Source · National Audit Office

Department for Education: sustainability overview

Published: 28 Jun 2023 Recommendations: 6 Type: Value for Money NAO confirmed: 6 Department: Department for Education

This report gives an overview of the approach taken by the Department for Education (DfE) to environmental sustainability.

Dept: Department for Education Topics: Education, training and skillsEnergy and environmentEnvironmental sustainabilityFurther and higher educationSchools nao.org.uk →

Recommendations

6 items

6 accepted 4 implemented 1 in progress

Rec	Recommendation	Addressee	Acceptance	Implementation
1	a) by the end of 2023, agree department-wide governance and accountability arrangements for the strategy, particularly for areas of DfE without dedicated sustainability governance. This should include the relative responsibilities of the SCCU and other areas of DfE in relation to strategy commitments; Ref Page 13, 22 a · Implemented 07/2024	Department for Education	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
2	b) by April 2024, two years into the strategy, implement a plan to measure benefits from the strategy; Ref Page 13, 22 b · Implemented 04/2024	Department for Education	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
3	e) align resources to the strategy, making sure the relationship between funding in place and ambitions is realistic. This will also include prioritising the strategic risks to the estate including climate/environmental risk and re-assessing what is possible should it not receive the funding it hopes for; and Ref Page 13, 22 e · Implemented 02/2026	Department for Education	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO
4	c) develop a clear evidence base of what sustainability measures work in schools and where to target its funding within the school estate as part of its preparations for the next Spending Review. It needs to define metrics for assessing pilots (to include user feedback and cost-effectiveness) and improve data so that it has a better understanding of schools most vulnerable to climate risk; Ref Page 13, 22 c · Implemented 12/2026	Department for Education	Accepted	In progress ✓ NAO
5	d) once an emissions target is in place for the education sector, publish a decarbonisation plan to define progress towards net zero for its estates; Ref Page 13, 22 d · Implemented 12/2025	Department for Education	Accepted	Not relevant ✓ NAO
6	f) share evidence, examples and learning with the sector so that schools can make informed decisions about what sustainability interventions would work best for their circumstances. Ref Page 11, paragraph 22, point f · Implemented 07/2025	Department for Education	Accepted	Implemented ✓ NAO