How parents and schools can work together to embed sustainability in school and family life, 7th feb 2022
This online event came about as a result of one parent in a school in Glasgow needing some ideas for how to set up an effective parent eco committee and best support the school’s pupil eco committee. And it speaks to the power of networks that the Scottish Sustainable Schools Network was able to help this parent by finding Paula from Energy Sparks via the UK Schools Sustainability Network, who knew some wonderful parents in Bath to speak to! And thus it became an event for 40+ parents and teachers from across the UK (and beyond!).
speakers
Paula (primary school teacher, works for Energy Sparks (organisation working in schools to reduce energy consumption), is a Trustee for Wicked Weather Watch (which brings Antarctic explorers into the classroom))
With the best will in the world, although many schools are keen to be sustainable, sometimes its takes a while to get started. We know that teachers and school leaders want this, parents and children want this to - but the ongoing pressures that schools face mean that non-immediate problems, no matter how significant, get left for another day. It’s hard for all the different stakeholders to come together to take action. Parents are wondering why the schools are not doing anything, the schools are thinking they don't have enough time and are wondering what the parents might think. Teachers want external help and parents want to offer it but neither quite know how.
Astrid (parent, Bath, England)
We have set up an 'Eco Group' comprised of parents and carers who work with the school to support their strategy as well as introducing new ideas and running events alongside what the school is already doing. Two of us parents got together 3 years ago and we have had 3 different head teachers in that time. Things happen very slowly, schools have challenges, and it’s important to foster a good relationship with the school, which takes time. When we first got together, we tried to figure out what the school was already doing but we didn’t really know what had been attempted in the past. You’ve simply got to find people and bring them together to create a strong group, then you have more weight and you can better grow what you're doing. I spoke to parents in other schools and was inspired by what was happening elsewhere. We have one teacher who leads on eco things, is committed and energetic, and leads the eco warrior pupil group (comprised of 2 reps from each class, they meet weekly, pupils lead on issues), and one designated parent in the Eco Group shares ideas with the teacher and she then shares them with the pupils for them to deliberate on. We are using Modeshift Stars awards on Active Travel and have achieved Bronze. There's only one teacher doing all this and it doesn’t feel like it's enough. She has really leaned on us to do a number of things. We tried to run a ‘walking bus’ - but there weren’t enough volunteers to run it consistently, but in 2021 we ran a survey across the school (1/3 of parents responded, which included 40 insightful comments from parents) which we gave to our local councillor for her to pitch this scheme. We also showed it to local neighbours. It was really helpful knowing what the barriers were for parents (e.g. safe cycle storage, safe routes into school). Off the back of this we fundraised for bike racks through local community groups, the council and businesses. It was good for the school community to see that things can be done quite quickly if we can show there is a need/ desire for something. So many strands to what we wanted to do. We were so optimistic about what was going to be possible but we have focused on the low hanging fruit to be able to make actual tangible changes - e.g. monthly litter picks are a great way to advertise the other work we do. We give updates on our activities that go into the biweekly newsletter. There is now a gardening club which involves those parents who love gardening. We also got a local organisation to donate bulbs (1,000!). Again, changing the outdoor space was very visible to the school community and it encourages them to join us.
Delia (parent/school Governor, Bath, England)
Our head teacher is very supportive of sustainability, active travel and eco stuff. We started our journey with a Green Classroom project and we also work with Eco Schools, the local council (focusing on clean air), and Modeshift too. Modeshift and Eco Schools offer a structure and the winning of an award helps too. We have also worked with Energy Sparks to reduce our energy consumption. There is a ‘Green Team’ pupil group - 2 reps from each class and pupils decide on the issues/activities they want to focus on. The kids are really enthusiastic which is crucial. Schools need support, they are so stretched, and even if you have committed teachers and head teachers, it’s tricky to add extra things on top. What is needed is to embed sustainability into the curriculum, but this is tricky partly because you have to plan so far ahead. It’s important to just get on and do things rather than wait to try and 'officialise' anything (e.g. getting the school to declare a climate emergency). The key is to get parents, even just 2 or 3, together. Our head teacher is happy to go forward with ideas that don't require extra work for the school. As a Governor I see just how much schools are doing already so you don't really want to push them to do even more. It helps to understand how the school works. Understanding how the school works and exactly what would be needed from their side, is key. Time and funds are key issues. Find alternative sources of funding where you can, and speak with other local schools about what they are doing.
