The Department for Education (DfE) is responsible for the school system in England and is ultimately accountable for securing value for money from the funding it provides for schools, via a devolved system of responsibility.
The school estate consists of around 21,600 maintained schools funded by DfE, of which more than 11,400 are run by local authorities and more than 10,200 are academies run by single or multi-academy trusts.
Education is the public sector’s largest emitter of carbon from buildings: 37% of public sector emissions, comprising 13% from state primary schools, 11% from state secondary schools and 13% from universities
In April 2022, DfE published an ambitious Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy (2022–2030). This overview considers DfE’s work to implement its strategy in its first year.
