Sustainability in education is no longer a nice to have
- Mission Control
- Jun 13
- 2 min read
From decarbonisation of school trips and operations to nature recovery and wider education, climate action now needs to shape every layer of school life
By September 2025, every school in England must have a Climate Action Plan in place, backed by a dedicated sustainability lead.
This is as per the requirements set out in the Department for Education’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy (first published May 2023, last updated March 2025).
This makes it clear that schools across England are being asked to lead from the front, with bold, practical climate action plans that build long-term resilience and embed sustainability into the everyday fabric of education.
At least that’s the official ‘blurb’.
What does that mean in reality?
At its core, this policy is a recognition of something much deeper. Something that many educators up and down the country already know: that caring for the planet is critical to preparing young people for an uncertain future.
From decarbonisation of school trips and operations to nature recovery and wider education, climate action now needs to shape every layer of school life – from what is taught, to how we school’s run their estates and operations and how they influence the wider school community.
This is an opportunity - for school leaders, governors and trusts to act with real, purposeful and ambitious intent. It’s a chance to create future-centric learning environments where young people feel connected to nature, equipped for a rapidly changing world and feel empowered to be an active voice in society, able to make a positive difference.
What you need to know:
Whether you're an early years setting, school, college, MAT or university, these requirements apply to you. By September 2025 you need to have in place:
A Climate Action Plan: A clear, practical roadmap for how your setting will reduce emissions, boost energy efficiency and build climate resilience into your operations. This could include infrastructure upgrades, staff training, student engagement and curriculum development.
Sustainability Lead: Every setting must appoint someone to champion the plan, monitor progress, and embed sustainability throughout school life—linking learning, community, and climate awareness.
At The Bioasis, we’re here to support that journey - not just to help meet targets, but to bring sustainability to life in ways that are tangible, empowering and deeply rooted in both education and the power of nature.
Take a look at some of our programmes and it’s clear that tackling climate change, biodiversity loss, education, low-carbon school trips, eating health local food, and sustainability as a whole is at the heart of everything we do.
So if you’re after a school trip that perfectly embraces everything you’re trying to achieve as a school under the remit of your Climate Action Plan, then look no further.
We’d love to partner with you and help decarbonise your school trip programme.
Useful sources of information and advice:
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