DfE Sustainability Strategy: What Schools Need to Do Now

The Department for Education’s sustainability and climate change strategy has changed how schools are expected to approach sustainability, energy, and long-term planning. What was once treated as a separate environmental initiative is increasingly becoming part of day-to-day operational decision-making across schools and trusts.

The strategy covers far more than climate education. It includes energy management, estates, procurement, reporting, resilience, biodiversity, and decarbonisation across the education estate. It also sets clear ambitions around sustainability leadership and climate action planning within schools.

For many schools and MATs, the challenge is not understanding why sustainability matters. It is understanding what the strategy actually means in practice, where responsibilities sit, and how to prioritise action alongside existing financial and operational pressures.

At the same time, rising energy costs have pushed sustainability and cost management closer together. Improving energy efficiency, understanding usage, and planning more strategically around procurement and infrastructure are now becoming part of the wider sustainability conversation across the sector.

Key Takeaways:

• The DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy makes sustainability an operational issue for schools and trusts, not just an environmental or curriculum initiative.
• Schools are increasingly expected to develop climate action plans, improve energy visibility, and embed sustainability into procurement and estate planning decisions.
• Energy management sits at the centre of the strategy because rising energy costs, emissions reduction, and long-term operational resilience are closely connected.
• Solar and battery storage are becoming more relevant for schools looking to reduce grid reliance and create more predictable long-term energy costs.
• Fully funded and externally financed solar and battery models are making long-term infrastructure projects more accessible for schools and MATs.

What Is the DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy?

The DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy was introduced in 2022 and sets out how the education sector in England is expected to respond to climate change and sustainability challenges over the coming years.

It applies across the wider education system, including schools, academies, colleges, universities, and children’s services.

The strategy was developed in response to growing pressure around climate change, rising energy costs, and the need to reduce emissions across public sector buildings.

The DfE also recognises that schools have an important role to play beyond education alone. School estates are large energy users, operational costs are rising, and there is increasing focus on how education settings manage sustainability, resilience, and long-term environmental impact.

The strategy highlights that schools alone were spending around £630 million per year on energy before recent price increases, with costs expected to be significantly higher now.

The four core strategic aims of the DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy

The strategy is built around four main goals for the education sector in England:

• Preparing young people for a world affected by climate change
• Reducing emissions across education buildings and operations
• Improving resilience to climate-related risks like flooding and overheating
• Creating healthier, more sustainable environments for future generations

These aims cover both education and operations, which is why the strategy has implications for estates, finance, procurement, and energy management across schools and trusts.

A lot of schools initially viewed the strategy through the lens of curriculum or student initiatives. In reality, much of it is operational. The DfE strategy repeatedly references areas like energy efficiency, emissions reporting, procurement, climate action planning, and estate management. For schools and MATs, this means sustainability is increasingly becoming part of wider operational planning rather than a standalone environmental project.

What Schools Are Actually Expected to Do

One of the biggest challenges with the DfE sustainability strategy is that many schools understand the overall direction, but are less clear on what practical action is actually expected.

The strategy itself is broad, but there are a few areas that consistently appear throughout the guidance and supporting initiatives.

1. Appoint a sustainability lead

The DfE’s long-term ambition is for all education settings to have a sustainability lead and climate action plan in place.

In most schools, this is not a standalone role. It is often taken on by someone already involved in estates, operations, finance, or leadership. The goal is not to create another isolated responsibility, but to ensure sustainability activity is coordinated and moving in the right direction.

This role is becoming increasingly important as sustainability starts overlapping more with energy management, reporting, procurement, and operational planning.

2. Develop a climate action plan

Climate action plans sit at the centre of much of the DfE guidance.

These plans are intended to help schools take a more structured approach to sustainability, rather than relying on disconnected initiatives or one-off projects. Depending on the school or trust, this can include areas such as:

• Energy use and efficiency
• Decarbonisation planning
• Procurement and supplier decisions
• Climate resilience
• Biodiversity and environmental improvements
• Reporting and governance

For many schools, the challenge is not writing a document. It is understanding what actions are realistic, measurable, and financially achievable.

3. Improve visibility around energy and emissions

The strategy places a strong focus on better data and reporting across the education estate.

This includes things like smart meters, energy monitoring systems, emissions reporting, and improved visibility into how buildings are performing day to day.

A lot of schools still manage energy reactively, mainly through invoices and contract renewals. The direction of travel from the DfE is much more focused on ongoing visibility and evidence-based decision making.

4. Start embedding sustainability into operational decisions

The strategy is not asking schools to completely transform overnight.

What it does encourage is a more joined-up approach, where sustainability is considered as part of wider operational planning. This includes areas like:

• Energy procurement
• Building upgrades
• Heating systems
• Estate improvements
• Supplier selection
• Renewable energy opportunities

Over time, sustainability is becoming less of a standalone initiative and more of a factor in how schools manage costs, estates, and long-term planning overall.

Why Energy Management Sits at the Centre of the Strategy

Although the DfE strategy covers a wide range of sustainability topics, energy management sits at the centre of many of them. Energy affects operational costs, emissions, estate performance, and long-term decarbonisation planning, which is why it appears throughout the strategy and supporting guidance.

Energy is one of the biggest operational pressures for schools

For most schools, energy is not a small operational line item.

