Building a Movement for Change: Learning for Sustainable Futures
The Scottish Government’s Learning for Sustainability Action Plan 2023–2030 (“Target 2030”) aims to embed learning for sustainability (LfS) across 3–18 education, with the ambition that by 2030 all learners will receive their entitlement to LfS and all places of learning will become “Sustainable Learning Settings”.
To support this ambition, and funded through a University of Edinburgh ESRC Impact Acceleration Account grant, Dr Beth Christie and Sophie Coats from the University of Edinburgh, together with independent filmmaker Rachel McBrinn, have been developing and piloting an LfS-focused professional learning model – Learning for Sustainable Futures – designed to enhance teacher practice. In turn, this work seeks to support local authorities and the Scottish Government in achieving the ambitions of Target 2030.
A partnership-based approach
The practice-focused research project was conducted in partnership with Learning for Sustainability Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council, Education Scotland and the British Council. The project was guided by two key questions:
- How is LfS understood and enacted by teachers within educational settings?
- How is the impact of LfS experienced – what does it look and feel like within settings and across communities?
To explore these questions, the project team worked with a diverse range of early years, primary and secondary settings during 2025–26, gaining insight into LfS practice across a wide variety of educational contexts. Rachel McBrinn, the project filmmaker, worked alongside each setting to support the creation of short films that captured the story of their developing LfS practice.
Sharing stories of impact
The twelve Films produced during the project provide a unique window into what LfS looks like in different contexts; highlighting the varied ways in which sustainability is being experienced and embedded within and across learning, teaching and communities. The accompanying Project Summaries give an insight into the broader learning context, specific curricular links, related policy and initiatives as well as practitioner reflections.
Click on the hyperlinks in each of these twelve examples to learn more:
Greengables Nursery School
Sustainability, Activism and Expressive Arts
Viewforth Early Years Centre
Realising the Ambition…through worms!
St Peter’s RC Primary School
Growing a Whole-Setting Approach to Sustainability
Gracemount Primary School
Celebrating diversity, culture, and heritage
Prestonfield Primary School
Supporting Learner Voices for Change
East Craigs Primary School
Leadership in Action: Tackling Food Waste
Lorne Primary School
Exploring community heritage and digital literacy
Sighthill Primary School
Sustainability, Activism and Expressive Arts
Queensferry High School
Co-creating sustainable learning spaces
Portobello High School
Waste – a social, economic, and ecological learning opportunity
Next steps…
The project is now in its final stages. The project summary report is forthcoming and will be made available here in due course.
The ongoing ambition is to continue to share these videos as inspiring provocations towards action – including inclusion in the forthcoming professional learning offers from Learning for Sustainability Scotland.
If you would like to know more about the project or the ongoing research, please contact Dr Beth Christie at the University of Edinburgh.