Kirklees Council
Sustainable Schools Corporate Strategy
March 2009
1. The Vision
In line with the government Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF),
the overall aim of this Sustainable Schools Corporate Strategy is for every Kirklees
school to be a sustainable school by 2020. The Council hopes to achieve this by
offering services to engage, support and encourage schools.
2. Aims
The aim of the sustainable schools corporate strategy is to provide a more co-ordinated
approach to working with and supporting schools on their journey to sustainability. The
DCSF published their Sustainable Schools’ strategy and framework in 2006, and a
corporate sustainable schools strategy for Kirklees Council would build upon this
guidance, and ensure best practice in schools within the authority.
3. Objectives
The main objectives of this strategy are to:
 Engage, support and encourage Kirklees schools to become sustainable.
 Inform relevant council services of the importance of sustainable schools and their
role in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change.
 Develop a co-ordinated package of support for schools in Kirklees.
4. Target Audience
The strategy will establish a coherent and consistent approach to developing sustainable
schools in Kirklees. As such, the target audience of this strategy includes:
 Ward Councillors, Cabinet Members and Local Authority School Improvement
Professionals
 Officers in Council Directorates and Services in whose remit lies sustainable activity
 School Management Teams
 Teachers, parents, children, and the wider community.
5. Benefits
Schools will benefit from becoming sustainable as they can:
 Make financial savings through efficient use of resources
 Reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their carbon footprint
 Make links between sustainable development and the OFSTED inspection
framework
 Encourage active citizenship and critical thinking skills in pupils
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 Promote healthy eating to tackle obesity in young people
 Improve behaviour
A sustainable school also prepares young people for a lifetime of sustainable living,
through its teaching, fabric and day-to-day practices.
6. Background: What is a Sustainable School?
The most popular definition of sustainable development is that it ‘meets the needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’
[Bruntland Commission 1987]. It can be broken down into three constituent parts:
environmental, economic and social sustainability.
Sustainable schools are those which are
addressing all three areas through building use
and curriculum delivery.
The DCSF produced a national framework for
sustainable schools which identifies a selection
of ‘doorways’ or themes where schools can
establish or develop their sustainability
practices. These are:
In Kirklees, it was recognised that a crucial
element was missing – Biodiversity. This has
been added as a 9th theme. DCSF have since
acknowledged the omission in their national
framework, and fully support its addition.
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Food and Drink
Energy and Water
Travel and Traffic
Purchasing and Waste
Buildings and Grounds
Inclusion and Participation
Local Wellbeing
Global Citizenship
Biodiversity
These themes will be addressed through each school working on their sustainability
issues, supported by Kirklees Council.
7. Key Drivers
National Government Requirements

The DCSF launched their Sustainable Schools Strategy in 2006, with a national
framework for all schools to be sustainable by 2020. OFSTED are now monitoring
the implementation of this framework via new school Self Evaluation Forms (SEFs),
illustrating that Sustainable Schools is getting higher on their agenda. The DCSF
then launched the Children’s Plan in 2007, with an ambitious goal that all new
school buildings should be zero carbon by 2016. Integrated into this drive is the
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government’s ambitious Buildings Schools for the Future (BSF) programme to
rebuild or renew nearly every secondary school in England.

In 2008 the government released a new set of National Indicators against which all
Local Authorities are asked to report. These include:
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National Indicator 185 (CO2 reduction from local authority operations)
National Indicator 186 (per capita CO2 emissions in the local authority area)
National Indicator 188 (planning and adapting to climate change)
Schools are included in all indicators, and are important in both mitigating and
adapting to climate change.

In 2010, the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) will launch. This aims to reduce
carbon emissions arising from building energy use across the local authority, and
includes schools.
Kirklees Council Initiatives

The Council has an ambition for Kirklees to be a ‘place with a reduced carbon
impact.’ It maintains an environmental management system – EMAS (EcoManagement and Audit Scheme) – to monitor progress, and to continuously
improve environmental performance, and prevent pollution.

The Council has a carbon budget which runs in parallel with the annual budget, and
requires a 3% reduction in emissions by service area per annum. Schools
contribute to almost half of the Local Authority’s carbon emissions
associated with building energy use.

The Council is developing a Climate Change Plan for Kirklees to address carbon
management across different sectors in the district, and schools will play a key part
in this.

Kirklees Council also has a sustainable community strategy and a Children and
Young People Plan, into which this strategy will feed.
8. Outcome
That each Kirklees school becomes a sustainable school by 2020.
9. Implementation and Monitoring
An action plan will be developed and maintained to ensure this strategy is implemented.
Monitoring will be via the Council’s existing EMAS system.
10. Resources
The Council has dedicated members of staff in different service areas working with
schools. The Officers will work in partnership to deliver the aims of this strategy.
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