Sustainability
Climate and Nature Action in Education
There is overwhelming evidence that our climate and environment is rapidly deteriorating. Our education system and the nurseries, schools and colleges within it play a critical role in driving action to address climate change and nature decline. By working together, the education system can lead the way in reducing our collective carbon footprint, preparing our nurseries, schools and colleges for extreme weather events and helping children and young people connect with nature and develop they green skills the need for their future.
As part of the Department for Education sustainability and climate change strategy, all education settings are expected to have a climate action plan and a sustainability lead in place by 2025. Developing a climate action plan will help us work out how our schools/trust can work sustainability into our existing improvement plans.
Steps so far:
- We have written a Sustainability Strategy that you can read here.
- Working with Let’s Go Zero, our schools and central team have conducted (or are in the process of conducting) audits that show where we are and what we need to do to make a difference. These audits will form the basis of each school’s Climate Action Plan.
- OAK has joined the UK School Sustainability Network (UKSSN) and, together, our schools and central team will work hard to make the world a better place.
- Each school has a sustainability lead and, over the coming months, our working group will continue to meet and share best practice to help shape estates management, procurement, curriculum, engagement and much more.
Did you know that we already have significant environmentally-friendly features in place across our Trust estates, such as:
- 90% of all flat roofing across the estate has had insulation
improved; all pitched roof loft spaces have now been insulated - New 25kw PV array just installed and commissioned at Manor High
with a further 50 kw in progress to be installed on new sports hall - Existing PV arrays at 2 other schools
- 5 x EV chargers to be installed at our new sports hall
- All of our schools are now lit entirely with LED
- Our large pre-school building at Overdale Infants and our pre-school building at Woodland Grange has recently been re-clad to include full exterior wall insulation
- Utilising the Woodland Trust grant, 120 trees and shrubs were planted at Brookside Primary last year with a further 420 planned for Manor High School in April 25
- New outside amphitheatre / teaching space constructed at Overdale Juniors
- New large amphitheatre / teaching place due for completion at Brookside / Manor in April 25
- 80% of our school windows across the estate have been replaced with double glazed sealed units over the past 6 years
- Robust energy monitoring is carried out at all sites with monthly consumption reviews
- Bike shelter provision extended at Overdale with further additional shelters planned at Manor High and Brookside for April 25
OAK Multi Academy Trust Sustainability Leads
- Danielle Benyon-Payne: OAK Central Team
- Paul Clarke: OAK Trust Estates Manager
- Sophie Bodycote: Brookside Primary School
- Rebecca Cox: Brookside Primary School
- Anthony Loweth: Manor High School
- Helen Boyd: Overdale Infant School
- Matthew Evans: Overdale Junior School
- Emma Holland: Woodland Grange Primary
- Georgia Matthews: Woodland Grange Primary