Sustainability

Severn Academies Educational Trust is committed to a more sustainable future and leaving the world in a better place for future generations. 

This vision is shared across our schools and plays a vital role in achieving the Trust’s moral purpose of developing well-rounded, responsible citizens who want to make a difference in their community and the world. The environment and sustainability is  one way that SAET aims to make a difference.

We want to motivate all of our students, staff and visitors to follow a forward-thinking approach towards protecting our environment. With a strategy spanning the curriculum, school sites and operations across the Trust, our aim is to encourage all our students, staff and their families to continue following a sustainable focus outside of our school grounds.

Our Approach

We aim to lead by example in the way we handle environmental issues in our organisation. Where relevant, we expect our suppliers to meet environmental standards in the services and goods they provide too. 

Our key sustainability aims are:

  • To reach carbon neutrality by 2035 by reducing our carbon footprint as much as possible 
  • To bring an awareness of sustainability to the forefront of our education, in our taught curriculum, around our schools, in our extra-curricular activities and general ethos
  • To ensure all sites, buildings and operations across the Trust are as sustainable and eco-friendly as possible

Reflecting this commitment, the Trust has set an ambitious target, highlighting the importance of sustainability to the Trust’s children and communities, and its vital role in school life.

Students learn about sustainability as part of the curriculum. Topics include recycling, pollution and sustainable development, and children are encouraged to think about the big questions on environmental issues.

Forest school programmes allow students to connect with nature and take responsibility for protecting the environment. Children have taken direct action through initiatives such as tree planting and litter picking and will be encouraged to support the creation of site management plans to ensure sustainability.

As well as learning about the environment, children take an active role in deciding how to protect it through eco clubs and committees. As a result, important sustainability initiatives are put forward by students and staff, and we have successfully achieved an Eco-School award recognising the environmental actions of schools and their children.

Combined with recycling initiatives and the phasing out of single-use plastic, there is a high awareness of environmental issues and direct action being taken across the schools.

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Investing in a more sustainable future

Outside of the classroom, we have invested in school buildings to reduce their environmental impact. Funded through School Condition Allocation funding, the work has included upgrading to LED lighting and installation of new boilers and heating system controls as part of a school refurbishment programme to improve energy efficiencies. This work is planned to continue in line with funding applications to the Local Authority Public Sector Energy Efficiency Programme and the government’s Low Carbon Skills Funding programme.

The positive environmental impact of this work and other initiatives is shared regularly with children, parents and communities to increase awareness, inspire change and demonstrate how the Trust is achieving its 2035 target.