Information for governors about Sustainable Schools

Through the sustainable schools team, Leicester City Council supports all schools in the city to become more sustainable. Our outcomes are reducing carbon, engaging young people and/or teachers in environmental education, provides opportunities to showcase Leicester City Council and our partners & raises awareness of the climate emergency and how to proactively combat it. Ultimately, we want to support all schools to achieve and maintain Green Flag status in the next 3 years.

Further information

On 1 February 2019 Leicester City Council declared a Climate Emergency. The declaration is an acknowledgement that: 

• Climate change is happening, and threatens the wellbeing of everyone in Leicester and worldwide 
• The speed and scale of global and local action to tackle the problem needs to be dramatically increased

In its declaration, the Council committed to developing a new action plan to address the emergency through our own services and projects.

One way schools can commit to their climate actions is by signing up for Let's Go Zero 2030.

Let’s Go Zero 2030 is a campaign delivered by Ashden which many schools in Leicester have previously participated in. Signing up (which needs to be done by either a school senior leader of governor) is a commitment to tackling climate change and will ultimately create a school wide carbon reduction plan

• Sign up to Let's Go Zero 2030
• Find out more about declaring a climate emergency 

Eco-Schools 

In Leicester there are 42 schools that have achieved the prestigious Eco-Schools Green Flag Award. Eco-Schools is an internationally recognised award which schools in England can work towards. The award is called Eco-Schools Green Flag and is achieved on an annual basis (application window is May-July each year). There is a cost of £200 for accreditation, we are able to partially cover the cost (so schools only pay £50).  Previously schools could apply at any time (and there was a bronze and silver award). 

There are 10 areas that are covered in the Eco-Schools framework:

• Energy
• Waste
• Water
• Litter
• Global citizenship
• Healthy living
• Transport
• School grounds
• Biodiversity
• Marine

Next training sessions

Carbon Literacy training - for school staff and governors - Friday 16 May 2025; City Hall, Charles Street, Leicester, LE11FZ. 9am - 4pm. 

Please see our carbon literacy page for more information, or register your interest through the eForm. 

As well as one to one support, schools are able to engage through #EcoTeachmeets, staff training, resource planning & workshops, an annual Eco-Schools conference & celebration event and keep up to date through a dedicated Twitter account, monthly eBulletins and termly newsletters. The Eco-Schools programme provides exciting opportunities for students in curriculum time as well as outside the classroom.

Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children’s services systems

In April 2022, the government launched the national policy on sustainability and climate change for schools. We have matched our activities to the document and can share where we are supporting schools.  This will also be shared at the governor and trustee training.

For more information about projects, activities and initiatives in Leicester please take a look around the Sustainable Schools micro-site or if you require further information, please contact Marc Tench.