National Priorities

Eco-Schools and Sustainable Schools strategy

The Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) wants every school to be a sustainable school by 2020 and believes schools play a vital part in developing the skills children need to lead sustainable lives. The Government’s Sustainable Schools strategy outlines how schools can start their journey towards becoming sustainable, encouraging them to take on board the principles of sustainable development across all aspects of school life. This means that:

  • Pupils should learn about sustainability in their lessons, as part of the curriculum.
  • The school campus should be managed in a sustainable way.
  • The school should act as a catalyst for sustainability within the local community.
Sustainable Schools

The Sustainable Schools strategy highlights eight key doorways or areas where schools can become more sustainable. For each doorway there is an aspiration statement or recommendation which Government would like schools to achieve by 2020.

As part of the Sustainable Schools strategy, the DCSF has also developed a way for schools to record their activities and document the benefits for Ofsted. The sustainable school self-evaluation tool (s3) is based on the Self- Evaluation Form (SEF) that schools need to complete for Ofsted. The SEF is extremely important in providing judgements about a school’s ability to know itself and improve. It should convey a clear picture of how well a school is doing, building on its successes and remedying its weaknesses.

The following table highlights how the nine Eco-Schools themes address significant elements of the eight doorways, and which questions of the s3 tool are similarly linked:

Eco-Schools Themes, SSS Doorways and the s3 Self-Evaluation

Eco-Schools Theme (9)

 

Doorways (8)

s3 Tool Questions

Healthy Living

Contributes to

Food & Drink
Inclusion & Participation
Local Well-Being

1.1–6.1, F1, F8, F9

Energy

Contributes to

Energy & Water
Inclusion & Participation

1.1–6.1,F2, F3, F8

Water

Contributes to

Energy & Water
Inclusion & Participation

1.1-6.1, F2,F3,F8

Transport

Contributes to

Travel & Traffic
Inclusion & Participation
Local Well-Being

1.1–6.1, F4, F8, F9

Waste Minimisation

Contributes to

Purchasing & Waste
Inclusion & Participation

1.1–6.1, F5, F8

School Grounds

Contributes to

Buildings & Grounds
Inclusion & Participation
Local Well-Being

1.1–6.1, F6–F9

Litter

Contributes to

Purchasing & Waste
Inclusion & Participation
Local Well-Being

1.1–6.1, F5, F8, F9

Biodiversity

Contributes to

Buildings & Grounds
Local Well-Being
Inclusion & Participation

1.1–6.1, F6–F9

Global Perspective

Contributes to

Global Dimension
Inclusion & Participation

1.1-6.1, F8, F10

Tips for filling in the s3

  1. Don’t panic!
    An Eco-School is already making great progress towards becoming a Sustainable School. You will be able to give positive answers to many of the questions.
  2. Complete questions F1 to F10 first
    These are the types of question that an Eco-School will find more familiar as they closely mirror the Eco-Schools themes. Your answers to these questions will help you to respond to the rest of the s3.
  3. Don’t expect to be 'outstanding' in every s3 response, even if you have a Green Flag
    No one expects perfection. The s3 is designed to be aspirational, to focus your thinking and provide ideas for future action. The framework sets aspirations to 2020 so schools are not expected to be doing everything now.
  4. Consider the impact Eco-Schools is having on the pupils, as well as on the school environment
    Many of the s3 questions are, like the SEF, designed to show how school strategies are making a positive difference to young people’s life chances and educational achievement.
  5. Celebrate your success
    Through Eco-Schools, your school community has made a significant commitment and contribution to sustainable development and future generations. The s3 provides a means to describe what and how.

More information on the Sustainable Schools strategy, including the voluntary s3 tool, can be viewed at http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/sustainableschools