Creating Sustainable Communities

Headteachers and Bursars know all too well that becoming a sustainable community is an on-going journey rather than a finite project that can be crossed off the to-do list, like moving into a new building or changing the school uniform.

Setting printers to duplex and installing colour-coded recycling bins are one thing, but getting staff and students into the habit of printing only when necessary and separating their rubbish is another.

Sustainable Schools

When it launched its ‘year of action’ on sustainability, the DCSF said it wanted schools to become models of sustainability by 2020 and that every school should be carbon neutral by this date.

While the majority of teachers and students were overwhelmingly positive about the idea of - and need for - sustainable schools, school leaders have since told the ASCL that the reality of making this happen in practice is not as easy as it may seem. As one ASCL member said: “The government should remember that it’s tricky in practice and there are many other things you have to do at the same time, such as run a school.”

Guidance

The 2008 DCSF guidance document ‘Planning a Sustainable School - Driving School Improvement through Sustainable Development’ sets the bar for schools even higher. It discusses sustainable development not just in terms of climate change and carbon footprints, but also in terms of tackling obesity, global poverty and tension between nations.

The document defines a sustainable school as one that “prepares young people for a lifetime of sustainable living, through its teaching, fabric and its day-to-day practices” and is “guided by a commitment to care.”

Working Together

This is a massive task and one that schools working alone will not achieve. It takes parents to act as role models, communities to offer easily accessible, affordable services, and corporations to commit to ethical business practices and advertising.

Most importantly, it takes pupil groups to seize ownership of sustainable initiatives such as reducing waste, encouraging recycling or growing and consuming healthy food. For, when pupils engage with sustainable development initiatives, they not only learn valuable and practical life skills, but also engage fully in the life of the school and engage their parents and the wider community in the sustainable initiative too.

Small Steps

Creating sustainable schools is a challenge. But frustrations, setbacks and competing priorities won’t stop schools from trying to make a difference.

Lots of small steps forward will lead to real culture change in the long run and schools will rise to the challenge because they are driven by a moral purpose to improve young people’s lives and make the world a better place for the future.

The Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL) is the trade union and professional association for secondary schools and college leaders. It represents more than 14,000 heads, principals, deputies, vice principals, assistant heads, bursars and business managers.

For more information visit www.ascl.org.uk or call 0116 2991122