Creating Value In Schools
Having previously worked as executive business leaders in trusts, both Emma Gray and Helen Burge now support school business leaders through coaching, training and consultancy. They are fans of risk management, internal scrutiny and sustainability. This blog is an extract from our longer conversation, ‘From food waste to future proofing: the SBL year in review’. Helen Burge: There’s a real difference around the level of schools’ engagement with sustainability. You have those that haven't even heard of the DfE sustainability and climate change strategy. And then you've got those who are doing amazing things and have entered into numerous competitions or got recognition for their environmental efforts. So you've got this real spectrum of engagement. And within that, you've got then a spectrum of being able to cope, deal with and respond to the climate change strategy. The key to success has been engagement from the top. Liz Worthen: For those schools who are earlier in the sustainability journey, are there things that they can do to try and get it to be more of a priority? Because for some schools it's a challenge, isn't it? Everyone's pressed for time. There are so many things that are urgent, and sustainability is the kind of thing that might feel like it's further down the agenda. Helen Burge: The schools and trusts that I've spoken to that are really running with it, the key to their success has been engagement from the top – from the executive team, from trustees, from governors. It's having that culture. They’ve explained the reasons why it should be happening, what we can be doing around it. It’s not a tick box exercise and a bolt on to what’s currently happening. Having someone who is leading it and feels passionate about it is also key, I think. Emma Gray: My grandson started reception in September, and I suddenly feel like what I’m doing now is going to directly impact his future. It's so important, not only to give older pupils the tools to manage the planet, but he, at four, coming up to five, really needs to understand himself. How’s he going to live in the world in 20 years’ time? We need to put this on our risk register. Because when I think back on how much has changed in the last 20 years, I'm just blown away as to what might happen in the next 20 years, and what his world might look like. I try not to think about it too hard because it is quite scary. But schools have got a really important part to play in what our planet looks like in the future. Helen Burge: The DfE recently launched their three risks associated with climate change; the risks that they feel are going to impact on schools. They’re quite scary too: flooding, water scarcity and high temperatures. Even though that's really awful, I hope that it’s also an opportunity for schools and trusts to realise that we do need to do something. We need to put this on our risk register. We need to mitigate against it. But I'm also mindful that there are lots of teachers who don't feel like they have the skills and the knowledge to teach four and five year olds about sustainability in a way that doesn't scare and frighten, but informs and creates hope and action, because that's what we need to do. So I'm hopeful that in this academic year, all schools will have a sustainability lead, and all schools will have a climate action plan. Currently, we know that only 24% of schools have a climate action plan in place, though 62% have a sustainability lead. That was from the Zenergi Greener Schools Index Report from April 2025. What will be impacting schools most is localised flooding. What the report also told us was that only 17% of schools have put the climate crisis on their risk register. So again, there's a real opportunity for schools to engage with trustees and to engage with their executive team about how they’re going to mitigate these risks. I’m hoping we’ll see more of that happening through the academic year. Emma Gray: It's interesting that two of the risks are water scarcity and flooding. They don't seem to go together? Helen Burge: Well, I would really recommend doing some water literacy training. It's fantastic, and it’s really informative. The flooding, it can be quite local. It can be because of our extreme weather. We've just had a very dry patch, lots of heat waves and things like that. And so the ground gets really dry. If schools can manage their water system better, that would all help. Then when we have the awful downpour of rain – I think there were some people that had a month's worth of rain in a day – the ground isn't able to absorb it all. It sticks on the top. And so you have surface level flooding. That's probably what will be impacting schools most: localised flooding. And even if it's not that their school is being flooded, the surrounding area, and the infrastructure and people getting to and from school, might be impacted. But also water scarcity. We know that there's loads of leaks, there's loads of challenges, Ofwat has only just been given its red card. I hope that the government is going to tackle water scarcity as well as water waste. And if schools can manage their water system better, that would all help for definite. Liz Worthen: It's so interesting, isn't it? I think we have this perception that England is a rainy country and there's loads of water, but actually, there are systemic things that have been going on, which mean that there are risks of us running out of water. And also some parts of the country are very dry when you actually compare places around the world. And it is so interesting, isn't it? That flooding and water scarcity, drought and flooding actually go hand in hand quite often. Listen to the full conversation with Helen and Emma.
For more reading recommendations, check out the Creating Value in Schools bookshop. Note that if you buy books linked to our site, we may earn a commission from Bookshop.org, whose fees support independent bookshops.Top takeaways
A spectrum of engagement
Planning for the future
Climate change risks: an opportunity for action?
Why flooding follows drought
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