Rachel DelourmeCornwall Learning EBP

Governor Networks’ TrainingSaturday 21st May 2011

Sustainability Toolkit

"Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Definition of Sustainability -

The Brundtland Commission(World Commission on Environment & Development)

St. Columb Minor School

Ashden Award Winners

Video clip

Sustainable Schools Framework

What are the 8 doorways ?

energy & water

global dimension

local well-beingfood & drink

inclusion & participationbuildings & grounds

travel & traffic

purchasing & waste

• Sustainability Toolkit– What is it? – Where can I get it?

www.ncsl.org.uk– Work in pairs to try it.

Action Planning

Sustainability Action Plan

10 point programme for getting started

Involve students

The importance of pupil voice and participation in developing school sustainability cannot be over emphasised.

Sustainability is something many young people feel passionate about and are ready to take the lead on.

Harnessing their energy and enthusiasm and involving them in the decision-making process is vital for success.

Envisage what you want

Schools starting out on their sustainability journey need to develop a clear vision of where they intend to go.

It’s important that this vision is developed by the whole school community (young people, teachers, non teaching staff, parents and governors) so that everyone has ownership of it and responsibility for making it happen.

Network - share with partners and visit others

Becoming a sustainable school requires partnership working at every level.

Welcoming individuals, groups and organisations into school is paramount, but it’s not enough in itself.

Schools need to reach out to the community to forge two-way partnership if they are to become true catalysts for change.

Put it in your school development plan

Sustainability is developed most effectively when clear targets are set so that everyone knows where the school is heading, why it’s going there and, importantly, when it has arrived.

Having a set plan and goals enables you to celebrate milestones of success along the way.

Be patient, flexible and creative with change - - take risks

Education is all about change.

Through learning, people gain new knowledge and understanding that enables them to build skills and behaviours and use their creativity.

Our research shows that effective leaders of sustainable schools have a lot in common with leaders of change in that they are prepared to try out new things to find a better way forward, and that means being innovative, taking risks and being patient when it doesn’t happen as quickly as you would like.

Evaluate, prepare and reflect

Evaluate, evaluate, evaluate!

Sustainable schools never rest on the laurels and think the job is done - because it never is.

They are constantly reviewing their position, mapping their progress to date and setting new targets to work towards.

They can only do this by making time to reflect individually and as a community.

Make what resources you can available

A surprisingly large amount of sustainability work can be achieved with little additional funding, though resources in terms of time and efforts will need to be deployed.

Providing a budget, however small, demonstrates commitment, but giving time to move the work forward is absolutely crucial.

Many schools have attracted funding from businesses and charities to support their sustainability work.

Encourage and distribute leadership and involve the senior

leadership team

Distributed leadership is fundamental in developing a sustainable school.

Empowering others to take a lead is key to embedding the work and in some schools individual members of staff are given leading roles to develop sustainability, supported by the senior management team.

Make connections

Sustainable schools make the connection between all aspects of work in school and life beyond its gates.

They understand the ‘bigger picture’ and they use sustainability as a vehicle for delivering on other important agendas.

This is what moves education for sustainable development from being an add-on to being embedded in the core ethos of the school.

Extend learning

Sustainability, by its very definition, implies the need for continued development and learning in order to maintain the status quo.

Sustainable schools are hungry to extend and share opportunities for learning to the benefit of staff, pupils and the wider community.

Maintaining momentum

• Eco-teams / School Council – meet regularly (they need to lead it)

ensure that their ideas are shared amongst the whole school

• Themed days or weeks each year

• Active links with other countries – the more active they are – the more impact they will have on your school, pupils and your link pupils

• Active links with schools in the UK

• Annual events – Climate Week Challenge

• Invite External artists to hold practical workshops on Solar, Wind, Hydro etc

• Get involved in the community – beach clean, surveys etc

Maintaining momentum

• Use the outdoor environment for learning

• Revisit your aims (Rights & Responsibilities / School Pledges / Eco-Code)

• Renew your targets to reduce your carbon emissions

• Celebrate success

• Share your ideas

Summary

• Establish a starting point (NCSL toolkit does this)

• Have a plan (NCSL toolkit does this)

• Keep up momentum (INSET, whole school events, assembly, speakers, creative and practical workshops and networking)

• Create an umbrella (people to work with: other teachers, SMT, SLT, bursar, business manager, premises management staff, kitchen and cleaning staff, gardening group)

• Involve and reform

• Review and reflect

Sharing Ideas

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Question Time