Carbon Neutral Schools

Climate Action At County Hall

Cornwall Council hosted a successful Climate Conference on 18 November 2025, bringing together schools, sustainability leads, and partners including Let’s Go Zero and Education Nature Parks to accelerate climate action across the county.

The event focused on providing practical support for schools and empowering young people to make sustainable choices both at school and at home. Planned in collaboration with ASPIRE Academy Trust, the conference united Aspire sustainability leads, headteachers, senior trust leaders, and other educational settings at Cornwall Council Chamber to finalise Climate Action Plans.

This work supports the Department for Education’s requirement that all educational settings have a nominated sustainability lead and a Climate Action Plan in place by the end of 2025.

Working Together for a Greener Future

The day was designed to provide hands-on guidance and resources to help schools, focusing on:

• Helping schools save energy in their buildings to reduce bills and teaching young people to do the same at home.
• Improving biodiversity on school grounds and encouraging nature-based learning.
• Promoting life skills such as gardening and sustainable food practices.
• Reducing water usage and sharing water-saving tips for schools and homes.
• Managing school waste, including food waste, and involving students in these efforts both at school and at home.
• Teaching young people about flood defence and climate resilience, helping them understand how to protect their communities and prepare for extreme weather.
• Encouraging schools and young people to work with and look after their local communities, fostering collaboration and shared responsibility for sustainability and looking after our community spaces.
• Promoting active travel initiatives such as walking and cycling to reduce emissions and improve health.
• Helping schools to locate resources to teach young people about healthy lifestyles – the importance of exercise and eating healthily.
• Supporting teachers with climate education and wellbeing, including outdoor learning spaces that connect students with nature.

Highlights from Feedback

The response from schools was overwhelmingly positive: 100% of attendees said they felt supported by Cornwall Council and rated the event as useful and inspiring. All respondents expressed interest in attending future climate events, showing strong enthusiasm for continued collaboration. Educators enjoyed, Climate Action Plan Writing, Networking with Colleagues, and the Education Nature Park Workshop where they learn how to map out their school grounds.

What Schools Said

“A fantastic day – very inspiring and full of useful ideas.” - teacher

“All of the sessions were helpful, and we’re excited to take these ideas back to our school.”-headteacher

The event was a fantastic day where educators came together in a safe space to collaborate, share ideas, and develop practical solutions to help their schools and young people take meaningful climate action.

Collaboration Success

An atmosphere of hope, collaboration, and action filled the air at Cornwall Council’s Schools Climate Conference, where educators, sustainability leaders, and environmental organisations came together to empower schools to lead the way in tackling the climate crisis.

Organised by the Education Business Partnership, in partnership with Carbon Neutral Cornwall, Eco-Schools and Let’s Go Zero, the event brought together a dynamic mix of voices and ideas. The day featured powerful sessions from Surfers Against Sewage, Eden Project, Keep Britain Tidy Eco-Schools, Jen Gale (Let’s Go Zero), and Jason Wood (Eco Rangers).

The conference also welcomed a wide range of partners during the networking lunch, including Chefs in Schools, National Education Nature Park, Cornwall Climate Care, Carbon Neutral Cornwall, RJ Working, Sustainable Food Cornwall, and author Ellie Jackson.

Attendees praised the event for its practical impact. One teacher described the day as “excellent,” highlighting the Climate Action Plan writing and guest speakers as the most useful parts.

“Hearing from different providers and case studies was incredibly valuable." - teacher

The event also showcased real-world examples of climate leadership from An Daras Multi-Academy Trust and Crofty Education Trust, whose case studies demonstrated how schools are already making a difference.

One teacher captured the spirit of the day:

“Being part of like-minded people – creating a wave which is no longer a ripple – ensures we are working for the best interests of our young people.” - teacher

Feedback from the event will help shape future support for schools. Many attendees expressed interest in Cornwall Council’s upcoming Green Schools programme, and several called for more strategic guidance, expert site visits, and opportunities to collaborate in smaller clusters.

And of course, no Cornish event would be complete without a nod to local flavour – The Pasty Box kept everyone fuelled with delicious, sustainably sourced pasties.

As one teacher put it:

“It was great to feel the enthusiasm in the room for practical action, and see how much has already been done.” - teacher

This conference proved that when schools, trusts, and partners come together, real climate action is not only possible – it’s already happening.

Wow!

A Nottinghamshire school has shown how joining Let’s Go Zero can enrich your curriculum, empower your pupils, and even boost your Ofsted rating.

Stanton Vale School has been rated ‘outstanding’ for personal development by Ofsted, and inspectors cited the school’s involvement in Let’s Go Zero as a reason for this achievement.

