011 - Sustainability in MATs: A Practical Starting Point with Helen Burge

In this episode I'm joined by Helen Burge to explore sustainability and climate change from a board and executive team perspective. We talk about where this agenda actually belongs, how to turn climate pressures into practical priorities and why it doesn't have to mean overwhelming schools or creating extra workload. Drawing on Helen's experience as a trustee, consultant and co-chair of the UK Schools Sustainability Network Operations Group, this conversation offers a clear starting point for MATs wondering how to make sustainability feel manageable rather than impossible.▶️ This episode at a glance::[02:19] – Why sustainability belongs with boards and executive teams, not just schools[04:58] – How MATs can enable schools through sustainability leads and climate action plans[08:50] – Embedding sustainability into procurement and supplier relationships[10:55] – What a climate action plan actually is and how simple it can be[15:51] – The moral case for prioritising sustainability in education[20:54] – Free networks, resources and support available right now[22:36] – First steps for boards: risk registers, data and estate strategy📚 Related Content:Contact Helen via LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helen-burge-04a29a100/https://www.gov.uk/guidance/sustainability-leadership-and-climate-action-plans-in-educationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/impact-of-uk-climate-change-risk-on-the-delivery-of-educationhttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-estate-management-standardshttps://www.sustainabilitysupportforeducation.org.uk/https://climateambassadors.org.uk/https://letsgozero.org/https://www.educationnaturepark.org.uk/https://www.isbl.org.uk/sustainability-standardshttps://www.nga.org.uk/news-views/directory/greener-governance-campaignhttps://www.countyourcarbon.org/Energy Sparkshttps://greenerschoolsindex.co.uk/about/🎙️Be a part of MAT Chat:Want to be a guest? Click here! https://ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk/podcast-guest-application/Enjoyed the episode? Follow, share with a colleague or leave a quick rating so more leaders can find it.🎧 Subscribe:If you haven’t already, make sure you hit subscribe in your podcast player so you don’t miss out on future episodes!📩 Get in touch:This podcast is hosted by me, Laura Williams, and sponsored by the amazing team at Schools Advisory Service who are the UK’s largest provider of staff absence insurance and comprehensive whole school wellbeing services.⭐️ Laura’s website: https://www.ljbusinessofeducation.co.uk⭐️ Schools Advisory Service website: https://schooladvice.co.uk/