Sustainability and climate change strategy

By 2025, all education settings will have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a climate action plan. Our sustainability lead at Bursledon Federation is Mrs Merchant-White. 

Our Sustainability leadership is made up of a range of staff and pupils. Driven by the work of Christian Distinctiveness Global Neighbours (Bronze Award 2024/2025) and our Eco warriors, paired with our staff, Governors are wider community we acknowledge and embrace the responsibility for the development and implementation of our climate action plan.

Why do we believe this important? 

It will increase the confidence and expertise of our leadership team, staff, learners, and students in understanding climate change and how positive change can be achieved. It create a culture that prioritises sustainability. It enables us to share effective practice with other education settings and develop a peer-to-peer learning network.  It allows us use data to identify and prioritise action; improve energy and water efficiency, calculate your carbon emissions and identify ways to reduce them which in time should support a reduction of operating costs. It will increase resilience and start adapting to the impacts of climate change, enhance biodiversity and help learners develop skills and knowledge which help them to contribute to sustainability and climate change in their lives and future jobs. 

Involving our children in this is important in climate action planning as in doing so it can:

• inspire their enthusiasm to help drive positive change
• increase their practical knowledge of sustainability and climate change
• give young people a sense of agency where anxiety stems from climate concerns
• create a sense of pride in their education setting
• enable them to share their knowledge and enthusiasm in their local communities
• enable them to engage their parents, carers, and wider community in sustainability and climate change

Our areas align with the DfE’s sustainability and climate change strategy:

• decarbonisation, for example calculating and taking actions to reduce carbon emissions, such as becoming more energy efficient

• adaptation and resilience, such as taking actions to reduce the risk of flooding and overheating

• biodiversity, for example engaging with the National Education Nature Park

• climate education and green careers, such as ensuring the education you provide gives knowledge-rich and comprehensive teaching about climate change, and that your teaching staff and lecturers feel supported to offer this

 We look forward to sharing our Climate Action plan with you shortly.