As a local authority, on an operations level, seventy per cent of West Sussex County Council’s environmental impact arises from its schools. Formerly the Council had direct control over the building, infrastructure and maintenance of schools. Therefore it was able to institute changes at a county-wide level, affecting around 300 schools. However, with decentralisation of school budgets and operations, the management of individual schools now make decisions that impact on climate change performance. It is, therefore, important that the schools themselves increase their sustainability and react to environmental challenges.

The Engauge Project is West Sussex County Council’s effort to support schools to operate sustainably. The programme has developed a practical tool for schools that wish to measure, monitor and compare their performance on sustainability, helping with their progression towards more sustainable performance.

The goal of the Engauge Project was to develop a centre or agency where schools could obtain support for any areas of sustainability they may need. It produced a visual tool that provides a sustainability measurement system, incorporating environmental, social and economic dimensions of sustainability. A team of local specialists has been brought together to form the Engauge team, analyse eight sustainability themes and develop criteria for their measurement. Next, the tool was the subject of a consultation involving 40 local stakeholders, including teachers, bursars and governors, to test the tool and make the process and language relevant and familiar to schools.

The tool was then tested on both urban and rural schools. The tool was designed to be highly visual – with bright colours and symbolically shaped as a flower. It is known as the Susgauge Flower. In its current form it has 8 petals for: energy and water, school travel, purchasing and waste, building and grounds, inclusion and participation, local well-being, global dimension, food and drink. A set of questions and tick-box answers has been developed by the Engauge team to conduct the audit on each petal. A member of the team goes into the school and conducts the audit with the headteacher and the bursar. The tool then generates the Susgauge Measurement.

The clear visual elements signal very quickly to the school governors and management where a school’s strengths and weaknesses lie. The measurements can be compared with other schools in the locality and repeated at different points in time to measure progress. They can even be aggregated across the county to provide important information for the local authority.

All schools engaged in the pilot also receive a water usage and energy
audit. They are then offered the opportunity to work with the Engauge
Team’s “petal leaders”. This is a group of local experts with knowledge
and proficiency in a particular stream. Schools are encouraged and
supported in taking actions towards improving their score as well as
engaging the school pupils with the process.

In October 2008 Engauge was launched to all West Sussex
Schools. One hundred and thirty schools have signeed up to receive an
assessment. So far eighty schools have been assessed (or SusGauged).

Energy and water surveys on the original eleven pilot schools demonstrated that gains in energy and water efficiency can result in savings of about £30,000 a year. It is expected that all West Sussex schools will be well on the way to being assessed by September 2009.

Schools now have a tool to measure themselves on sustainability indicators and work towards improvements. The Programme offers many opportunities to involve students in understanding the sustainability impacts of their schools.

John Hoyland ('Implementing Sustainability' Manager Customer and Communities), tel. 01243 777479

//2004

case

Urban Policy > Urban environment

Environmental sustainability