Introduction to Climate Action Schools

Welcome to Climate Action Schools – Keep Scotland Beautiful's framework of education initiatives to support you on climate education.

Our Climate Action Schools programmes engage schools across all local authorities in Scotland, meeting the requirements of the Curriculum for Excellence and the Learning for Sustainability Action Plan. Our programmes specialise in Learning for Sustainability, climate education, and learning outdoors.

Embedded in all our programmes are literacy, numeracy, and STEM. We are especially proud of the emphasis our programmes place on pupil voice, with many opportunities for pupils to take the lead and create change themselves. All our programmes are free of charge.

Our flagship programme is Eco-Schools – the largest sustainable education programme in the world – and we have nearly a thousand schools in Scotland taking part.

We offer a wide range of support to help you take part in Eco-Schools, including workshops for educators and separate ones for pupils. We have bookable one-to-one sessions, and we have a wide range of resources available in Gaelic. You can complete your Green Flag Award application in Gaelic.

We also offer lots of ways that you can celebrate Eco-Schools achievements, including our annual Eco-Schools Awards and annual celebration event.

The Young Reporters for the Environment programme is an amazing way for pupils to use their voices to ask for the change they want to see. It's an environmental journalism competition with entries submitted as writing, photography, or video.

The competition opens from August, with final submissions due any time up to the end of April. From this year, you'll be able to submit your entry in Gaelic.

Learning about Forests, or LEAF, is all about trying to get pupils outside, learning outdoors, and connecting to the nature all around them, whilst also learning a bit about forest-based ecosystems. LEAF ties into the Eco-Schools programme. It's an annual programme that starts in the new school year with applications due in July, and there are vast mental and physical health benefits for teachers and pupils who take part.

Our Climate Ready Classrooms programmes help improve climate literacy across Scotland.

We have an upper primary, which is a one-day programme or can be split across three weeks. It's delivered online and is organised through your local authority – so get in touch with your local authority if you want to take part.

For secondary schools, we have a one-day in-person workshop that's organised by the school – so get in touch with us if you'd like your school to be part of this.

Finally, we have Train the Trainer, where teachers can learn how to deliver Climate Ready Classrooms in their schools. This is four sessions delivered online and is organised by individual teachers. Again, get in touch with us if you'd like to take part.

An additional climate education programme is our Climate Emergency Training SCQF Level 4 course. This is aimed at secondary school pupils who are looking to develop their knowledge of climate change and understand what positive decisions they can take to address the causes of climate change.

Spaces are available throughout the year. Please get in touch if you'd like your pupils to take part.

We also offer a Biodiversity Action SCQF Level 4 course – again, aimed at secondary school pupils looking to develop their knowledge of how the natural world works, the causes and implications of the biodiversity crisis, and actions they can take towards a nature-positive future.

Once again, the course takes place throughout the year. Please get in touch if you'd like to take part.

Our annual Live Lessons are a fantastic way to bring Learning for Sustainability directly into your classroom. Every year we host Climate Action Week in September, Spring Clean in March, and Natural Scotland Week in May – plus we have one-off live lessons throughout the year, touching on important topics.

We have lessons aimed at all different age ranges. Please have a look at our website for more details.

The Pocket Garden annual competition is an amazing way to get pupils outside, learning about growing. Designs are submitted in February, and there's an online showcase of the design winners who've grown their own gardens in June.

One Planet Picnic is an anytime, anywhere programme that helps you to learn about the links between food and the environment – and it's absolutely perfect for celebrations. Have a look on our web page to find out more.

To keep up to date with all our amazing offerings, please have a look at our Padlet, where you can find details of what's coming up – including live lessons, teacher and pupil training, and what's coming soon.

We also recommend that you sign up for our newsletters so that you can be up to date with what's coming next.

Thank you – we hope you enjoy taking part in all our Climate Action Schools programmes have to offer.