Another academic year down, but before we all fall into the summer holidays, it’s worth taking a breath and looking back at what actually changed for schools and sustainability this year, because quite a lot did.
The big one: the curriculum (nearly) finally caught up
The Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis, published its final report on 5 November 2025, and the government responded. Ministers agreed that key climate concepts should be introduced earlier in the curriculum, with programmes of study reflecting this from primary level. Climate change and sustainability got explicitly written into geography, science and design & technology, plus a new statutory duty to cover sustainability within primary Citizenship was mooted.
The review itself was blunt about why this mattered: references to climate science in the current science curriculum are sparse and, in some cases, outdated. It won’t officially be in classrooms until the new curriculum arrives from September 2028, (and let’s face it, that’s a ling time in policy, politics, and even Prime Ministers right now) – so there’s no need to overhaul your planning immediately. But it’s the strongest policy signal yet that climate and sustainability education is meant to be woven through the core.
The Climate Action Plan deadline came and went
By September 2025, every school and trust in England was expected to have a nominated Sustainability Lead and a live Climate Action Plan covering decarbonisation, biodiversity, green skills and adaptation. It’s still not a statutory requirement, but it is becoming the reference point everyone measures schools against, and it’s increasingly likely to matter for funding eligibility going forward. If your setting hasn’t got one yet, you’re not alone, but it’s worth getting one on paper.
Money got tighter, not looser
Core school funding rose to £67 billion for 2026/27, a 2.6% increase, but the real-term impact has been offset by rising staff costs, SEND pressures and general inflation, including energy. The NEU’s own analysis this year found that 76% of primary schools and 94% of secondary schools would not be able to afford their costs, with real-terms per-pupil funding dropping to its lowest level in at least fifteen years.
Against that backdrop, there have been genuinely useful funding pots: the Great British Energy solar rollout aiming to install panels at 255 school sites, with savings of up to £25,000 a year per school, and various regional Greener Schools grants. But these have been patchy and competitive rather than universal, so plenty of schools are still watching from the sidelines.
Estates and heat became a live issue, not a future one
The DfE’s new Education Estates Strategy, released alongside updated Standardised Designs in February 2026, commits £38 billion through 2030 to renewing the school estate. Climate resilience, shade, rain gardens, cooling, is now built into the design standards rather than treated as an afterthought. That’s a direct response to a pattern that’s now impossible to ignore: extreme heat disrupting the school day itself.
So, how was the year?
Paperwork and the policy direction moved further than most years. The money to act on it didn’t move nearly as far.
Watch out for next year
More change is coming, not less, with the new curriculum still working its way through consultation ahead of 2028. Having clear, settled aims for your own setting will matter more than reacting to every fresh announcement.
Money will stay tight, so where you can, put it into upskilling your staff rather than one-off kit – trained people outlast any single grants.
And it’s getting hotter. Don’t treat trees and shade as a nice-to-have, and start thinking now about what you’ll do with waste water and drainage before the next heavy downpour or heatwave makes the decision for you.
Have a good summer. You’ve earned it.
