Trust Schools Unite to Shape Ambitious Climate Action Plans

On Wednesday 19th November, leaders and Sustainability leads from all schools across the Trust came together for a dedicated Climate Action Planning Day, at Normanton Junior Academy.

The event marked a major step in our collective commitment to sustainability, as each school began shaping its own Climate Action Plan, in line with the DfE’s Sustainability Leadership and Climate Action Plan guidance. This national framework supports schools in embedding sustainability across four key pillars: strategic leadership and management, climate education, decarbonisation, and adaptation/resilience planning. This vision positions schools as critical drivers of environmental change—empowering pupils, reducing carbon emissions, and ensuring school environments are prepared for the future.

To support our planning, Trust leaders were joined by colleagues from: The National Nature Education Park, Let’s Go Zero, and Climate Ambassadors. These regional teams offered insight, challenge and practical guidance, helping us ensure that our plans are ambitious, evidence-led and achievable. More information can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sustainability-leadership-and-climate-action-plans-in-education

Sustainability in Action: Progress Across the Trust

Over the past 18 months, the Trust has already made significant strides in transforming our school environments. A snapshot of our ongoing work includes:

• Full LED Conversion: All schools have now transitioned to ultra-low-energy LED lighting, significantly reducing energy use 
• Ending Coal Heating: West End Academy—previously our highest-polluting site—has undergone a complete low-carbon transformation, replacing coal boilers with ground-source heat pumps, upgrading windows, doors and insulation, and installing solar panels
• Electric Vehicle (EV) Scheme: Staff can now access EVs through a salary-sacrifice leasing scheme, supporting cleaner commuting.
• EV Charging Across All Sites: Chargers installed Trust-wide enable staff and visitors to charge vehicles during visits
• Salix Decarbonisation Projects: Six schools will receive heat pumps, building fabric upgrades and solar arrays, replacing older, inefficient systems
• Electric Minibus Purchase: A new electric minibus will soon support Trust events, reducing reliance on taxis and lowering travel-related emissions
• Energy Reduction Consultancy: An external consultancy is working with us to reduce energy consumption by 20% in the first year, with outcomes to be shared later this academic year.

These actions reflect our commitment not only to meeting national expectations, but to leading by example—creating greener, healthier and more energy-efficient environments for our pupils, staff and communities.

Our Climate Action Planning Day is the next step in this journey, and we look forward to sharing further updates as each school finalises and begins to implement its plan.