Helping schools to decarbonise 

Schools collectively spent £630m on energy costs in 2019, which is likely to be higher with current prices¹.  They are responsible for 24% of all public sector building emissions in England² and, following the launch of the Department for Education’s sustainability and climate change strategy, will be required to have a climate action plan in place by 2025. 

While many schools sit outside of a local authority’s direct control, they are a significant contributor towards your area-based and/or Scope 3 emissions. So how can local authorities support schools to reduce costs and emissions?

Local Partnerships has collaborated with the Energy Systems Catapult and Ashden to develop decarbonisation guidance for schools’ sustainability leads, be that operational staff, teachers or school governors.   

How the guide can help 

This government-backed guidance offers step-by-step, non-technical advice to help develop a robust climate action plan. This includes:  

• Taking the first steps: understand your school’s energy performance, identify valuable information to expand your energy use understanding, and explore funding opportunities to support your next steps 

• The building audit process: learn what a building audit involves, what it can provide, and how to ensure you get the best audit for your school’s needs by working with the right contractor 

• Your decarbonisation plan: get insights on how to develop the best decarbonisation plan tailored to your school 

• Funding: discover various funding options to plan and implement your school’s decarbonisation 

The guide provides signposts to additional resources, grant funding, and hands-on support that is available for schools, such as Ashden’s Let’s Go Zero initiative, where schools can sign up to their initiative, and access expert advice and support to help drive their climate action plans.

Funding for school’s decarbonisation 

In 2022/23 eligible schools and sixth form colleges received a share of £447m of capital funding as part of their School Condition Allocations (SCA) to invest in energy efficiency upgrades to help manage consumption and save on bills. In many instances this capital funding pot, circa £10-15k per school remains unspent despite the deadline of March 2025 looming.   

Local Partnerships can help local authorities to promote this opportunity to schools and ensure take up. 

If you’d like to discuss this opportunity further please contact Vicky Kingston or Jon Rattenbury. You can also use the ‘Can we help?’ form found on this page and across our website.