Programme operation & management in Scotland

The Eco-Schools programme is managed in Scotland by Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB),

KSB is a registered Scottish charity committed to the improvement of the environment in Scotland and is a member of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE). KSB is supported by ‘core’ grant funding from the Scottish Government Environment and Rural Affairs Directorate and runs campaigns and programmes on litter and waste, marine and beach management and sustainable development education.

Eco-Schools as a performance measure

Interest and involvement in Eco-Schools has increased rapidly over the past few years, largely because involvement in the programme was adopted in late 2001 by the then Scottish Executive as a performance measure for one of the former national priorities in education, National Priority 4 - Values & Citizenship.

Scottish ministers are keen to see a continued growth in the number of Green Flag-awarded schools; particularly in the secondary school sector. As part of the School Improvement Framework, Education Authorities have been asked to report on "the number/percentage of primary and secondary schools within their area that are participating in the Eco-Schools Award or similar accredited environmental award."

Supporting the programme in Scotland

Eco-Schools Scotland staff

The Eco-Schools team in Scotland has grown from one part-time post in 2001 to its current complement of three full-time and seven part-time staff members.

The Eco-Schools team provides support and advice to schools and local authority staff on how to get involved in the programme. This is achieved through networking meetings and training sessions. Eco-Schools Scotland also works closely with a broad range of local authority staff and departments, whilst links have also been developed with a number of Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) to establish support networks for schools, particularly at a local level.

Local support for schools

The level of support available to schools varies enormously across the 32 local authorities , depending on their interest in the programme and staffing levels. A number have already established Eco-School Support Groups, where relevant staff from the authority meet with teachers to discuss how best they can support their Eco-Schools work in the school – a truly, ‘joined-up’ cross-departmental approach. Some authorities have appointed dedicated Eco-Schools Officers to work with and support schools.

A Scottish Local Authority Eco-Schools Network was established in 2004 for the sharing of good practice and further development of the programme in Scotland.

Other resources

A number of new Scottish resources have been developed in recent years to support the programme; such as the Eco-Schools Scotland video (2002); a school grants programme, funded by the Scottish Government (early 2003) and the new Guide (October 2008). Since September 2003, all participating schools receive a quarterly Scottish newsletter. The Eco-Schools Scotland website was launched in early 2005, and fully revamped in December 2006.