Sustaining your Academy Trust for the future – Gen Z are coming

We are in the midst of yet another academy reporting season and those Trusts of a certain size will be busy compiling their Streamlined Carbon Energy Reporting (SCER) requirements for the Trustees’ annual report.

For many this will be only the second time Trusts will have prepared such data and therefore will have prior year comparative figures to look at. In addition, one of the disclosure requirements is to document how the Trust has looked to improve energy efficiency in the period.

So how has your Trust performed over the past 12 months? Obviously, the statistics may not represent a fair comparison due to the COVID closures for varying lengths and nature but Trusts should look to start assessing how they can improve.

Why? Climate change is the number one issue for Generation Zs. It should be the number one issue for us all. Gen Z will be your future customers and how your Trust is tackling climate change will be a big factor for them – not just grades, university places and new look buildings.

In addition, the government wants to be carbon neutral by 2030 and the clock is ticking. Recent data shows we are more likely to achieve this in 2050…not 2030. Therefore, Trusts should start to expect a push from the Department for Education on this subject sooner rather than later.

Yes, you can reduce your footprint with quick wins such as installing solar panels, LED lighting and cloud computing but what about the levels and timing of your consumption? Recent data shows that schools consume 56% of their energy when either closed, during weekends/holidays or outside of core hours. That is quite some statistic and schools should take note and encourage “switching off”.

So whilst the SCER requirements are another administrative burden, it could also be the key to building a sustainable future for your Trust and everyone.

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