An Update from the Sustainable Schools Alliance

Despite tough times, the Sustainable Schools agenda is still receiving a huge amount of support and demand from schools and networks up and down the UK, with many teachers and educators logging on to SEEd’s website and downloading key resources.

Regional progress

Representatives from our regional networks echoed this support and particular highlights include:

  1. Rapidly developing Growing Schools and Forests Schools schemes in both the North West and the North East;
  2. The North East’s Climate Change Schools Project, which won the National Climate Week Award for Best Educational Initiative, has been hugely successful and is looking to expand;
  3. The West Midlands ESD forum has formed a successful partnership with global learning organisation, TIDE~;
  4. There have been a lot of sustainable travel initiatives in schools across London thanks to positive work from the Transport for London.

The Sustainable Schools Alliance projects

The Alliance is currently developing two projects: the first is SEEd’s Sustainability and Curriculum Project (a new initiative to create a sustainability curriculum and help schools develop their own 'local school curriculum') which is being developed by SEEd’s Chief Executive, Ann Finlayson.  The second is being coordinated by NCB’s Jo Butcher. In order to encourage a much broader commitment to sustainable development (SD) in schools we need to articulate a much broader vision of what it can achieve. The project will develop and communicate a robust framework on the well-being dimension of sustainable development in partnership with schools and those that support them.

If you are interested in learning more about these projects, please contact:

The Alliance’s next steps

We have had amazing support for the Alliance and we are really excited to keep things moving forward. Lack of funding means slow progress, but there is no shortage of enthusiasm, so we should be able to keep the Alliance going.  We are especially keen to hear how you want to contribute to our two forward thinking projects.  We are also looking for meeting spaces where our networks and advisory group can meet twice a year – if you know of any inspiring (and free!) locations then please let us know!