Why should academies prioritise sustainability leadership and climate action plans?

The Department for Education (DfE) has made its expectations clear: by 2025, every education setting in England should have a named sustainability lead and a climate action plan in place. While the guidance isn’t statutory, it is a strong signal that sustainability is moving up the agenda, and academies are in a prime position to lead.

So, what does this mean in practice, and how can your academy trust turn this guidance into meaningful action?

What do you need to do?

Appointing a sustainability lead is the first step. This applies to both single academy trusts and multi academy trusts (MAT). If you are a MAT, this could be someone at trust level, at individual academy level, or both. The guidance doesn’t prescribe a structure — but what’s important is that sustainability remains a priority for academies.

Wherever the lead sits, they’ll need the time and resources to succeed. The most effective sustainability structures involve collaboration between teaching staff and operational teams, including estates and facilities. It’s also important to think about continuity — embedding sustainability in governance arrangements and succession planning will help ensure long-term momentum.

What should a climate action plan include?

The DfE’s guidance sets out four core areas that a climate action plan should address:

Decarbonisation

How the setting is reducing its carbon footprint through energy use, travel, procurement, and building improvements.

Adaptation and resilience

Steps being taken to understand and manage climate-related risks, such as overheating, flooding, or storm damage.

Environment and biodiversity

Enhancing the natural environment through activities such as tree planting, rewilding, and outdoor learning, and engaging with the National Education Nature Park.

Climate education and green careers

Ensuring students are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to understand climate change and access green jobs.

The plan should reflect where your academy trust is on its journey. For some, it may mean pulling together existing initiatives into a single plan. For others, it might be the start of something new. The DfE encourages settings to publish their plan — not just for transparency, but to share learning and inspire others.

Within a MAT each school’s plan may differ, so trusts can support consistency by providing a template or framework, setting trust-wide goals, and offering tools and training. For trusts that already report under Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements, there’s a strong opportunity to align this with climate action planning.

Why does a climate action plan matter now?

Beyond the policy push, there are clear reasons for academy trusts to prioritise climate action. Rising energy costs and capital constraints are putting pressure on budgets — and sustainability efforts can help reduce waste and unlock long-term savings. Many trusts are also navigating estate challenges, where integrating climate resilience and biodiversity into development plans can deliver multiple benefits.

Demonstrating a clear commitment can strengthen a trust’s reputation, attract talent and build pupil engagement. Involving young people directly in sustainability activities not only supports their learning but gives them a voice in shaping the future of their schools.

In the bigger picture, education settings have a powerful role to play in responding to the climate crisis. As public sector employers with significant estates, academy trusts have both the opportunity and responsibility to lead by example.

Practical next steps for your academy trust:

Appoint a sustainability lead or review current responsibilities.
Map existing activities and data to understand your starting point. This could include, visualising energy usage trends and highlighting current energy-saving initiatives, waste reduction metrics and programs for further reduction, curriculum integration, student-led extra-curricular projects or community engagement.
Develop a climate action plan template based on existing activities and data, that schools can adapt, with trust-wide goals if appropriate.
Engage governors, trustees and senior leaders, ensuring sustainability is embedded in governance and risk processes.
Empower schools to involve pupils and staff in developing their plans and sustainability activities.
Share your progress — through your website, green newsletters, benchmarking tools such as Eco-Schools and Let’s Go Zero, events, or directly with the DfE, which is inviting case studies from education providers.

Sustainability internal scrutiny review

As part of our internal audit offering for academy trusts, we can provide a sustainability review which has been gaining significant traction and popularity lately. Our internal audits can play a pivotal role in evaluating how effectively an academy trust is managing environmental risks and promoting sustainability. This review will not only help identify areas for improvement but also highlight the trust’s commitment to environmental stewardship. With increasing emphasis on sustainability, this review can provide valuable insights and support the trust’s efforts in making a positive environmental impact. It’s a fantastic way to ensure that your academy trust is on the right track towards achieving its sustainability goals.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss this offering further, please get in contact via the form below.

Closing thoughts

The DfE’s guidance may not be mandatory, but academy trusts that act now will be better placed to navigate future changes and demonstrate leadership. A well-structured sustainability approach can deliver real value, not just for the environment, but for your academy trust’s financial health, reputation and educational outcomes.

If you have any questions, please contact our Academies team by filling out the form below.

We always recommend that you seek advice from a suitably qualified adviser before taking any action. The information in this article only serves as a guide and no responsibility for loss occasioned by any person acting or refraining from action as a result of this material can be accepted by the authors or the firm.