Background and Context

About Future Academies

Future Academies operates a network of 10 flagship schools across London and Hertfordshire, dedicated to improving the life chances and broadening the horizons of young people. It serves over 6,600 students and 800 employees.

The organisation has ambitious sustainability goals and is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. However, its small Finance and Operations team lacked dedicated sustainability expertise and faced significant challenges in understanding, managing, and communicating emissions data effectively, until they implemented Climatise.

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The Challenge

Limited visibility and a lack of ownership and expertise

Before partnering with Climatise, Future Academies relied on an external sustainability consultant and manual carbon spreadsheet-based accounting. This approach created several challenges:

• ‍Limited visibility into emissions data: data was centralised and owned by their consultant, making it difficult for the team to access instant insights and reports, track progress, or identify reduction opportunities.‍
• No in-house sustainability expertise: responsibility for sustainability was owned externally.‍
• High costs: consulting fees were significant, and the lack of data and process ownership, as well as limited opportunities to develop skills internally, meant Future Academies was effectively "captive" to external support.‍
• Significant data management burden: Manual data collection, lack of clear ownership, and unclear data structures made reporting cumbersome.‍
• Inability to confidently participate in government schemes and grants: Lack of customisable reports and auditable data meant missed funding opportunities.‍
• Communication gaps: Difficulty engaging and sharing sustainability achievements with parents, students, and staff.

These challenges are common across the UK education sector. A recent Climatise survey of 500 UK education leaders revealed that over 60% of institutions did not report their Scope 3 emissions, and more than 70% felt their institutions were not well prepared to do so. More than 90% found emissions reporting and carbon accounting time-consuming and costly.

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The Solution

Automated, hands-On, expert-led carbon accounting

Future Academies recognised that carbon accounting software would be essential for achieving their long-term objectives. However, they needed more than just automation, they required hands-on support to establish robust processes and build internal expertise. That's why they chose Climatise.

Climatise’s platform streamlines and automates data collection processes across the group, providing Future Academies with real-time data and analysis capabilities that enable the group to take immediate action on its emissions.

It set itself apart by providing not only the tools but also the hands-on support needed to truly help the team achieve its emission reduction ambitions, delivering:
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• ‍Structured, intuitive emissions data and visualisations: Climatise clearly highlights emissions hotspots across the group’s built environment, supply chain, and other categories and provides actionable reduction opportunities.‍
• Scope 1 and 2 calculations in line with Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR) requirements
• ‍Expert guidance and ongoing support: Climatise became an extension of the team, providing hands-on training and support at all times, enabling Future Academies to develop in-house expertise over time without added burden.‍
• Instant visibility and reporting: Automated data uploads and real-time reporting eliminated delays and manual effort.‍
• Backdating capabilities: Smooth transition and historical data integration ensured continuity and confidence and allowed the team to track emission reduction initiatives that were already started.‍
• Full data ownership and control: All data and reporting are now managed in-house, empowering the team and enabling shared ownership across sites and teams.‍
• Stakeholder engagement with Future Academies' most important (and harshest) critics, their students: Through school visits and student roundtables, Climatise and Future Academies made sustainability data accessible and fostered a culture of environmental awareness, idea-sharing, and collaboration to drive ongoing emissions reductions.

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Key Results

A triple win: less time on data,more emissions cuts, greater confidence

Through its use of Climatise, Future Academies is a first mover among its peers in capturing and disclosing its Scope 3 emissions data. Implementing Climatise enabled Future Academies to:

• ‍Save significant time through automated data uploads and real-time reporting.‍
• Quantify emission reductions and communicate progress clearly to parents, students, and staff.‍
• Own and manage sustainability data in-house, with improved confidence and accountability.‍
• Measure return on investment for initiatives like solar panels, heat pumps, and LED lighting, capturing both environmental and financial benefits.‍
• Engage stakeholders effectively, involving students in sustainability discussions and reinforcing the school's green commitment.‍
• Participate confidently in government schemes and grants, making previously missed funding opportunities accessible.

By empowering the team and ensuring continuity of existing progress, rather than disrupting operations, Climatise enabled Future Academies to advance their sustainability journey. This approach allowed the organisation to build on established actions such as solar panel, heat pump, and LED lighting installations, while also paving the way for new initiatives including a gardening club, landscaping upgrades, and a “November Switch Off” campaign.

This not only helped create a strong culture of sustainability across the school network, but also established a clear roadmap for continuous improvement.

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Looking ahead

Leading the Way in School Sustainability

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Future Academies’ partnership with Climatise showcases how expert-led, user-friendly carbon accounting software can empower even small, non-specialist teams to take full ownership of their sustainability initiatives. By streamlining processes, enhancing data visibility, and supporting informed decision-making, Future Academies is raising the bar for sustainability and community engagement in the education sector, an experience that is especially relevant given the broader challenges facing the education sector.

The UK has set a target to be net zero by 2050, and public and private sectors are increasingly mandated to support national net-zero targets. The education sector is a significant carbon emitter. Analysis of 537 universities and further education colleges in the UK revealed that they emitted more than 18 million tons of carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases, representing around 2.3% of the UK’s overall carbon footprint.

Climatise’s sentiment survey shows that effective implementation of carbon accounting tools can deliver clear benefits: 84.6% of respondents report increased environmental awareness, cost savings through efficiency measures, improved reputation and stakeholder engagement, compliance with regulations, or clearer pathways to carbon reduction. Furthermore, 83.4% of respondents say emissions reporting has influenced decision-making in their institutions with respect to reducing emissions or energy consumption.

Importantly, 81% of education leaders indicate that ESG and sustainability are important to their Gen Z students, underpinning the need for action and transparency within schools.

If you want to learn how Climatise can help your organisation take control of its emissions data and sustainability journey, get in touch!