The Schools Working Group (SWG) is one of seven operational groups within the UN East Midlands Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) for Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) which was launched in 2007.

Even before RCE status was awarded, a working group had already been established which sought to highlight good practice in ESD within schools and create links with practitioners and schools across the region. This group has developed into the Schools Working Group of today, which meets regularly and has a membership of school leaders and other staff, representatives of providers, regional government and non government organisations and Local Authorities The SWG recognised that there are commonalities between the Education for Sustainable Development agenda and a number of other educational initiatives (the Global Dimension in particular) which could be made more explicit for schools. The SWG also emphasises ESD’s valuable contribution to the wider school improvement process by increasing engagement in learning, offering new and exciting opportunities for pupil voice, enhancing curriculum opportunities and making significant contributions to issues area such as Every Child matters, Spiritual, Social, Moral and Cultural Education and Community Cohesion.

The introduction of the DCSF Sustainable Schools National Framework in 2006 provided a focus for the work of the group to develop a more comprehensive support for schools.  All the case studies of good practice in schools on the website have their practice related to the Doorways to Sustainability and the Providers of Support in that section of the website can also be identified by Doorway.

Alongside this, the DCSF allocated funding to regional Government Offices (Government Office East Midlands) to strengthen regional ESD activity, with a particular requirement to ‘stimulate good practice networks linking schools with regional demand for sustainable development skills.’

In the East Midlands, these activities are taken forward by the Schools Working Group

The Schools Working Group aims to

• to promote collaboration between schools and between schools and other educational sectors working on education for sustainable development

• to provide support for schools to implement education for sustainable development with particular reference to the Sustainable Schools Framework.  

To this end, we have produced this website which provides a tool for reaching schools and disseminating information using

• CASE STUDIES to share good practice between schools and illustrate the high quality of work that is already going on in schools

• SIGNPOSTING for schools to access support from providers and practitioners in their localities
 

The Schools Working Group comprises representatives from a range of organisations across the region which have a vested interest in promoting education for sustainable development, including different departments within local authorities, teachers, environmental and educational centres and other local agencies and non-governmental organisations.

The group welcomes new members and is especially keen to involve a wider representation from schools.

The group meets on average twice a term at different locations around the region.

The group is currently chaired by Barbara Smith. To contact the group please direct gall correspondence to Barbara Smith, email  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 

The SWG organised a launch event in March 2007 on the East Midlands Sustainable Schools Agenda which was attended by DCSF and the Sustainable Development Commission.

Following on from this, the SWG has been involved as participants and organisers in a wide range of events across the region, supporting events organised by Local Authorities, Universities and key providers in the area of Education for Sustainable Development.

This year, as a new initiative, the SWG has committed to working in partnership with an East Midlands LA to deliver an ESD event for schools. The first event will take place in Nottinghamshire in March 2010. The intention is for this partnership process to continue annually in a different part of the region.

The SWG will continue to support Local Authority and provider organised events in the East Midlands region outside the arrangement identified in the point above.

The SWG continues to develop links and collaborate with other regional networks such as the East Midlands Network for Global Perspectives in Schools.