Leadership for Sustainability courses for education leaders in the NECA area
We are pleased to announce that we are collaborating with Oases North East to extend a funded offer to NECA area school leaders who would like to extend and embed their sustainability education.
The package is based on holistic systems thinking to support creativity in your school or Trust. Leaders attend a one-day course in March 2025, with in-school support over the following school year and into 2026, if needed.
On the course leaders will:
Explore concepts of Sustainability and how it can support student learning across the curriculum
Recognise strong links to existing standards matrices and education structures, such as Ofsted
Experiment with methods of embedding Sustainability at all levels of leadership and encouraging whole-school agency
Explore links between Sustainability approaches and staff and pupil well-being and retainment.
Work to tailor approaches to their individual school needs and local contexts
When and where? Northumberland: Monday 10 March, Druridge Bay Visitor Centre, NE61 5BX Sunderland: Wednesday 12 March, Hylton Castle Durham: Friday 14 March, The Ewe Centre, Castleford Newcastle/North Tyneside: Tuesday 18 March, The Rising Sun Country Park Gateshead/South Tyneside: Thursday 20 March, West Boldon Lodge
All courses open at about 9.30am and will close by 3pm. Lunch is provided. If you would like a place on a course, please email [email protected]. Spaces are few (up to 7 leaders per course) so get in contact now. There may be slight variations in course timings, participants will be given full details before the course dates.
More about the course content:
Experience has shown how leadership for Sustainability is really just 'Effective Leadership', which succeeds by nurturing and developing relationships and motivation at all levels of the school. In this course, we focus on building on existing strengths rather than identifying weaknesses, and we allow time and space for reflection on how individual schools can address the multi-facetted issues surrounding Sustainability and Net Zero. We will provide access to a toolkit that can be used to develop whole-school Sustainability through the '5 Cs':
Captaincy (leadership)
Campus (school estate)
Curriculum (teaching and learning content)
Community (the enrichment of the school catchment)
Connections (the guiding element of all the above)
Once a school leader has completed the course, they will receive at least one twilight development session with Oases or David Dixon to support the development of their whole-school plans. They can have ongoing support if they need it, and will have access, with their consent, to a network of other schools undergoing the same process for mutual support. Schools will be encouraged to document their progress on film, and they'll receive an online tutorial in how to do this, as well as support materials. At the end of the project, a celebration event is planned for summer 2026! We are greatly hoping that Sustainability work will continue long into the future for all participants.