How the School Climate Ambassador Scheme is helping England’s schools turn sustainability ambitions into action
Every school in England has a role to play in addressing the climate crisis — but finding the time, expertise and confidence to act can feel overwhelming. That is exactly why the School Climate Ambassador Scheme exists: to connect nurseries, schools and colleges with free, expert support to help them develop and deliver meaningful climate action plans.
What is the Climate Ambassador Scheme?
Funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and led by the University of Reading and EAUC (the Alliance for Sustainability Leadership in Education), the scheme mobilises volunteer experts from universities, the private sector, charities and government to work directly with education settings. Originally piloted in 2022, it was expanded in December 2023 — backed by £2 million of DfE funding — to reach all 30,000 nurseries, schools and colleges in England.
The scheme sits at the heart of the DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which sets an ambition for every education setting to have both a named sustainability lead and a climate action plan in place.
The scheme sits at the heart of the DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which sets an ambition for every education setting to have both a named sustainability lead and a climate action plan in place.
How does it support climate action planning?
A climate action plan sets out how a school will address sustainability across its whole institution — from reducing its carbon footprint and improving biodiversity, to embedding climate literacy in the curriculum and preparing for extreme weather. The scheme supports schools across four core pillars: decarbonisation, biodiversity, curriculum and green skills, and adaptation and resilience.
Volunteer Climate Ambassadors are matched to local settings via one of nine regional university hubs — hosted by institutions including University College London, the Met Office, the University of Leeds, Newcastle University and others.
Support is entirely free and tailored to wherever a school is starting from — whether they are brand new to climate planning or building on existing work.
Volunteer Climate Ambassadors are matched to local settings via one of nine regional university hubs — hosted by institutions including University College London, the Met Office, the University of Leeds, Newcastle University and others.
Support is entirely free and tailored to wherever a school is starting from — whether they are brand new to climate planning or building on existing work.
If you would like to find out more from a local School Climate Ambassador please complete our contact form.
What can an ambassador do for your school?
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The practical support on offer is broad. Ambassadors might run teacher training sessions, advise school leaders on cutting energy costs, help a school audit its biodiversity, or guide students in delivering their own sustainability projects. Schools can also access Carbon Literacy Training and a dedicated digital support hub providing resources for sustainability leads. In the scheme’s first 18 months, around 230 ambassadors reached more than 80,000 learners and teachers across over 500 settings.
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Becoming a Climate Ambassador is all about action. Just a small commitment of your time can make a real difference to a local nursery, school or college, giving staff and young people the confidence and skills to make meaningful change happen now. |
How to get involved
Schools can register for support via climateambassadors.org.uk, where they will be matched with a local ambassador or connected to their nearest regional hub. Professionals wishing to volunteer — pledging as little as one to two days per year — can sign up for free training through the same portal. Organisations looking to offer staff volunteering time as part of a corporate sustainability programme can also partner with the scheme.
With the window to meet the DfE’s ambitions well underway, there has never been a better moment for schools to take that first step — and for experts in every sector to put their knowledge to work for the next generation.
With the window to meet the DfE’s ambitions well underway, there has never been a better moment for schools to take that first step — and for experts in every sector to put their knowledge to work for the next generation.
Ready to start?
Visit climateambassadors.org.uk to register your school or sign up as a volunteer Climate Ambassador. Support is free for all 30,000 education settings in England.
If you would like to find out more from a local School Climate Ambassador please complete our contact form.
