Daily school run single biggest source of school carbon emissions – report
Transport is a bigger contributor to school carbon emissions than heating and powering buildings, analysis has found.
Pupils commuting alone accounts for a fifth (21%) of a school’s carbon footprint, findings from Eco-Schools and Keep Britain Tidy show, while staff commuting accounts for 12%.
Using data from 1,600 primary and secondary schools in England, researchers found that in comparison, electricity use contributes 11% to a school’s carbon footprint.
Once school trips and vehicles are added in, transport in general accounts for 40% of the average school’s carbon footprint, the report found, more than the 27% both heating and powering buildings contributes on average.
Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Schools often prioritise recycling, but to meaningfully address climate change they must focus more on transport, energy use and purchasing decisions.”
From the schools that took part, on average two in five (42%) pupils were travelling to school by car.
The Government has set a target for the UK to reach net zero by 2050.
All schools were required to have a climate action plan in place by 2025 setting out how they will reduce emissions, as well as a staff member leading on sustainability.
To address the biggest contributors to their carbon footprint, Keep Britain Tidy and Eco-Schools are recommending schools that can should install bike storage, institute rewards for walking or cycling, and promote active travel to school.
Encouraging staff to carpool where they can could also be beneficial, the report added.
Hot school dinners were also a significant contributor, at around 16%.
Other changes schools could make to cut their carbon emissions recommended by the report include switching to a renewable energy contract, or having more plant-based food options for school dinners.
The analysis is based on reports from 1,600 schools who took part in the Count Your Carbon project during the 2024/25 school year.
The majority (79%) of schools were primaries, which on average had emissions that were five times lower than the average from the secondaries that took part (19% of sample – the rest were all-through schools).
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Not surprised. In our local primary in Flintshire, I’ll say well under a quarter walk to school, even though most of the children live within a 2 mile radius. The traffic is atrocious and parents park on double yellows without batting an eyelid. Not sure what can practically be done about it but it’s a sad indictment of how our society has evolved over past 30 or so years that this is treated as normal
Try getting past a comprehensive at kicking out time. Then the drop off point for the coach in the estate. Too much reliance on the car. Better education and involvement in safe transport such as walking and cycling where possible through to mass transport.
Seeing many older kids with their own cars as well. Something is missing.
I live near a school. It’s mostly the Mums who deliver the kids. A large number of them drive huge vehicles which they seem to be incapable of parking properly. It’s mostly one adult and a child in the car, a considerable number of them live within walking distance but drive anyway. Ironically, many of those who could walk to school are dressed for the gym, presumably with exercise in mind.
If correct, why are local authorities obliged to fund home to school transport which a large proportion of parents don’t use? Those parents should lose access to it.