by Tarina Chow, Executive Business Manager of a SEND-specialist MAT

Getting Started with Sustainability in Schools and Colleges: A daunting but necessary journey
Starting a sustainability journey in schools and colleges can be daunting. Like many of you, we found ourselves asking: “Where do we start? Who do we speak to?” Sustainability could easily be a full-time role, but with limited financial and staffing resources, many of us find ourselves managing this alongside our regular duties. Here’s how we began at our multi-academy trust (MAT) and how your school or college can take the first steps towards a more sustainable future.

Attending a Sustainability Workshop: The catalyst for change
Less than a year ago, I attended a Business Leader Network conference and chose a workshop on sustainability. The session was truly inspiring, making me reflect on the costs of inaction and offering practical tips on where to start. This experience was a wake-up call: in education, we have a responsibility to do more. Armed with the Department for Education’s (DfE) sustainability guidance, I approached our trust and volunteered to lead the sustainability efforts across our MAT.

Crafting a Sustainability Strategy: Our first steps
Our MAT, with its specialised focus on SEND, was already ahead in some ways. A sustainability strategy had been presented to trustees two years prior and distributed to all schools in the trust. However, like many strategies, it risked gathering dust without active champions to drive it forward. This is where Charlotte and I stepped in. Charlotte, a passionate financial expert, and I, an eco-conscious business leader, knew we had the determination needed to push the DfE’s objectives and align them to our trust's strategy.

We immediately set to work, meticulously planning out the sustainability strategy objectives with a masterclass of beautiful Excel Gantt charts and communication matrices. But it soon became clear that we didn’t have all the answers. We needed expert advice and broader engagement. 

Our first stop was the UK Schools Sustainability Network (UKSSN) UKSSN Operations Group, a treasure trove of resources for every sustainability pioneer and a must-join for all schools, colleges and MATs. The support available was immense, though overwhelming at times, and we’ll delve deeper into that in a future blog.

Assessing Our Baseline: What’s already in place?
Understanding our current position was the next critical step. We needed to assess what was already in place across our trust. A survey revealed that while there had been significant efforts, such as installing solar panels and LED lighting, there was still much to do regarding strategy, leadership, and governance in sustainability.

Attending the ASCL Sustainability Conference on World Environment Day
As an ASCL member, I noticed they were holding a sustainability conference on World Environment Day. I had already signed up when I met Emma Harrison, and we had a great conversation about sustainability, the conference, and the guest speakers. The event exceeded my expectations, providing invaluable resources and workshops that helped us refine our plans to support the sustainability drive in our trust. I highly recommend attending next year for school, college and trust leaders, as well as any upcoming sustainability pioneers.

Building Up Our Sustainability Team
It became obvious that this was not a two-person job. Our next objective was to establish a team: the ‘Esteem Climate Task Force.’ We reached out to each school in our trust to nominate an eager volunteer (loosely speaking!). Charlotte and I were thrilled to meet our 12 new recruits, and they didn’t disappoint. Our Designated Sustainability Leads (we might need a catchier/less confusing acronym!) came from various roles: site managers, teachers, TAs, and business leaders—a multi-talented team. Admittedly, they were lured in with biscuits and a fancy new Climate Task Force logo (thanks to our content creator, Emily), but they brought with them ideas and enthusiasm.

Together, we explored why sustainability is important and our roles in driving the trust’s strategy. We shared ideas on what a Climate Action Plan might look like, drawing on examples from schools further along in their journey. We also discussed how they could create school-based sustainability teams involving staff and, importantly, students as change-makers.

What’s Next on Our Sustainability Journey?
As the summer holidays approached, we reflected on our progress. I won’t lie—it’s been slow, but it’s also been exciting. Just getting started feels like a significant step in the right direction. In less than six months, we’ve taken our strategy, benchmarked our baseline, created an action plan, identified partnerships, and appointed a sustainability lead in every school. It feels like we’re in a strong position heading into the next academic year.
Our next focus will be on engaging with partners, utilising their expertise, and advancing our climate action planning. Check back in as the term progresses for further blogs and updates. 

Tarina Chow is Executive Business Manager of a SEND-specialist MAT.
  If you would like to take the first step in your journey or to schedule an event worth waiting for, you can book onto our Sustainability conference in June 2025.  Until then, you can access a free podcast on sustainability, recorded in February 2024. If you would like to organise consultant support through ASCL or a have quick conversation to work out what support would be of use, please contact Thomas Freeney, ASCL's Leadership Development Manager, who is happy to support with this or any topic.