Descriptor (Insert division, branch or project name if required) z

Insert school name

School Environmental Management Plan

Contents

Step 1 – Planning Period

Step 2 – Principal’s Statement

Step 3 – About your school

Step 4 – About your local area

Step 5 – School management

Step 6 – School team

Step 7 – Goals for the five focus areas

Step 8 – Issues and topics

Step 9 – Strategies and actions

Step 10 – Celebrate progress

Step 11 – Community and environment network

Step 12 – Evaluating school achievements

Support Materials

What is a School Environmental Management Plan?

SEMP Component Overview

Planning Period
SEMP Type: Choose an item.
Start date: Click or tap to enter a date.	End date: Click or tap to enter a date.
SEMP Description	Use this section to describe any details about this SEMP for example: April PD Trial SEMP.
Contributors	While one person may take responsibility for writing this, there may be many people in the school community who contribute ideas and activities. It is important to acknowledge everyone involved.

Principal’s Statement
Introduction or opening statement: This is an opportunity for the principal to review the work done so far on the SEMP and provide comments about the plan, activities or how it fits into the context of the school.	Insert photo of the Principal - Optional

School Overview
Vision/mission statement Many schools have a vision or mission statement within their existing planning/communication documents such as the Prospectus/website or Annual Report. Copy and paste existing statements here.
Environmental vision: School vision and goals for the environment As well as a school vision or mission statement it is useful to have a shared environmental vision as it will help prioritise and focus your school's activities. The many individuals that make up your school will have a personal environmental vision for themselves, their own local environment and possibly for their school and the global environment. Bringing these together forms the basis for a collective vision.
School profile and background Describe your school's history and current priorities. Each school is unique. In this section you could provide an overview of the school's history, identify what is important to the school community and some of the more general issues that the school is dealing with. This will provide background for environmental education activities.
School logo or photo Include your school's logo on the front page of the SEMP and a photo that represents your school in the section below. This is a planning document for your school and the school logo helps to identify it as such. Choose a photo that represents the school well, it could be of the front of the school, a special building in the school, some students or a location that links strongly to the school.
4. About Your Local Area
Describe your environment Describe the school's local environment. Your school is part of the local and regional environment. The broader school community may focus on particular issues such as salinity, local biodiversity, development issues, and water. Build a picture of the local area to help contextualise the school and community's vision and environmental goals. You can find information on your local environment by visiting the websites of: Your local council/shire: https://www.statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/local-government/for-the-community/local-government-directory/search-the-local-government-directory Climate risk information for regional Queensland: https://www.longpaddock.qld.gov.au/ Your local environmental groups.
Describe the local community Who is your school community? Understanding who is in the local community can assist the school to plan activities that are locally relevant and supported. The school, the students, their parents, local residents, government, business and industry are all parts of the local school community. They can provide ideas and resources, and the school can often assist the community to implement important local activities.
Local area photograph Include a photograph of your local area. Does your local area have an iconic image or is there a local landmark important to the school? Can the council supply an aerial photograph? You may wish to include in your SEMP an image that captures the essence of your local area or visually describes the environmental issues your school is addressing through the SEMP.
5. School Management
What are the priorities in your school plan? Schools have specific management and curriculum priorities they seek to address, often described in the school plan. Linking your SEMP to the strategies or actions in these plans helps to support both school, curriculum and environmental objectives. Some examples include: increasing literacy levels in students increasing student engagement through student centred projects extending the educational potential of their school, by developing an outdoor learning space - a school planning and environmental target. a student well-being and literacy exercise that asks students to write about '..the school I'd like..'
How is the plan integrated within whole school planning? (Choose from the list) ☐ Part of the school annual plan ☐ Reported on in the school annual report ☐ Integrated with relevant school policies ☐ Integrated with school administration and management procedures ☐ Integrated with curriculum programs ☐ Information provided in the school prospectus ☐ Consultation with Student Representative body ☐ Links to regional education and local government planning ☐ Links to extra-curricular activities for students ☐ Other, please specify
6. School Team School Team / Who are the people involved?
What is the name of the environmental team? Describe the members of the school community who are responsibility for planning and implementing these actions e.g. an environmental committee of school teachers / school leaders or a student group.
What is the size of the team? Some teams grow to a larger size for specific projects. Sometimes team sizes contract due to other demands within the school. It is useful to document this as it helps to plan activities.
Who are the people involved? (Choose from the list) ☐ Teachers ☐ Students ☐ P and C ☐ Administration and support staff ☐ Grounds staff ☐ School principal ☐ Community groups ☐ Community members ☐ Neighbours ☐ Council staff ☐ Elected Student Representative body ☐ Executive staff ☐ Other, please specify:
Team photo Your SEMP can help your school to recognise and celebrate the environment team's efforts. Include a photo of the team at work on the SEMP or celebrating one of its achievements. Ensure parental approval requirements have been met before taking photos of students.
