Meanwood Primary
Parents and Staff Unite for Climate Action
A passionate team turning sustainability into a shared mission, one project, one pupil, one step at a time.
Claire Booth first discovered the Climate Ambassadors scheme through her role as Sustainability Manager at Leeds Arts University. For Claire, it was the perfect opportunity to combine her professional expertise with her passion as a parent.
“The Climate Ambassador scheme appealed to me as I wanted to have more involvement with my kid’s school. I felt my professional skills and knowledge, and commitment as a parent would be extremely valuable.” – Claire Booth, Climate Ambassador and parent
When Claire approached the Headteacher, he was thrilled. Soon, Claire joined forces with Headteacher Jamie, Sustainability Lead Valeria, and Amanda, another parent and Climate Ambassador to form a dynamic Sustainability Team at Meanwood Primary.
“We are very lucky to have Claire and Amanda on board, both as experts in sustainability and climate action, and as parents. It is different when the message is coming from parents rather than school staff; it really pushes things forward.” – Valeria Keleman, Sustainability Lead.
“It is really positive having parents on board who are so driven; we would not have made the progress we have made without the parents being climate ambassadors and being so involved.” – Jamie Chapman, Headteacher.
Turning Ideas into Action
The Climate Ambassadors have been instrumental in supporting Valeria and Jamie. Together, they’ve delivered engaging climate education sessions, introduced pupils to green careers, and even connected Jamie’s carbon footprint calculations to real lifestyle examples, making sustainability tangible and relatable for students.
Beyond the classroom, the team is driving exciting initiatives:
- Playground development.
- The WOW Walk to School challenge (Meanwood CE Primary School regularly ranks among the top schools in Leeds!)
- A thriving gardening group
- Eco-projects led by the school council each term
“Valeria has always got amazing ideas. As Climate Ambassadors, we support her develop these with confidence. The Climate Action Plan formalises her role and provides a framework for what she, and the wider sustainability team, want to achieve.” – Claire Booth, Climate Ambassador and parent.
Embedding Sustainability at Every Level
One of the biggest drivers of success? Including the Climate Action Plan in the School Development Plan. This ensures sustainability isn’t just a side project, it’s a priority.
“Having sustainability prioritised on the School Development Plan makes sure it is at the forefront of staff, governors and parent’s minds and is reviewed and referenced regularly. If we hadn’t of done this it would have got lost in the day to day running of things.” – Jamie Chapman, Headteacher.
Looking Ahead
The team’s next big goal is to embed sustainability across the curriculum, ensuring every year group deepens their understanding of climate action throughout their school journey.
“It’s been inspiring to witness Valeria, Jamie and Claire’s motivation to push forwards climate and sustainability action at Meanwood Primary School. I feel real strength comes from working as a diverse team with a shared vision. It’s been great to see how receptive the wider school community has been to several new initiatives developed from the School’s Climate Action Plan. I am excited to see what comes next in the journey!” – Amanda Maycock, Climate Ambassador and parent.