Alice (parent, Bath, England)
In 2019 I spoke at a local council meeting to ask them to declare an climate emergency. I am a GP so I took a public health perspective, and got involved in parent-climate pressure group FACE. We focused on the local council and they stil refer to us parents who pushed them to declare the emergency, citing us as having given them a mandate. We're associated with Friends of the Earth (which gives you insurance cover if running an event and offers training). I set up the school (parent) Eco Group. People were approaching me about their eco anxiety, it all started very organically with conversations in the local cafe/ bread shop, and was almost like a support group that then evolved. Initially I met with the head teachers to get them to declare a climate emergency. We have a climate lead teacher and a dedicated parent who interacts with that person. We have a WhatsApp group, occasionally meet on zoom, include our activities in the school newsletter. We see ourselves as a friendly pressure group that has given the school a mandate to make big changes, to embed climate education into the curriculum; they have a whole-school approach to environmental education, their (pupil) eco council is working towards becoming an eco school, they work with Energy Sparks. The Schools Climate Network is a local network for sharing strategy/info between schools, which has helped. I think our Eco Group interacting with the school has given them the confidence to say 'Yes, this is what parents want'. It has been really transformative. We give people confidence to act. We’re looking at a ‘walking bus’, we interact with the Parent Teachers Association (e.g. we made bath bombs with them to reduce plastic waste at Christmas), I did a COP26-themed assembly, and we work with local councillors to get changes related to the street outside the school - we've managed to get a zebra crossing outside the school. In my COP26 assembly I talked about the zebra crossing - about who the decision-makers are and how to get them to do stuff. Succession planning is important for getting new people. A lot of parents are under a lot of pressure so not all parents can spend time on zoom talking about these things. Our Group has been a key source of support for parents who are stressful/anxious about the climate crisis and some have made even career changes into sustainability! Our climate lead teacher has also initiated a volunteer register for the school - she has asked for parents to share their expertise and areas of interest so that she has a list of people who she can call upon to help with sustainability-linked things in school.
Anya (parent, Fife, Founder of Scottish Sustainable Schools Network)
I’m the parent Eco Rep on the school Parent Council. The Chair knew I had been emailing the head teacher about sorting out the litter problem outside the school, was trying to get them to offer fairly-traded organic and recycled uniform from Kool Skools alongside their current supplier, and was always very enthusiastic about growing the second-hand uniform store at the school, so she invited me to join the PC. I have long done daily litter picks on the school run on the residential streets outside the school and on school grounds- there’s always a lot to pick up - so along with being the point of contact for parents for second-hand uniform - which is promoted in the school newsletter - I have a bit of visibility. This has meant that in recent weeks other like-minded parents have approached me to to help put together a parent eco committee - there are 7 of us. It’s a small school - roughly one class per year - so that feels like a lot! It is so helpful to hear just how much can be achieved by a small group of fighting-fit parents! We have also set up a parent Facebook group which has been great for reaching the wider parent community - we fundraised with a second-hand Christmas toy/games/clothes/books sale for outdoor learning in December, and we use it to swap things like Christmas jumpers/ Panto costumes/ school shoes and other items. I also spoke with Eco Schools Scotland the other week and they said parental involvement with their Green Flag scheme can be instrumental - the teacher and pupil eco committee will really value the support and input. For anyone living in Scotland, do get in touch if you want to join the Scottish Sustainable Schools Network to share ideas, resources and support - info@bigdreamslittlefootprints.org.
Jennifer (class teacher and Sustainability Lead, primary school in Stirlingshire)
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS) are a really useful framework to engage schools - there are so many ways that the SDGs can link with the curriculum and it leads perfectly onto meaningful practical action. There are 17 Global Goals which are all very interconnected. At the moment our Parent Council is working on SDGs 12 and 13 (responsible consumption and responsible production) and are doing a clothes/jewellery etc swap amongst parents. I have been supporting the teachers with embedding the SDGs across the curriculum and have developed planners for all teachers so show them how. They are now naturally making those links as are the learners. I have given teachers confidence by offering professional learning. Now we want to reach out to parents so they too understand the SDGs and about sustainability. Please parents, share your ideas with schools! Some of of the best ideas have come from them. They know the community really well and many of their ideas have come from their children as well. Passion is infectious, you might lead at first on your own but you'll take everyone with you. Parents are now having conversations with kids at home that they never had the confidence to do before. We are all engaged learners - parents, teachers and pupils. Parents can also share their expertise - we have a parent who works in the renewable energy sector doing a zoom with the school. Other parents work with the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency and in other relevant professions. I am now the Project Lead for Learning for Sustainability (LfS) but originally I did this on my own in the school. Then the head teacher became passionate about LfS and created a project lead for LfS role, which is a great point to get to. More schools need to be prioritising those roles to empower teachers.
