Have an idea about the structure of the group. Will you have a team for every year group? Do you have enough staff members onboard to support the group and what will be their roles?
Will you use an existing programme or will you follow your own ideas? If you are unsure where to start, at least for the first year, you may find it helpful to follow an existing programme such as the Eco-Schools Green Flag award. See how it works: https://www.eco-schools.org.uk/framework/
Decide when to hold your meetings. Will it be before school, at lunchtime or after school? Will this be weekly?
Ask existing members to make a poster to advertise the group or hold an assembly.
Arrange a meeting for interested students to come along to. Advertise to students and school staff through your usual communication channels. Advertise to parents too so they know the school is doing something. You may pick up volunteers to help.
At your first meeting, tell the students about the great work your school has been doing so far and how you’d like their help to continue. Ask for their ideas for more improvements. Carry out a survey.
Ideas for your climate leader sessions
If you are following the Eco-schools programme, you will carry out an audit of the school. This is useful to see what your school is doing and it also gives your group ideas about what can be achieved.
Discuss project ideas for the year – you may like to reduce waste and improve recycling, promote walking and cycling to school, reduce energy use in the school. It is great to hear lots of ideas at first then choose two or three ideas to work on during the year. Don’t take on too much! Ensure you have enough support to achieve your aims.
Create an eco-noticeboard and update this regularly.
Create a student survey to find out their habits now to help you to know what to focus on improving.
Plan assemblies about your projects to raise awareness and gain support from other staff and students.
Write regular updates for your school website and newsletter.
Hold an event and invite parents and members of the community.
Is there a campaign your group can promote such as ‘Walk to school week’? Look at the events calendar for ideas of things coming up.
Show a short video about an issue and hold a discussion.
Invite experts or members of local community groups to speak to the group about what they do and share their knowledge. Local volunteers are always eager to raise awareness about their projects and the issues they are supporting.
Tips for your sessions
Ask for help if you feel out of your depth. This could be from other staff members or from the local community.
Think about ways to make the sessions fun for the students so they come back and bring their friends.
Can your projects include others in the school to widen your reach and raise awareness of the issues. For example, are you planting a hedge, spring bulbs, or wildflower seeds to increase biodiversity? Can whole classes be involved during a one off-lesson time?
Does your school have a gardening or cookery club? This can count of one of your eco projects and can contribute to your climate action plan.