Describe the team's focus, structure and meeting information How does your school's environment team function? School environment teams will operate in different ways and involve different people from the schools and community: How often does your environment team meet? How does it identify the important issues to discuss? Do other people attend meetings? What processes does the team use to plan, investigate, seek approval for or support and implement the actions of the SEMP? Your School Environment Team may wish to engage the wider student population through consultation.
Describe the school's main environmental education achievements For many schools environmental education activities large and small have been ongoing for a number of years. These might include: teaching environmental education implementing programs such as paper recycling and grounds improvements undertaking audits supporting student-led environmental initiatives. Reflecting and recording achievements assist in planning the school's next steps. Communicating and celebrating achievements so far will also inform the community about your school’s progress and allow the school to reflect, and feel positive and motivated about its activities.
Photo of achievement Each time you reach a milestone of your SEMP or celebrate an environmental event, take photos to record this achievement. These photos will help tell your story through this document and to the school and wider community.
7. Goals for Five Focus Areas
Goals for Curriculum, Teaching and Learning The SEMP is a planning tool to further support curriculum goals for the school and integrate sustainability concepts into school programs, lessons and student activities. Consider how environmental education might fit into existing curriculum goals or write new goals that support environmental learning. For example: “There is a greater understanding and awareness of environmental education opportunities in the curriculum” or “Environmental education is embedded in the scope and sequence of literacy programs” or “ Environmental skills development from K-6 is sequenced to match student development”.
Goals for Management of Resources Energy, Waste and Water Resource management goals are separated into three priority areas: energy efficiency, waste minimisation and water conservation. Describing the resource management goals enables a school to set realistic targets to reduce resource use through environmental management and learning activities. For example: The school community has a greater understanding of how energy resources are used in the school. or Energy resource use within the school is reduced by 10%.
Goals for Management of School Grounds including Biodiversity School grounds are sites for learning, biodiversity, playing and many other activities. It is often a challenge to identify a goal with so many diverse uses. However, a defined, achievable and measurable school grounds goal can provide clear direction for grounds planning and improvements. For example - Increase biodiversity and associated learning within the school grounds. or Create outdoor learning spaces that will support teaching and learning. or Gain an understanding of the opportunities for learning in the school grounds
Goals for Integrated Whole School Planning The SEMP is a plan that can support the overall strategic planning processes of the school. By cross referencing whole school goals in the SEMP, the school will develop a strong rationale for projects and activities and in turn this may help prioritise the actions described in the SEMP or the School Plan. For example - In 2023, Sustainable High School is examining how the Cross-Curriculum Priority: Sustainability can be further embedded across year levels and learning areas.
Goals for School and Community Partnerships The SEMP will help focus and extend the relationship and shared projects a school has with its community. These should be contextualised within the environmental and educational aims of the school. Having a shared or common understanding of environmental goals will help the school and the wider community in their individual and shared efforts. Some work may need to be undertaken between the school and the community in order to fully explore, understand and articulate these goals. Some current actions include 'Clean-up Australia Day' and 'Tidy Towns' For example Service Learning - Enviro Primary aims to develop a buddy class system for 4 classes. The buddy classes will focus on a shared project they do in the community. These projects will include working with the local Aged Care facility with the Herb Gardening project and Creative Arts presentations, as well as with the planned 'Discovery Forest' in Council Park.
8. Plan Issues and Topics
Duplicate this section if more than one issue is identified. Issue/Topic: Description: Concern: Choose an item. Outcome: Indicators: Timeframe Category: Choose an item. Indicators: Picture:
9. Strategies and Actions For the issues listed above – strategies and actions may fall under one or more of the following focus areas. Duplicate or delete any section listed below.
Curriculum, Teaching and Learning Actions Strategy: Choose an item. Action: Timeframe: Resources: Monitoring: Responsibility:
Management of Resources Energy, Waste and Water Actions Strategy: Choose an item. Action: Timeframe: Resources: Monitoring: Responsibility:
Management of School Grounds Including Biodiversity Actions Strategy: Choose an item. Action: Timeframe: Resources: Monitoring: Responsibility:
Integrated Whole School Planning Actions Strategy: Choose an item. Action: Timeframe: Resources: Monitoring: Responsibility:
School and Community Partnerships Actions Strategy: Choose an item. Action: Timeframe: Resources: Monitoring: Responsibility:
10. Plan promotion strategy Duplicate this section if necessary Promotion strategy: Choose an item. Further details:
11. Community and Environmental Network Duplicate this section if necessary Name: Type: Choose an item. Contact details: Type of assistance:
12. Evaluating School Achievements Duplicate this section if necessary Select a focus area: Choose an item. Further details:

Supporting Resources

This section can be deleted once the template has been completed.

What is a School Environmental Management Plan?

A School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) is a document that sets out the school community's intentions in regard to environmental education and environmental management. It represents an agreement to work together across the whole school.

A SEMP will help to integrate environmental considerations into whole-school planning. It will help to implement changes to school culture and everyday practices and to apply the principles of ecologically sustainable development across all school activities.

The step-by-step process of creating a SEMP consists of:

reviewing your school’s current priorities

determining which environmental issues your SEMP will address

writing up action plans to address these issues across the five focus areas

developing a monitoring and evaluation strategy to track progress.

School Environmental Management Plan (SEMP) Overview

SEMP steps

The following information will assist you to complete your SEMP.

