Participation helps schools demonstrate its commitment to meet the Department for Education’s sustainability requirements, including appointing a Sustainability Lead and developing a Climate Action Plan. By taking part, your school is:​ Showing proactive leadership to Ofsted, governors, and the wider school community Empowering and inspiring pupils with the knowledge, skills, and experiences they need to thrive in a changing world Contributing to efforts to build greener, more sustainable communities Connects you to a network of like-minded schools across the borough

Any school enrolled in the School Eco Savers Programme and automatically included when signing up.

The League is based on two scored submission points across the year, with each contributing equally to the final score (50/50).To take part, schools complete two submissions:an Autumn plan/intent submission, setting out planned activity across the eight key areas of impact for the year ahead.a Summer delivery submission, reporting on what has been delivered and the difference it has made.Each submission is designed to be quick to complete. Many schools spend around 10–15 minutes gathering information and submitting each form, depending on the range of activity delivered.Schools can earn points by submitting at either stage, and there is no requirement to complete both submissions.However, schools that complete both the Autumn plan/intent and the Summer delivery submission will achieve higher overall scores, as this reflects both clear planning and successful delivery.

No. Schools can include activity they are already doing, as long as it fits within the Areas of Impact and is clearly described.

No. Activity is only counted once and scored under the most relevant category.

That is entirely up to you.The League is designed to be simple and manageable within the school year. Schools are encouraged to plan and carry out sustainability activity across the year in a way that fits their setting schedule and even support in delivering key learning objectives. Most schools spend just a bit of time each term gathering and submitting updates, but you can invest more time if you want to take on bigger projects and/or utilise the curriculum resources available for you to use here.Remember, even small steps can earn points and all add up to a big positive difference!

Strong submissions are clear, focused and reflect real activity taking place in the school. They do not need to be long or detailed but should give a good sense of what is planned or has been delivered. For example:Autumn plan/intent:This sets out what the school is planning to do across the year:describe a small number of clear, realistic actionsshow how activity has been informed by pupils or includes pupil involvementlink activity to one or more of the areas of impactinclude simple success measures, outlining what the school is aiming to achieve Summer delivery/what was done:A strong summer submission focuses on what has actually been delivered and the difference it has made:give a clear account of what took placeshow the reach of the activity (who was involved and how widely)describe what changed as a resultinclude a small amount of supporting evidence where helpful/appropriate

To start earning points, schools need to provide information about their planned and delivered activity. This is then scored and added to your school’s total on the League leaderboard.Points are awarded based on the activity described in each submission. Scoring is based on a consistent set of criteria, focused on the quality, range and impact of your school’s activity.How you choose to make an impact is entirely up to you.To keep scoring fair and consistent, a small number of simple principles are used when reviewing submissions. Scores are based on the strongest and most representative activity described, rather than the volume of information provided.Where activity could fit into more than one category, it is scored once under the most relevant category to avoid double counting.Evidence should be used to support your submission, but this does not need to be extensive. A clear and honest description of the activity is usually sufficient.

Awards take place each September, following the summer submission, when final rankings are confirmed.

Yes, the School Eco Savers Programme is supported by Sefton Council’s Energy and Environmental Management Team who can:provide guidance, advice and signposting to relevant resources/servicesshare examples, templates and ideas from other schoolssupport sustainability planning and identify opportunities to reduce energy and water useoffer support with audits where capacity allows

Submissions are handled in line with data protection requirements, including GDPR. Information is shared only within the team responsible for co-ordinating and supporting the League and is not shared more widely without permission.All our team take part in an annual refresher Information & Compliance course.