Heating, lighting, ICT equipment, kitchens, and wider building usage all contribute to significant ongoing costs, particularly across older estates. Unlike some areas of spending, a large portion of energy demand cannot simply be reduced without affecting how buildings function day to day.

At the same time, many schools are dealing with tighter budgets and less certainty around future costs, making energy management a much bigger strategic issue than it was a few years ago.

The strategy links sustainability with cost reduction

One of the most important shifts in the DfE strategy is that sustainability is not framed purely as an environmental initiative.

The guidance repeatedly connects emissions reduction with energy efficiency, operational performance, and long-term savings. This includes references to smart meters, energy management systems, low-carbon heating, and estate decarbonisation projects.

In practice, this means schools are increasingly looking at sustainability through both a financial and operational lens, not just a reporting or awareness one.

Reactive energy management is becoming a problem

A lot of schools still manage energy reactively. Bills are reviewed after costs increase, contracts are revisited close to renewal dates, and visibility into actual building performance is often limited. This makes it difficult to spot inefficiencies early or plan strategically around future costs.

The DfE strategy points towards a more proactive approach, with better monitoring, better reporting, and more informed planning around energy use and infrastructure.

For trusts in particular, this becomes increasingly important as energy costs, estate complexity, and reporting expectations continue to grow.

Where Solar and Battery Storage Fits Into the DfE Strategy

As schools start taking a more structured approach to sustainability and energy management, attention is beginning to shift beyond small efficiency improvements alone.

Simple changes like lighting upgrades and heating controls still matter, but many schools are now looking more closely at long-term energy costs, energy resilience, and how to reduce reliance on increasingly unpredictable grid pricing.

For most schools, there is only so much energy usage that can realistically be reduced through behaviour change or operational tweaks alone.

Buildings still need to be heated. ICT infrastructure still needs to run. Daytime electricity demand remains high across most education settings. As a result, more schools and trusts are starting to look at how energy is sourced and managed over the longer term, rather than focusing only on reducing usage at the margins.

Funding models for school solar and battery storage solutions

Schools are naturally suited to on-site solar generation because the majority of electricity usage happens during daytime hours, when solar production is highest. This can help reduce reliance on grid electricity during the periods where buildings are most heavily used, while also supporting wider decarbonisation goals within the DfE strategy.

Battery storage adds another layer to this by allowing schools to store unused generation and use it more efficiently later on. Depending on the setup, this can help improve overall energy usage, reduce wasted generation, and support better load balancing across the site.

But one of the biggest misconceptions is that large upfront capital investment is always required.

In practice, funding options have expanded significantly in recent years. Alongside grants and decarbonisation funding, some schools are now exploring fully funded or externally financed models that reduce the need for upfront investment.

This can include approaches such as:

• Asset finance
• Hybrid funding models
• Power purchase agreements (PPAs)
• Energy-as-a-service arrangements

For schools and trusts under financial pressure, this is becoming an important part of the conversation because it allows infrastructure improvements to be explored without relying entirely on existing capital budgets.

For some larger projects, schools and public sector organisations are now considering models where solar and battery infrastructure is installed, funded, and managed externally. This allows schools to access the operational and financial benefits of on-site generation without needing to manage the project internally or fund the full installation upfront themselves.

As energy costs remain unpredictable and sustainability expectations continue to increase, these types of models are becoming more relevant for trusts looking to balance long-term planning with immediate financial constraints.

Turning the DfE Sustainability Strategy Into Practical Action

The DfE sustainability strategy sets a clear direction for schools and trusts, but the biggest challenge for many organisations is turning broad guidance into practical, manageable action. From energy management and reporting to procurement and long-term estate planning, sustainability is becoming more closely tied to operational decision-making across the education sector.

If your school or trust is looking to take a more structured approach to energy and sustainability, The National Energy Hub supports education organisations with energy strategy, procurement, and solar and battery storage solutions, including fully funded options. Get in touch to explore practical ways to reduce costs, improve visibility, and support long-term sustainability goals.

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Frequently Asked Questions About the DfE Sustainability Strategy

What is the DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy?

It is the Department for Education’s long-term strategy for improving sustainability across the education sector in England. The strategy covers areas including energy, estates, climate resilience, procurement, sustainability leadership, and climate education.

Do schools need a climate action plan?

The DfE’s long-term ambition is for all education settings to have a climate action plan in place. These plans are intended to help schools take a more structured approach to sustainability, energy management, and long-term planning.

Does every school need a sustainability lead?

The strategy sets out an ambition for all education settings to have a nominated sustainability lead. In many schools, this sits alongside an existing operational or leadership role rather than being a standalone position.

How does the strategy affect energy management?

Energy management is a major part of the strategy. The DfE places strong emphasis on improving energy efficiency, reducing emissions, increasing visibility around usage, and helping schools make more informed operational decisions around energy and infrastructure.

Does the strategy apply to academies and MATs?

Yes. The strategy applies across the education sector in England, including academies and multi-academy trusts. For MATs in particular, there is growing focus on estate-wide planning, reporting, and sustainability coordination across multiple schools.

Are there grants or funding options available for schools?

Yes, schools may be able to access grants, decarbonisation funding, or alternative funding models for projects such as energy efficiency improvements, solar, and battery storage. Some organisations are also exploring fully funded models that reduce the need for upfront capital investment.

What is the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme?

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme is a government funding programme designed to help public sector organisations reduce emissions from their buildings. This can include projects related to heating systems, energy efficiency, and low-carbon infrastructure.