Ofsted highlighted their success, stating:

“Pupils access a wide set of coherently planned experiences that enrich the curriculum. Through these, pupils are encouraged to become healthy, responsible and active citizens… For example, [they] explore sustainability and complete research through participating in the ‘Let’s Go Zero’ project. As a result, pupils are more aware of their impact on the world around them.”

The school’s Headteacher, Emma Kehoe, said:

“Our school is deeply committed to sustainability and educating our pupils about the impact on our environment. We are delighted that this dedication was recognized in our recent Ofsted inspection. We are immensely grateful for the support from Let’s Go Zero, which has been instrumental across our school and Trust.”

£6,830 saved and 11 tonnes of carbon cut - how a school took control of their energy use

At Let’s Go Zero, we know that tackling energy waste is key to making schools zero carbon and saving money. That’s why our advisors work closely with schools to help them take meaningful action.

Luciana, one of our East of England advisors, recently supported a school that had started some energy-saving efforts but wasn’t consistently reducing consumption. With her guidance, they secured a funded place on Energy Sparks, giving them the tools to track and cut their energy use.

Luciana presented a set of recommendations, which the school committed to, including:

• Regularly monitoring energy use through platforms like Energy Sparks
• Setting the BMS/BEMS appropriately during evenings, weekends, and school holidays
• the site manager has been manually switching off the heating in the extension blocks

The results? Incredible savings in both energy and cost!

• Gas use reduced by 64% during the October half-term and Christmas holidays
• Electricity use cut by 41% over the same period
• 11 tonnes of carbon saved during Christmas 2024, vs. 2023
• £6,830 saved—with energy costs dropping from £10,600 in 2023 to £3,770 in 2024

This is a fantastic example of how small changes can lead to big impacts, for both the planet and school budgets. If your school wants to follow in their footsteps, get in touch and let’s make it happen! - Excerpt from Let's Go Zero, used with permission.

Celebrating Cornwall’s Eco Schools

Inspiring Activities with Eco-Schools

This year, Cornwall has seen a massive 120% increase in schools joining the Eco Schools initiative!

41 schools have now been awarded Eco School status, after leading on impressive initiatives to improve their school environments and impact the world on a local level.

Eco-Schools is a growing phenomenon which encourages young people to engage in their environment by allowing them the opportunity to actively protect it. Involving children in the Eco-Schools project in the UK offers numerous benefits that extend beyond the classroom. Participation fosters environmental awareness and education, equipping pupils with the knowledge to make sustainable choices and develop eco-friendly habits.

The Eco-Schools programme is designed to be pupil-led and the Eco-Schools Green Flag is an annual accreditation which celebrates the efforts of young people in that community.

Just a few of the inspirational ideas students across Cornwall have led as part of the project include assemblies, planting vegetables, trees, and herb gardens, setting campaigns for families to take part in, creating bug hotels, nominating eco monitors, creating bird feeders and going on bug hunts.

“This project has deepened the children's sense of purpose, responsibility and ownership of their environment. This was all about engaging in a national project of global value that connects environmental education and action and demonstrates how a small cog, at a local level, can make a big difference.” (Ben Stephenson, Headteacher at Nanstallon Primary School, an official Eco School for 2024)

A huge well done to Cornwall’s Eco Schools!

• Happy Days Nursery Falmouth
• Sithney Community Primary School
• Roskear Primary School
• Trannack Primary School
• Pennoweth Primary and Nursery School
• Portreath Primary School
• Pencoys Primary School
• Porthleven School
• Lanner School
• Illogan School
• Godolphin Primary School
• Halwin School
• Parc Eglos School
• Rosemellin County Primary School
• Garras Community Primary School
• St Stephens Community Primary School
• St Mabyn C of E School
• Richard Lander School
• Weeth Community Primary School
• Happy Days Nursery & Preschool Truro
• Happy Days Nursery & Preschool, Summercourt
• Mawnan C of E VA Primary School
• Redruth School
• Doubletrees School
• Happy Days Nursery Truro
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Bodmin
• Happy Days Nursery St Austell
• Sir Robert Geffery's CofE VA School
• Happy Days Nursery Treloweth
• Truro School
• Oak Tree School
• Germoe Community Primary School
• Treviglas Academy
• St Erth Community Primary School
• Nanstallon Primary School
• Nine Maidens Alternative Provision Academy
• CHES Academy
• St Dennis Primary Academy
• St. Columb Minor Academy
• Wadebridge Primary Academy
• Boskenwyn Community Primary School

Eco-Success Collectively, this is what all our wonderful young people have achieved here in Cornwall. Please join us in our mission and either gain your Eco-Schools Accreditation or renew your Accreditation this academic year. This year, Cornwall Council has limited funding to cover the £200+VAT cost of Eco-Schools Green Flag accreditation for schools in Cornwall that are actively engaged in protecting our planet through the Eco-Schools programme.

If you have any questions or need any help your Eco-Education Manager is here to help please contact: Charlotte