Climate Ed is a London-based charity whose mission is to educate children about climate change and empower them to take action. Sustainability in education specialist Claire Gilbert launched the Climate Ed programme into Oxford in 2024-25 with the support of Educake.
Climate Ed is a charity with a mission to deliver high-quality climate education to children across the UK, and enable them, their families, and communities to reduce their carbon emissions. Established in London in 2018 by a teacher, the Climate Ed programme is a series of five workshops delivered by trained volunteers to primary school children, and engages around 7,000 children every year.
In this blog, Claire Gilbert shares her experience of expanding the programme outside of London.
Launching in the South East
Impressed by the impact of the charity, I joined the board of Climate Ed as a trustee in 2023. The board recognised the lack of support for teachers in delivering climate education and the high level of impact the programme was having in London. In 2024-25 for the first time volunteers were recruited and trained to deliver the programme outside of London, and I was responsible for expanding the programme into the South East.
Taking the programme to a new geographical area required funding, volunteers, and schools. I knew that Educake put students and teachers at the centre of everything they did and as a values-led company I was delighted that they were able to support the launch of the programme in Oxfordshire.
Climate Ed in the South East has been well received by volunteers, local businesses and primary schools. The programme consists of five workshops which teach the children the basic facts about climate science, and then dive into three areas where they can take action to lower emissions in their families and communities. These are transport, food, and “stuff”. Each workshop engages the children in how the choices affect emissions and they engage in fun role plays to practise having conversations about lower carbon activities.
Impact in Oxfordshire
The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive – from volunteers, schools, and local businesses.
Here’s what one Year 6 teacher working in an Oxford city school had to say about Climate Ed:
‘We have really enjoyed our sessions on Climate Ed; each week the children have been eager to ask more questions to further develop their understanding. Our volunteer was excellent, she really connected with the children and taught age-related information, which made it more engaging for them.’
Of the 22 children in the class, 19 children said their knowledge of climate change and greenhouse gases had improved. 17 children said the programme made them feel positive about how they can help with climate change. Children commented, ‘It was all good, it helped me’; ‘[the best bit is] knowing about climate change so I can stop it’; ‘It was great because I now know more about climate change’; ‘I really liked the workshops. I know more now’.
Thank you very much Educake for supporting Climate Ed to empower children in Oxfordshire to take climate action! If you’d like to find out about Climate Ed in your primary school, or becoming a volunteer, please take a look at our website: https://www.climateed.net/.
