SEEd has been at the forefront of promoting Whole Institution Approaches to Learning for Sustainability (LfS) for 20 years, leading alliances to support this work, and have enabled (through design, collaborations, dissemination or workshops) other countries to adapt their own Whole Institution LfS frameworks, such as Canada, Australia, Mexico, Columbia, Cyprus, Japan, Brazil, and Greece.

The evidence shows whole school approaches to learning for sustainability deliver increased student engagement, better learning outcomes across all subjects, more motivated students, support for the school from the wider community, and a sustained programme even with staff turnover.

Want to know more?

There are many whole school or whole institution approaches – some are awards, some are based on standards. The SEEd model is based on a developmental learning model made transparent for students and staff. As such, it does not rely on anyone being an expert!

Download our Background Report, and all other free resources from this page, using the form below.

What is the SEEd model

SEEd’s model is a practical, tested approach that models a learning approach to sustainability (not being perfect!) and enables year-on-year improvement. This process will help you explore new ways of thinking that involves the whole community surrounding your school, or organisation, to effect a culture change towards sustainability. It’s tried and tested, effective and efficient:

  • Our whole institution approach framework covers five domains: governance, curriculum, facilities, community & stakeholders, research & action learning – you will already be doing some of this! Download our Outline Framework using the form below.
  • Bring together all stakeholders within your institution to participate in filling in the framework. 
  • Start where people are now and gather information about existing sustainability projects, for example by using Appreciative Enquiry. 
  • Audit each year, make new action plans (school improvement plans) and build on what you’ve already achieved.
  • This process is flexible, so you can use whatever other programmes or tools you like as part of this model.

  1. Run our online Attitudes to Sustainability Surveys with all stakeholders in your institution to give you a baseline of understanding, attitudes and motivations. The surveys can be found here. If you would like to see your survey results, please contact us beforehand to receive a unique code which will enable us to return the results to you. Please also contact us if you would like a copy of the survey beforehand for your pupils. Over 3000 participants have already filled in these surveys.
  2. Think about your vision, objectives and ways that you will work to embed sustainability in your school.
  3. Download the Whole School/Institution Audit Preparation document using the form below to help you prepare for your first audit. Then decide who you need to speak to – it could be a few people to get you started or the whole school. You will be surprised who is interested and who is thinking about this – they are your allies and will help you do this successfully. Next, fill in the audit here, and share it with your stakeholders to gather as much information as you can. We will send your audit results back to you. We are happy to discuss your year-on-year progress with you, compare you with others and offer advice, ideas and support.
  4. Engage everyone! The more people you involve in this process, the more invested your whole institution will be in becoming more sustainable. Many minds working together can create fantastic ideas to move your institution forward positively and sustainably. You could do some visioning exercises and rich text pictures to start thinking about what you would like your institution to look like in the future – say 2030.
  5. Create your action plans for what you can realistically do next year – you might have such a planning process in place already, e.g. School Improvement Plans, or School Development Plans or other institutional plans. Remember to set targets and decide who is responsible (not just one person) and what will you to do if you hit barriers.

  • Your first year is a baseline of both attitudes/understandings through the survey and practice through the audit.
  • After that you can monitor and evaluate the changes year on year.
  • Stay connected with us to share ideas, good practice and keep challenging yourselves.
  • Keep up the communication between stakeholders. Decide what has gone well and what could be improved.
  • Celebrate your achievements! Every step towards more Sustainable practice plays its part in transforming the whole institution and helps young people learn how to live and work sustainably.

  • Our mentors and are available to help and support you through this process. We can advise on next steps and run workshops with your teams. Contact us to find out more.

Download the Whole School/Institution Approach to Sustainability Resources

You can access our Background Report, Outline Framework and Audit Preparation document by completing the short online form below.

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