Most school leaders we speak to have sustainability is on the agenda. Fewer understand just how fast the landscape is shifting, or how much opportunity there is in getting ahead of it.
The UK government now requires every education setting to appoint a sustainability lead and develop a Climate Action Plan built around four national priorities: education and skills, net zero schools, climate resilience, and greener environments. For schools that have already started this work, that’s validation. For those that haven’t, the direction of travel is clear, and the time to act is now.
And the financial case is hard to ignore. Schools account for 36% of total UK public sector building emissions, and in 2019 alone spent £630 million on energy. Reducing emissions isn’t just the right thing to do, it puts money back where schools need it most.
The curriculum is changing too
Sustainability isn’t arriving in schools as a new subject. It’s being built into the ones already there. From September 2028, a revised national curriculum will embed it across science, IT, design, and economics, making it part of everyday teaching, not just a bolt-on. A Natural History GCSE launched in 2025 gives students a formal route into ecology and biodiversity. For schools already living these values, this is the curriculum confirming what they already know. For everyone else, 2027 will come around faster than expected.
Students don’t need convincing
In our experience, students are rarely the hard part. They get it. They want to act. The question is whether schools are giving them the structures to do something meaningful with that energy.
Two government initiatives help answer that. The National Education Nature Park enables schools to transform their grounds into biodiversity spaces where students do real environmental monitoring, not simulated, not theoretical, but hands-on and outdoors.
. The Climate Leaders Award gives that action a formal shape: a recognised certification structured through existing frameworks like the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, building leadership, project management and problem-solving skills students can point to long after they leave.
It matters for their futures too. UK green jobs grew 34.6% between 2015 and 2023, and the gap between available talent and employer demand is widening. Schools that take this seriously now aren’t just ahead on policy, they’re sending young people into a world that genuinely needs what they’ve learned.
Where we come in
Most schools we work with start in the same place, not quite sure where their emissions are coming from or how to turn good intentions into a credible plan. That’s exactly where Planet Mark can support.
We help schools get their carbon footprint measured and independently validated, set targets that mean something, and make real progress year on year. Our members tell us the same thing again and again: the data is what changes the conversation. It’s the starting point that feels hardest, and that’s where we focus.
If you’re ready to start, or just want to understand what a Climate Action Plan could look like for your school, get in touch with the Planet Mark team today.