Planning period:

your SEMP start and end dates

brief description of your SEMP

authors – all those involved with the development of the SEMP.

Principal's Statement:

an opportunity for the principal to reflect upon the school and its achievements and challenges

About your school:

current school mission or vision statement

a school environmental vision statement (e.g. to reduce the current environmental impact of the school's activities)

school profile/ background (can also include resource use base data prior to the implementation of any energy, water and waste management practices)

school logo and photo (jpeg).

About your local area:

description of the local environment - information can be obtained from local government websites

description of the local community

photo of the local area (jpeg).

School management:

priorities within the current school plan (NB school sustainability priorities)

how your SEMP will be integrated into the whole-school planning process –

the school's strategic management plan

part of the school annual plan

reported on in the school annual report

integrated with relevant school policies

integrated with school administration and management procedures

integrated with curriculum programs

information provided in the school prospectus

consultation with student representative body

consultation with parents and citizens or friends’ organisations

links to regional education and local government planning

links to extra-curricular activities for students

other, please specify.

School Team:

name of the school environmental planning/ management team

number of team members

people involved –

teachers

parents

parents and citizens/friends’ association

administration and support staff

grounds staff

school principal

students

community groups

community members

neighbours

council staff

elected student representative body

executive staff

other

team's focus, structure and meeting information (optional)

describe the school's main environmental achievements (include sustainability projects/ programs which have been implemented).

Goals for five focus areas:

Curriculum teaching and learning (e.g. to ensure sustainability values and principles are embedded into all KLA's ensure that units of work around sustainability are included in all year level programs)

Resource management goals: energy efficiency, waste minimization, water conservation (e.g. to reduce water and energy consumption by 10% within one year, to reduce carbon produced and offset carbon by planting trees)

Management of school grounds including biodiversity (e.g. to maintain native bushland and biodiversity, to increase school participation in the community garden, to reduce waste from lunches and recycle all organic waste)

Integrated whole-school planning goals (e.g. ensure that all school planning documents reflect the vision and goals of the SEMP, review sustainability progress as part of the annual school reporting cycle)

School and community partnerships (e.g. invite community members to be involved with the school garden program).

Plan issues and topics:

For each issue / topic you are asked to document:

Topic / issue name

Brief description

Priority (concern) rating

high

medium

low

What are the desired outcomes?

What will be the indicators of success?

What is the timeframe for undertaking action?

What category of action -

Curriculum

Environmental citizenship

Sponsorship

Energy management

Waste management

Water use

Transport

Purchase of materials

Grounds management

Grounds planning

Biodiversity

Grounds usage

Gardening

Whole-school planning

Student participation

School community participation

Other

Strategies and actions:

For all issues identified in Step 8, strategies and actions for each of the relevant focus areas need to be documented.

What actions will be undertaken?

What is the timeframe for the completion of the project?

What resources will be required?

What monitoring process will be put in place?

Who has the responsibility for managing/implementing the action?

Celebrate progress:

List ways that you will communicate the school's achievements:

reported in school annual report

regular updates in school newspaper

stories for local media: newspapers, television and radio

relevant displays and events at school

relevant displays and events at locations outside the school

showcased on the school website

awards and badges for those involved

promoted at school assemblies

grants and competitions applied for

other

Some thought should be given to how to involve students in documenting and reporting the progress of projects and initiatives as part of their curriculum related work (e.g. through photography, media, multi-literacies).

Community and environment network:

name of assisting organisation

type of organisation

contact details

type of assistance

Evaluation

An evaluation plan identifies the progress towards what you set out to achieve (the goals).

Focus area – choose from the drop-down menu

Goal – taken from the school’s curriculum goals in section 6

Strategy – selected from a menu of strategies related

Issues/topic – identified in Section 7 and linked to preferred outcomes as identified by the school community

Achievement – what will the school look for as an indication of success?

Ensuring that the plan is relevant

A finished plan is only useful if there is ownership and willingness by the school community to implement it. In developing the plan, it is useful to consider the following:
1.	Consult with the school community
Knowing peoples' concerns and priorities can help guide the first steps towards a more sustainable school. Use the school council or teachers' meetings, or student and community forums to develop a picture of the needs and wants of the school community. Get a team together to decide on how best to use this information and start your plan.
2.	Learn more about your place
Through curriculum and programs, students can investigate their school or local environments. They can research how materials and resources are used. Investigating your school's water use through audits and studying your catchment through stormwater studies, for example, enables students to transfer these skills to monitoring water use at home.
3.	Plan your action
Students and teachers can bring the research information together with the consultation and develop action plans. Your water action plan may include changes to the schools plumbing systems, water capture systems and changing patterns of water use at school and at home.
4.	Measure, record and describe
Integrating these steps into teaching programs will give students important skills across all curriculum areas. The SEMP online tool helps you by keeping a record of your goals and how you achieved them. Your results can then be communicated to the school, to parents and to the community.
5.	Celebrate
Reflecting on the process and the outcome of each of your action plans is an important step. These celebrations will motivate your school community to take on the next challenge and motivate others along the way.