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15 always suitable for use in schools. Technology has also paved the way for other solutions such as ASHPs, but these too are significantly more expensive than traditional gas boiler systems. The Government needs to recognise the broader range of solutions available to businesses and to provide support accordingly. They could also make sustainability a key part of Ofsted/ISI inspections and work with teacher unions to ensure all schools have someone responsible for sustainability. In the same way that schools have targets for healthy school meals and safeguarding, we need the Government to require schools to minimise their impact in terms of infrastructure. Thinking more broadly, education needs to reflect the urgency of the climate crisis. The Government should ensure the proposed natural history GCSE is launched as soon as possible. Do your green credentials feature in your marketing and advertising of the school? We are keen to promote NLCS as a leading eco school to show that we are aware of our duty to minimise our impact and educate the next generation. Not to do so, we feel, would be foolish and antiquated. We regularly post about our activities on social media and have a weekly ‘eco news’ column in the head’s newsletter, we also post information about our initiatives on our website. We know that our pupils will need to leave school equipped with the knowledge, skills and mindset to thrive in a largely carbon-zero country, by the time these children are in the middle of their careers, the Government’s legally binding net zero by 2050 target will have been met. To not teach and educate in this way would be like not using computers and the acknowledgement of this will be increasingly important for parents when choosing a school. Why do you think decarbonising schools is important for the sector and what contribution do you think schools can make? Schools have a vital role in educating our pupils and setting standards, because we need to leave the world in a good position for future generations. Every sector of the economy should be decarbonising and schools are no exception – schools have a huge reach – pupils go home to an average of two parents or guardians, those adults have their own sphere of influence in their social and work circles, so if the changes we make at school reach our pupils, and those pupils influence their friends and family the ripple effect is enormous. We can and should use our privilege to generate positive change (e.g. encouraging people to switch to ethical banks) in the same way that we promote healthy relationships and healthy eating. The climate crisis isn’t just a science problem, it’s a communication problem, and teachers and schools are excellent communicators. People and communities are shaped by stories and role models – schools are perfectly placed to tell those stories and be those role models. Our pupils in year 11 are around 15 years old, and 30 percent of all anthropogenic (changes in nature made by people) emissions has occurred in their lifetime. A child who started primary school in September 2021 will leave school in 2035, the same year the UK Government’s law to reduce carbon emissions to 78 percent of 1990 levels needs to be reached (if not sooner). The school was recently nominated for London’s Sustainable School of the Year Award. Can you explain what this Award is about and the particular activities that led to the school’s nomination please? The award is part of the Sustainable City Awards run by the charity Global Action Plan, and it considers schools who are: • Making ambitious commitments to become a zero carbon school. NLCS was one of the first schools in the UK to join the Let’s Go Zero campaign. Our ambitious and comprehensive environment strategy outlines how we will be carbon neutral by 2030 or sooner; • Empowering pupils to set up eco networks. Our pupils are some of the founding members of the London Schools Eco Network (LSEN), a growing group of London schools working together on inter and intra school campaigns. A small group of our pupils launched NLCS’ first Animal Welfare Conference, which invited high-profile speakers to discuss sustainability and animal welfare; • Integrating environmental education in their curriculum. 13 members of NCLS staff (including the head) completed the AimHi Climate and Nature course, which gave teachers the knowledge and tools to include the climate in all lessons, from maths to PSHE. We held a whole staff climate inset in 2021 to promote the mantra ‘Is it green? Can it be greener?’ @the_isba Autumn 2021 | Environmental sustainability Author Ian Callender Chief operating o cer at North London Collegiate School www.nlcs.org.uk