The South East teams from the DfE Sustainability Support Programme are working together with local authorities across Berkshire to run the Berkshire Schools Sustainability Series in the 2026/27 academic year. The series aims to support education settings across Berkshire develop and deliver impactful climate action plans. The Department for Education Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy aims for all education settings to have a climate action plan in place covering four pillars:

  • Adaptation and resilience: how the setting is preparing for and responding to the impacts of climate change 
  • Biodiversity and nature: efforts to protect and enhance nature and wildlife within the setting and its surroundings (the focus of this event)
  • Climate education and green skills: how learners are supported to understand climate change, sustainability, and develop relevant skills
  • Decarbonisation and net zero: actions to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, working towards net zero

We understand that each education setting is at a different point on their sustainability journey, but also recognise many education settings are now well on the way to creating a climate action plan. The aim of the Berkshire Schools Sustainability Series is to help settings strengthen their climate action plans and progress with the delivery of actions by hearing from and connecting with organisations, individuals, education settings and local authorities across Berkshire. 

The Berkshire Schools Sustainability Series will include four online webinars and one in person event spread throughout the 2026/27 academic year. Each event will focus on a different climate action pillar, with webinars running from 3:30pm – 5pm. 

All events are fully funded and open to staff from Berkshire education settings (e.g. sustainability leads, headteachers, deputy heads, school business managers, finance managers, estates teams, subject leads, governors/trustees, class teachers). Attendees do not have to attend every session, and can instead select the sessions most relevant to their roles and responsibilities. We will highlight who the sessions are most relevant to in the session itineraries that will be promoted nearer to the date of each event.