Teach Secondary Issue 14.7

education. The student-led climate education campaign, Teach the Future (teachthefuture.uk) , uses what it calls a ‘tracked changes’ methodology, combined with a set of guiding principles to envisage what a new, more sustainability-informed curriculum might look like. Net zero: Let’s Go Zero ( letsgozero.org ) is a national campaign calling for all education settings be zero carbon by 2030. Its regional reps will help you take the steps necessary to reduce your school’s carbon emissions, and you canmonitor your progress with a carbon emissions calculator available fromEco Schools (see eco-schools.org . uk/count-your-carbon). Procurement: Getting your facilities teams on board is a great place to start. The UKSSNOperations group (ops. ukssn.org ) – part of the UK Schools Sustainability Network – is run by SBLs, estate managers, governors and volunteers, and can provide you with great advice and access to a wide support network. Biodiversity: The recently opened National Education Nature Park programme (educationnaturepark.org.uk ) enables schools to better engage with vibrant biodiversity sites situated in their school’s local area. Schools can log their geographical location, track changes and find plenty of helpful resources for getting pupils more involved and knowledgeable about the natural wonders to be found on their own doorstep. A failure to change Our lives are dedicated to developing our students and equipping them for their futures – and right now, science tells us that their future is changing rapidly, yet our education system is not. Students are witnessing climate change impacts around the world. In recent years, millions have boldly skipped school and taken to the streets in protest, wanting their voices to be heard. As teachers, this is an ongoing situation that we can’t afford to ignore. Georgina Beard is a secondary maths teacher and climate ambassador; Elena Lengthorn is a senior lecturer in teacher education MAKINGTHE CHANGE Effecting a green transition within schools will entail making a number of significant changes, in terms of both actions and mindsets. Communicating what you’re intending to do and how you plan to do it will be critical, given that the range of stakeholders involved spans staff, parents and students. Effective collaboration is essential for achieving desired outcomes within the urgent timescales involved. At the same time, it’s important to be endlessly adaptable when working around the sheer uncertainties, unknowns and unpredictability of climate change. There is no doubt that we must prepare young people to lead their future lives in a world fundamentally impacted by climate change. While many school leaders are increasingly mindful of their school’s environmental impact, and are taking steps towards mitigating those effects, the biggest barrier is still the same – a lack of policy. Without concrete policy imposed at national level, these vital measures will continue to be merely optional. Schools remain money- and time-poor, with the result that their energies will be naturally concentrated first and foremost on the government priorities of the day. Ensuring that matters of environmental awareness and sustainability become a key feature of inspections and other accountability systems is crucial. Until the government recognises this, headteachers must use their power to enable all staff to prioritise environmentally-friendly choices. How well equipped is your school to understand and embrace the green transition? We need to teach both literacy and carbon literacy. Discuss net zero in maths lessons. Explore the meaning of ‘carbon footprints’ in science lessons. Because schools are confronting a challenge of adaptability, and will need to exercise excellent collaboration and communication skills if they’re to meet it. “Navigating the green transition in schools isn’t thealienprocess it’s oftenmade out tobe” 47 teachwire.net/secondary L E A D E R S H I P