Trust Pupil Council

As a Trust, one of our key strategic priorities for the future is to devise and implement a comprehensive Net Zero Strategy. We are currently developing a trust-wide plan that brings together the wide range of sustainability and net zero initiatives already underway across our schools. This coordinated approach ensures that our efforts are not isolated actions, but part of a coherent, ambitious, and measurable pathway towards reducing our carbon footprint.

Significant progress has already been made. We have reviewed and revised our energy procurement processes to prioritise more sustainable sources, strengthened our waste management contracts to improve recycling and reduce landfill use, and reshaped our catering contracts to promote more environmentally responsible sourcing and reduced food waste. Alongside this, our ICT strategy is being developed with sustainability in mind, ensuring that digital infrastructure, device lifecycle management, and procurement decisions align with our environmental commitments. These practical steps demonstrate that our journey towards net zero is both active and embedded within our operational decision-making.

Student voice is central to this work. We have established three Trust-wide Pupil Councils, each made up of 36 pupils, two representatives from each of our 16 schools, working collaboratively as one united team to drive environmental improvement across the Trust. These pupils act as ambassadors for change, meeting regularly to share ideas, review progress and develop initiatives that can be implemented across all schools.

Importantly, the representatives feed back to their individual School Councils and Eco Councils, ensuring that our shared vision and values are consistently communicated and promoted throughout every setting. This structure allows for meaningful two-way communication: pupils influence Trust strategy, and Trust priorities are translated into action at school level.

Our Eco Council, Coastal Crew and Trust Parliament are groups of exceptionally passionate and dedicated students who meet at least every half term. Each meeting focuses on a new environmental topic or challenge, encouraging critical thinking, collaboration, and practical action. Agendas, strategic updates and minutes from previous meetings are available within the individual council sections of our website, ensuring transparency and accountability in our progress.

Through strategic leadership, operational change, and empowered pupil participation, we are building a culture of environmental responsibility that extends across our entire Trust. Our commitment to sustainability is not a short-term initiative, but a long-term promise to our pupils, our communities, and the planet.