In recent years, UK schools have increasingly adopted sustainability more meaningfully, hands-on and beyond just the token “eco-weeks” to have green ethos embedded into buildings, grounds, curriculum and student life. The shift reflects not only a growing awareness of climate concerns, but also a belief that schools are powerful sites for the development of future citizens, who need to be environmentally literate and empowered to take action.
Making Outdoor Environments and School Infrastructure Greeners
One of the most evident trends has been changing school grounds from “grey” tarmac and concrete surfaces to living green habitats. Under the National Education Nature Park project more than 3,000 schools, nurseries and colleges in England signed up in the first year; over 500 schools were awarded a portion of £5 million to transform grey infrastructure to green, including the addition of ponds, green walls and pollinator habitats. For instance, at a school, an ivy, lavender and mint planted wall reduced surface temperature by about 10 °C. At a local state secondary school in Surrey, the school perimeter was planted with hedges and then linked to the schools GCSE science curriculum. These changes serve multiple purposes; including enhancing wellbeing, increasing biodiversity, lessening urban heat/air-pollution effects, and providing students with real environmental data locally to examine.
Curriculum & Student Engagement
Greening the structure is one aspect – schools are also incorporating sustainability into kids teaching and children as leaders. For example, the Heads’ Conference (HMC) features schools such as Guildford High School which teaches Year 9 Natural History units dealing with biodiversity and humans’ impacts on the world; and where children lead “Green Teams” (e.g., tree-planting, “Fast-Fashion Free” campaigns), which partner with wildlife trusts.
Similarly, the national program above references children using digital tools to map habitats on its projects, and contribute scientific research with both the Natural History Museum and the Royal Horticultural Society.
In participating in these types of activities, schools are engaging kids in doing sustainability and not just teaching about sustainability. This promotes authenticity, develops “green skills” (observing, planting, analyzing data) and empowers learners to affect change.
School-wide Culture and Operations
Another area of development is how schools operate. From purchasing renewable energy to reducing waste and recycling programs, developing eco-committees, and much more, many schools are embedding green considerations into their daily work. For example, Eco Schools UK, an eco-award scheme, describes a school that started with a Bronze Award (soon after participating) and moved through Silver and beyond by implementing outdoor classroom day and engaging in national campaigns.
In the borough of Merton, the “Energy Matters” program reached more than 1,000 pupils and 100+ staff through workshops on energy awareness, which was about fostering a whole-school approach.
These examples show that “going green” is about more than one-off projects; schools that develop an effective “going green” approach do so with a long-term approach, have embedded activity together across curriculum, grounds, operations, and culture, and have engaged all interested parties (teachers, students, support staff, governors).
Obstacles & Considerations
While the trend is positive, there remain challenges. To start, resources (funding, staff time, expertise) are a barrier – the green infrastructure case study noted that many schools in the UK are held back by the maintenance, links to the curriculum and budget limitations.
Secondly, although many schools are acting, there are inequalities: as one investigation for the Guardian found, students in top private schools had access to 10× more green space on average than pupils of state schools (322 m² vs 32 m² per pupil).
So the key question for the blogging audience is: how can all schools (no matter their budget) take steps towards sustainability rather than the “elite” schools?
The Importance of Green Schools
The case for green schools is compelling. For students, direct access to nature and outdoor environments improves wellbeing, enhances mental and physical health, and bridges the gap between abstract learning and contexts in the real world. For schools themselves, integrating sustainability aligns with national priorities (e.g., the Department for Education’s Sustainability & Climate Change Strategy) and has the potential to reduce operational costs (energy, water, waste). Socially, schools present a significant opportunity; schools educate our younger generations, shape student attitudes and behaviours, and are also potentially community focal points for wider environmental change.
Conclusion
Schools in the UK are changing: moving away from ‘eco clubs’ as extra-curricular activities to sustainability being embedded in everyday school life. Be it a new wildflower meadow in place of tarmac, linking planting projects to science lessons, or simply trying to reducing a school’s carbon footprint, there is real momentum. The message for your blog readers (teachers, parents, governors or community members) is very much, yes, there is opportunity to create change at any school — and the benefits for children and the planet are massive. Encourage the units to think about how they can support their school to link up to actions such as the National Education Nature Park, create a Green Team, complete a grounds audit, and strengthen their environmental education – as a meaningful part of the school experience, not an add-on.