Design note 4 - what do we mean?
In addition to the similarities between our new icon and the real Northern Lights, we particularly liked some of the themes the Northern Lights icon represented, namely:
Sustainability and Climate Action Plan
At Beckfoot Trust, we are committed to reducing our environmental impact and preparing young people for a world shaped by climate change. Our Sustainability and Climate Action Plan sets out how we will:
- Embed sustainable practices across our schools
- Strengthen the resilience of our buildings and operations
- Equip students with the knowledge and skills for a sustainable future
The education sector contributes significantly to public sector carbon emissions, and we recognise our responsibility in supporting the UK’s net zero ambitions. Our goal is to deliver a clear, coordinated approach to reducing emissions, protecting natural environments, and creating a culture where sustainability is part of everyday life.
Our Strategic Pillars
Our Climate Action Plan, in line with the priorities of the DfE strategy for sustainability and climate change, focuses on:
- Climate Education & Green Skills – empowering students and staff with knowledge and skills for living sustainably and shaping the solutions;
- Decarbonisation – cutting emissions across our buildings and operations
- Adaptation and resilience – ensuring our estate can withstand extreme weather and long-term climate impacts
- Biodiversity – protecting and enhancing natural spaces across our school sites
Our strategic objectives
Our climate action plan will help our Trust to:
- Increase the confidence and capacity of leaders, staff and students to engage with climate issues
- Foster a culture where sustainability is embedded in daily practice
- Share effective practice across our Trust through the use of collective efficacy and central leadership in this area
- Use data to identify, prioritise and target actions relating to areas such as energy and water use
- Monitor and reduce carbon emissions
- Decrease operational costs
- Enhance resilience to climate change impacts
- Promote biodiversity on school grounds
- Equip learners with the skills and knowledge for green careers.
Alongside the Trust-wide plan, we will provide a framework for schools to develop their own site-specific actions and future plans.
Our Climate Goals
We have three ultimate ambitions in relation to sustainability and climate action:
- For students and staff to have knowledge about what climate change and the climate emergency is, what is needed to tackle it (including what part we can play) and how we need to adapt and develop resilience to our changing world.
- To reduce the impact our Trust has on the environment, specifically with annual reduction targets for our carbon emissions without resorting to green-washing and use of off-setting, which get us to match the DfE’s 75% reduction target by 2037.
- To develop our estate to be low carbon, resilient to the effects of climate change and to be highly biodiverse.
To achieve these goals, we commit to producing and reviewing our action plans annually.