Sustainable Schools

An interview featuring Jake Reynolds, senior adviser for sustainable development at DCSF, and Charles Dickens Primary School, London. For background information and a transcript, visit the 'Community' section of the TeacherNet website.

News

Education for sustainable development in 2010: The next five years: March 11, 2010; DCSF is hosting an education for sustainable development conference on 29 and 30 March 2010, to share good practice with other countries in relation to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.
Top tips for schools to engage with biodiversity: March 10, 2010; The latest publication in the DCSF 'Top tips' series of guides is now available to order or download.
Boxes of books?: March 9, 2010; READ International collects disused books from schools and sends them to schools in East Africa. The charity also provides free global citizenship workshops.

Events

Green Day 2010: June 4, 2010; Green Day is for Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 pupils. A free teachers' activity kit is available and free half-day training workshops are being held in various locations between March and May.
Mainstreaming the curriculum for the school community: March 23, 2010; A conference for curriculum leaders across Merseyside and West Cheshire, Halton and Warrington. Booking is open until 15 March.
Growing Schools Conference 2010: March 25, 2010; 'Growing the future' is the theme of the third national Growing Schools conference, to be held at the University of Oxford Botanic Garden. Booking is open.

Active England

Access to cycle training for every child, creating a generation of new, safe cyclists, is one of the aims of the Government's Active Travel strategy, published on 22 February 2010.

The Government has outlined plans to put walking and cycling at the heart of local transport and public health strategies over the next decade. Read the Department for Transport press release for further details.

Free energy display meters for schools

All publicly funded schools in England are able to apply for a free meter. This offer is based on a recommendation from the Department's Zero Carbon Task Force and aims to enable schools to monitor and measure their electricity use.

Read the DCSF energy meters email to schools, sent on 28 January 2010.

Zero Carbon Taskforce report

See the 'Zero Carbon Task Force' (ZCTF) page of the main TeacherNet website to find out more about the work of the ZCTF (a taskforce appointed by DCSF in 2008 in order to advise how new school buildings can be zero carbon by 2016) and to read its final report, published in January 2010.