Green Schools Forum

Swale Green Schools Forum

The Sustainability and Climate Change: a Strategy for the Education and Children's Service Systems (2023) requires that by the end of 2025 all education settings should have a nominated Sustainability Lead, as well as a carbon reduction plan.

The Swale Green Schools’ Forum provides schools with the resources to do this, facilitating  knowledge sharing between school staff, and allowing Swale Borough Council to share funding opportunities, events, and information with schools.

The Forum meetings are held quarterly – please sign your school up here, or email climate@swale.gov.uk if you have something you would like to discuss.

Past events:

Schools Eco-Fair

Forty primary school pupils from various Swale Schools took part in a day of outdoor learning to help them get active and learn about climate change and sustainability. It was held at Milton Creek Country Park in Sittingbourne.

Activities included  'plogging'  - jogging while collecting litter,  learning to cycle,  the creation of nature photo frames with twigs collected from the park, and an immersive eco story by Swale Friends of the Earth.

Swale Primary Schools Workshop

On March 17th 2026 Swale Borough Council hosted a workshop specifically designed for Swale Primary Schools, helping them to:

• Learn about the wide range of support, resources, and iniatives available from Kent County Council  and partner organisations.
• Start developing a bespoke action plan tailored to your school's specific needs
• Take part in a live Q&A panel with representatives from key service, allowing schools to ask questions and get practical advice on issues like highways improvements, parking enforcement, and more.

School's Tree Planting Guidance

The Council is keen to support schools in 'greening' their sites, providing a healthy, aesthetic, and biodiversity setting for students to learn in. To do this, the Council can:

• Give free site visits to provide bespoke advice on where on your land trees would be best for, and species to have to maximise effects on biodiversity.
• Support on potential funding streams, and;
• Give post-planting advice to discuss care plans and management.

The full document can be accessed by clicking here.

Carbon Literacy Training

Carbon Literacy Training ensures that partipants are aware of the carbon costs and impacts of every day activties, and helps them feel empowered to help reduce emissions on an individual, community, and organisational basis. The courses covers a range of modules and is accredited, with those who complete it receiving certification.

Swale Borough Council provided training to six school staff at a local secondary school in 2024, allowing Carbon Literacy to be taught to all year 9 students over successive academic years.

It is our ambition to rollout the training at other secondary schools and colleges in Swale, so if you would be interested in understanding more about how the training is delivered, get in contact with climate@swale.gov.uk