A new study from compliance and sustainability specialist iAM Sustainable has found that nine in 10 classroom teachers acting as sustainability leads receive no dedicated time to carry out the role.
This news comes despite the fact that the DfE’s expectation for all schools to have a sustainability lead and a climate action plan in place.
Of those surveyed, 39 per cent spend up to five hours each week in their own time on sustainability research and planning. This forces the role into evenings and weekends and highlights the gap between sustainability ambitions and schools’ capacity to deliver them.
Overload
The report also finds that sustainability responsibilities are increasingly being added to existing workloads rather than established as recognised specialist functions, and that sustainability leadership often falls to staff whose primary expertise lies elsewhere, including classroom teachers, pastoral leaders, science leads and executive support staff.
One respondent described the challenge as being “expected to deliver a specialist role on top of a full-time teaching load”, while another reported feeling in a “constant state of guilt” over balancing teaching responsibilities with sustainability commitments.
To add insult to injury, 92 per cent of respondents reported receiving no additional pay or responsibility allowance for the role, with more than half rating their level of support at 5 out of 10 or lower, with class teachers scoring an average of just 3.2 making them the loneliest group in the entire dataset.
The expertise gap
Education specialists are increasingly being asked to navigate areas such as carbon auditing and building management, often without the dedicated expertise or technical support these responsibilities require.
Whilst respondents rated their confidence in climate action planning at 7 out of 10 on average, only 12 per cent felt confident explaining SECR reporting requirements. Fewer than one in five felt comfortable discussing Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions.
Schools care deeply about sustainability, and the future they are helping to create for young people. What this research shows is not a lack of commitment, but a lack of capacity.
Many sustainability leads are trying to deliver a complex agenda alongside a full-time role. They’re passionate about making a difference but often lack the time, training and support structures needed to turn ambition into action.
As the sector continues to develop climate action plans, there is a clear opportunity to provide greater support, training and technical guidance if sustainability ambitions are to be delivered without adding further pressure to already stretched staff workloads.
Luke Pargeter is CEO of iAM Compliant.
