Dr David Dixon was a full-time primary teacher for 15 years before becoming a head teacher for the following two decades. In that time, he promoted the twin causes of environmental education and sustainability, which formed the central ethos of his schools. David is now a freelance education consultant, specialising in curriculum and leadership and helping individual schools to link sustainability with school improvement more generally.
Mobilised by the stirring words and protests of Greta Thunberg, young people all over the globe are calling for more action to combat climate change and better protect their futures. Yet they cannot do this alone. They are reliant on people in positions of power to get the necessary changes in motion – and these people include their own school leaders within their own local communities. This book is a rallying cry for all schools to unleash their potential and deliver a brighter future for both their pupils and society at large. And this urgency is underlined by the stark warnings that feature in the UN’s Code Red climate report. In Leadership for Sustainability, David Dixon draws on his doctoral research and experience as a cross-phase head teacher to set out how school leaders can embed tried and tested eco-friendly practices within the school setting that can also be central to overall school improvement, including that recognised by inspectors. David weaves his guidance around the ‘Five Cs of Sustainability’ – captaincy, curriculum, campus, community, and connections – to position sustainability as a natural vehicle for developing a type of fully integrated learning ecology and culture for the benefit of all.
Features and benefits:
• Provides a detailed analysis of where we are now in terms of environmental impact, and lays out a road map to help schools move towards more effective eco-friendly provision.
• Shares practical examples of sustainability in schools and how these contribute to school improvement in the wider, more conventional sense too.
• Each chapter concludes with a series of suggested strategies to encourage further thought and discussions among school stakeholders.