Head of Education

Green Schools Project is looking for a Head of Education to work 3 days per week leading on educational development and delivery of our Zero Carbon Schools programme and other activities. This is a key role for us and an exciting opportunity for you to join a growing team in an award-winning social enterprise that is helping children and young people in schools to tackle the climate and nature crisis.

In the past four years we have grown from a one-person organisation to a team of soon to be 7 through successful fundraising and the growth of Zero Carbon Schools, which is currently running in 130 schools around the country.

We believe that tackling the climate and nature crisis is the most urgent issue facing society and that schools need to educate young people about the situation and involve them in addressing it. Young people bear no responsibility for causing the climate crisis, yet they will have to live through an issue which will define their future. We believe that, given the opportunity, they have the energy, enthusiasm, and determination to change attitudes and behaviour on a local and global scale.

Our values that we do our best to embody at all times are to be enthusiastic, innovative, environmentally responsible, ethical, collaborative, and fun.

We exist to help young people learn about and get actively involved with tackling the climate and nature crisis. We support schools to provide opportunities for their pupils to learn about the individual actions and systemic responses required.

We do this through our Zero Carbon Schools programme which supports pupils to learn about their school’s carbon footprint and enables them to lead projects that reduce it. We also provide staff training to include climate and nature in the curriculum to enrich and give purpose to the learning experience of the students. Our education system is not doing enough to address this issue, but schools can take action. We help them to become learning hubs for the local community and lead the way in creating a zero carbon future.

We are keen to attract applicants from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences but are particularly interested to hear from applicants where the environmental education sector is currently underrepresented (ethnicity, disability, LGBT+, living in areas of low social mobility). 

What you’ll do:

• Lead on the review, update, and development of educational resources for the Zero Carbon Schools programme, carrying out these tasks alongside the programme delivery officer.
• Lead the development of an education strategy for Green Schools Project.
• Plan and deliver Zero Carbon Schools sessions to give an insight into programme implementation.
• Lead on the development and update of teacher training resources.
• Deliver teacher training to schools.
• Review existing and develop new educational activity such as workshops and resources for schools.
• Carry out educational visits for our partnership with Solar for Schools and lead on development of assembly and workshop content for the visits.
• Develop and deliver Zero Carbon Schools taster sessions to showcase the programme to schools, local authorities, and academy trusts.

We need you to have:

• Passion and commitment for helping to tackle the climate and nature crisis.
• At least 5 years of experience working in or with schools, working with children and young people with a preference for primary school experience.
• Considerable experience of leading climate and nature education activities and initiatives. Where possible, this would be both as a teacher in school as an external educator.
• A passion for pedagogy and a thorough understanding of how to bring out the best in children and young people.
• An enthusiasm for creating, developing, and updating educational resources.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to motivate and inspire adults and young people.
• Strong organisational skills with an ability to prioritise while working on a variety of tasks.
• A growth mindset and a resilient attitude that sees setbacks as a chance to learn and thrives in challenging situations.

What you’ll get from us:

• An opportunity to work in an award-winning social enterprise that is transforming the way that schools respond to the climate crisis.
• A supportive and encouraging environment in which to grow your skills and knowledge.
• £40,000 per year pro rata, 3 days per week.
• 33 days annual leave per year including bank holidays pro rata.
• Flexible working hours and arrangements.

Location: London. Delivery will be predominantly to schools in and around London, possibly with some travel around the country. Non-delivery time will be remote working with occasional team days in London or Bristol.