Questions
Question: Where do you start with influencing the curriculum?
Jennifer (teacher) - I had a Masters in LfS so I was able to influence the curriculum from the inside.
Paula (teacher) - in the KS2 curriculum I applied the SDGs to a whole curriculum map - ask the school to look at the curriculum map, which schools should let you see, to see how SDGs fit in. e.g. if you’re studying Ancient Egypt - why did their civilisation fail? Partly because they over-exploited the world around them. You don't necessarily need teachers to understand how the SDGs fit with the curriculum - parents can be well placed to do this too. In fact they can offer a fresh perspective.
Jennifer (teacher) - our school is currently setting up a website to showcase the planners that I have created covering all subjects showing teachers how the SDGs fit in with all the curriculum areas - I will share this with Anya when it is has been finalised.
Melanie Harwood (EduCCate Global) - Jennifer was one of EduCCate's first Climate Change teachers. If our children and us parents are going to be the next wave of change we need to do so much more else we're in so much trouble. We need to be radical. We should all feel so proud of what we are trying to achieve. Teachers, parents and children are all allies. Each one of us has the power to deliver that change. Let's knock this one right out of the park and if we have to be militant so be it. 'No-one's going to be interested' the UN told me when I first approached them about climate change education. Globally, 329,000 schools signed up within 9 months! Headteachers are the key to the kingdom so hustle them.
Parent - I think there’s a need for strong emotion, in all honesty. It is a source of grief and rage, and that has to be faced. It doesn’t mean giving in to despair.
Parent - there's a place for emotion-fuelled desire for radical action - it's what will drive the change and you only need a very small number of parents to forge a path. But you need to get the balance and take as many people with you as you can - from the wider parent community as well as the school.
Paula (teacher) - Schools can’t be radical - we need parents to be! So don’t hold back!
Parent (Parents for Future Scotland) - One of the goals of Parents for Future Scotland is to deliver parent-to-parent talks in as many schools as we can, to try to reach people on a personal level and engage with the raft of emotions that climate discussions raise. We have found that the personal, emotional link can be more effective at winning people over to the cause than information provision alone.
Question: Are there any legal and/or political limitations that parents need to be aware of when talking to schools?
Melanie (EduCCate Global) - No. None.
Question: Can schools talk freely to children about problems with capitalism and question notions of economic growth?
Paula (teacher) - It fits into secondary schools more so than in primary. A lot of teachers are constrained by the curriculum. I’m sure it’s covered in KS3-4 economics but I couldn’t say for sure. And pupil-led action is always a great way to start any conversation.
Question: Any tips when the message is that all staff are over-stretched so it's a lot to take something else on?
Paula (teacher) - Yes totally. That’s why its so important for parents to step in and say “We are willing to help you with this.” Step in and run a gardening club, an energy team, an eco team. Be a governor and make sure that sustainability and tackling the climate emergency is part of the school development plan.
Question: How do you create a successful succession plan?
Alice (parent) - We have been working on broadening out our Eco Group to parents of younger children. I agree, emotion is central and when people feel safe in a group they are able to engage more fully. Our group is held together by social relationships - that is their power but it is a challenge when people move on. So succession planning is central!
Delia (parent) - once you have created a structure in the school at an institutional level and in the curriculum, in time perhaps the school will rely a little less on parents. But there is always so much more that parents can be pushing for too! I have managed to recruit a Mum of a younger child too for our Parent group. The Dept of Education are working on a plan to 'officially' put things in the curriculum which is great but it will put more pressure on schools. Parental support probably will also be really important. And children will go home and help (other) parents become a little bit more aware.
Paula (teacher): One of the most effective way you can take action is by normalising conversations about climate change - so those parent conversations are important!
Relevant links:
EduCCATe Global (climate literacy teacher training and school awards scheme)
Modeshift Stars (active travel)
Energy Sparks (energy reduction programme for schools)
Learning with the Sustainable Development Goals
Eco Schools (England)
Eco Schools (Scotland)
Schools Climate Network (regional network in England that supports school management)
Scottish Sustainable Schools Network (informal network of parents and teachers in primary schools in Scotland)
FACE (parent-climate pressure/ campaign group)
Climate Dice (game to spark climate conversations)