over 172 courses in sustainability and related topics. It follows, then, that schools offering relevant qualifications or accreditations could be the go-to. The incoming natural history GCSE has the go-ahead from September 2025, while A levels and IB courses in environmental science are already available. Climate Leaders Awards (run in parallel to DofE) are also on offer.  

Some schools are going further still. Rochester Independent College has introduced a 100 per cent sustainability scholarship designed to attract applicants who have ‘a passion for nature…and who have taken action to help environmental sustainability’. And in a recent visit to Bromley High Junior School, a quarter of the pupil council told us they dreamed not of being doctors, lawyers or astronauts or X-factor winners, but of working in sustainability.  

Recently installed solar panels at Wycliffe College

Does sustainability equal savings?

These days, parents pondering private school would be prudent to consider how environmental efficiency might affect fee inflation. ‘Whatever happens, school fees will continue to rise – as sure as death and taxes,’ we reported in our January article The future of private school fees. Add to this a looming election featuring Labour’s proposed tax changes and you can see why parents need greater reassurance than ever that schools are managing their money effectively. Initiatives we’ve witnessed are undeniably productive and hopefully preparing students for a meaningful life beyond, but to keep the polar bear from the door, there’s still a way to go.

The Independent Schools Council’s white paper on sustainability in schools reported that 44 per cent have a sustainability strategy in place, yet 70 per cent are not measuring carbon emissions (critical in the journey to achieving net zero and ultimately in tightening the purse strings). Whether savings from new sustainable energy sources and cutting carbon emissions will be passed onto the parent, injected into bursaries and scholarships or re-invested into larger projects remains to be seen. But it’s a savvy school that recognises a ‘robust sustainability and net zero strategy can bolster the resilience, relevance and longevity of educational institutions’. Some are ahead of the game – University College School is already ‘carbon neutral’, with a triple gold recognition from the UN Climate Neutral Now initiative.

So what should parents do?

With each at a different stage on its journey to net zero, viewing prospective schools through a sustainability lens provides parents with an interesting insight into their broader culture and ethos. Those treating it as more than window dressing will equip children with vital understanding of the challenges facing the world and give them a flavour of some of the solutions. 

Of course, the battle to save planet Earth cannot be won at a small primary school, let alone at a grand English public school, but they should play their part and parents should attach weight to what they do. The pre-prep of St Faith’s, Cambridge, has a coveted ‘tortoise badge’, the holder of which has the privilege of being the last to leave the classroom, ensuring all lights are switched off. It’s sustainability on a small practical level, but it leaves an impression on young minds which is a very good start. 

Image credit (boys planting trees): Radley College; Image credit (solar panels): Wycliffe College

 

< PREV HOME NEXT>

Most popular Good Schools Guide articles


  • Special educational needs introduction

    Need help? Perhaps you suspect your child has some learning difficulty and you would like advice on what you should do. Or perhaps it is becoming clear that your child's current school is not working for him or her, and you need help to find a mainstream school which has better SEN provision, or to find a special school which will best cater for your child's area of need. Our SEN consultancy team advises on both special schools, and the mainstream schools with good SEN support, from reception through to the specialist colleges for 19+. Special Educational Needs Index

  • The Good Schools Guide International

    Find top international, British, IB and American schools in over 40 countries. The Good Schools Guide International publishes impartial and forthright reviews of international schools across the world.

  • Grammar schools in the UK

    Grammar schools are state-funded, academically selective senior schools. The education a child receives at grammar school is paid for by the state unlike at private schools which provide education for a fee. There are currently around 163 located in 36 English local authorities, with around 167,000 pupils between them. Northern Ireland has a further 67 grammar schools, but there are none in Wales or Scotland. A word of caution: there are private schools that have the word 'grammar' in their name but this is purely for historical reasons. 

  • Grammar schools best value added

    We examined the value-added from KS2 to GCSE for 2024 to see which state selective grammar schools added the most value to their offspring. A note of caution - the more highly selective a grammar school, the less scope there will be to add value.

  • Performing Arts schools

    At specialist music, dance or performing arts schools, the arts aren't optional extras. They’re intrinsic to the school curriculum. Students are expected to fit in high level training and hours of practice alongside a full academic provision.


Subscribe for instant access to in-depth reviews:

☑ 30,000 Independent, state and special schools in our parent-friendly interactive directory
☑ Instant access to in-depth UK school reviews
☑ Honest, opinionated and fearless independent reviews of over 1,200 schools
☑ Independent tutor company reviews

Try before you buy - The Charter School Southwark

Buy Now

GSG Blog >

The Good Schools Guide newsletter

Educational insight in your inbox. Sign up for our popular newsletters.

 
 
 

Our most recent newsletter: