Monitoring climate anxiety: a governor’s role

Across our schools, pupils of all ages are increasingly expressing worry, anger and despair about the climate crisis. This is not a passing trend. It is a safeguarding, wellbeing and educational concern and therefore one that boards must understand and support their schools to address at a strategic level.

Understanding some contributors to climate anxiety

From a governance perspective, climate anxiety is best understood as a convergence of factors, some conventional and others unrestrained in their influence.

Young people are exposed to a constant stream of climate-related messaging, often amplified by mainstream and social media and shaped using alarming language. As an example, mainstream weather forecasting often talks about weather ‘bombs’, approaching storms and almost continuous weather warnings. Unlike previous generations, pupils are witnessing environmental disruption more frequently, alongside predictions that frame their adult lives with warnings about impending climate catastrophe. Governors should recognise that this information landscape is largely unfiltered and often emotionally charged resulting in pupils sensing that ‘no one is doing anything about it’ and feeling powerless. So, it’s hardly surprising, with this drumbeat of climate news, that for many pupils’ questions around fairness and future safety concerns lead to anxiety, frustration and ultimately, as pupils mature, outright anger or helplessness.

As pupils progress through school, they will be increasingly aware that the power to change the course of climate change rests far beyond their influence and, with the impact of climate change both nationally and internationally all too clear to see, it’s understandable that anxiety will be one manifestation of this.

Why this matters to governors

For governors, this raises an important question: does our school’s approach to climate education and sustainability support pupils’ wellbeing as well as increasing understanding? There is a strategic risk that if schools only address climate change by way of ‘dramatic’ curriculum content, or avoid it entirely to avoid unnecessary distress, they risk disengaging pupils or eroding trust with what we know should be a ‘trusted source’. Schools that model a constructive approach, who acknowledge the concerns that are raised, will help build understanding, resilience and the critical thinking to give pupils hope rather than despair.

The governor’s role

Clearly, we are not here to be directive in how climate change challenges are addressed via the curriculum, enrichment activities or other related sources of information. However, we are responsible for ensuring that the school’s vision, policies and culture are fit for purpose for an age where climate (and geo-political) challenges are front and centre in people’s lives. Climate anxiety should therefore be considered within strategic discussions around curriculum intent, pupil wellbeing, school premises and grounds and how the school wishes to engage with parents and the wider community on this challenge.

Boards should ask:

• How is climate change addressed across/ woven through the curriculum, and how is pupil wellbeing considered?
• Are staff confident in responding to climate-related concerns, are there any training resources to support staff?
• Do pupils contribute to sustainability ideas and decisions within the school?
• Does the school have a sustainability lead and have a climate action plan in place (both are a ‘clear expectation’ from the DfE Sustainability leadership and climate action plans in education - GOV.UK and whilst not statutory are embedded within the DfE’s Estate Management Standards School estate management standards - GOV.UK)
• Is the school’s operational approach consistent with its climate change ambitions?
• How is climate anxiety considered through the lenses of safeguarding, pupil wellbeing and pupil voice?

Here are some suggestions on positive action

Governors can support leaders to prioritise positive approaches where pupils feel invested and are able to both influence thinking and realise the benefits:

• Taking a whole-school approach to sustainability and climate change through the appointment of a sustainability lead, putting in place a climate action plan and maybe have a link governor to monitor. A great starting point is the online tool ‘Count Your Carbon’ which can help shape your initial plan Home - Count Your Carbon
• Ensuring there are nature-based activities and areas in the school grounds to encourage engagement with the natural world. Examples of support can be found  in the excellent work of the National Education Nature Park programme (Home | Education Nature Park) and the Forest School programme Forest School Association | What is Forest School? | Forest Schools | Nature Premium)
• Embedding in the curriculum not only the causes/ challenges of climate change but also emphasising the positive solutions, adaptations and changes that are being made both at home and abroad
• Consider  setting up a climate working party with staff, pupil, governor & senior leader representation to coordinate progress and monitor implementation and impact of any actions taken
• That pupil voice is front and centre – pupils must be heard and see that their concerns are respected, answered or addressed through positive action

A combination of the above (but not limited to this list!) will help reframe concerns and anxiety into a shared challenge involving the whole school community to resolve collectively.

The worries and concerns of the pupils in our care are multitude and manifest and, as with so many of these concerns, they are rooted in the pupil’s perceptions about what their future holds. Clearly an approach of offering false reassurance or minimising the seriousness of climate risk would serve no purpose whereas acknowledging the challenges, taking action at a school level and advocating more widely for change will model courage, belief and resilience which can only help with pupil anxiety.

As governors we oversee our school’s role in preparing pupils as best we can for the future they will embark upon. If we get it right, then maybe climate anxiety will morph into climate hope, with pupils equipped with the knowledge and tools to gain agency in not only their own futures, but also the future of the planet.