Track and report carbon emissions for UK schools
Every school in England is expected to have a sustainability lead and Climate Action Plan in place. Unifi.id, through its partnership with TrackZero, gives headteachers, bursars, and trust sustainability leads the tools to track emissions and report progress to support that plan — affordably and without spreadsheets.
What UK schools are expected to deliver
The Department for Education's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy sets clear expectations for every education setting in England. By the end of 2025, schools should have:
A nominated sustainability lead to drive action and awareness
A published Climate Action Plan covering decarbonisation, adaptation, biodiversity, and climate education
Progress monitoring and reporting, with estate emissions baselined and tracked from 2025
Alignment with initiatives such as Let's Go Zero, which sets net zero targets for schools between 2025 and 2035
TrackZero helps you move from policy to practice — baselining emissions, tracking reductions, and reporting progress against your Climate Action Plan.
From expectation to evidence
The practical challenge is not understanding that the expectation exists. It is turning that expectation into a measurable, repeatable reporting process that leadership, governors, and trust stakeholders can actually use.
Built for every type of UK school
The reporting requirement is shared. The operating context is not. Choose the school type closest to your estate and governance model.
Maintained schools
Maintained schools often work within local-authority oversight, where estate-wide energy data may already sit centrally. TrackZero helps schools turn that fragmented picture into a usable carbon baseline and reporting workflow that fits existing LA relationships instead of duplicating them.
How TrackZero helps school sustainability leads
Whether you're a bursar juggling the budget, a teacher leading eco-club, or a trust-wide sustainability director, TrackZero gives you a single platform to track emissions and report progress — without needing a dedicated carbon consultant.
Baseline Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions using UK Government conversion factors
Monitor emissions progress to inform your Climate Action Plan and decarbonisation targets
Calculate emissions-per-pupil intensity ratios for meaningful year-on-year comparison
Engage staff and students with accessible dashboards and progress tracking
Generate audit-ready reports for governors, trustees, and DfE progress reviews
Built to make carbon compliance easier for everyone
Tailored
Customised to your sector and needs to ensure ease and accuracy.
Easy-to-use
Designed for real people to get started quickly with no technical background.
Supported
Get hands-on support from our sustainability team, whenever you need it.
Affordable
Flexible pricing for organisations of all sizes with no hidden costs.
SECR reporting for large academy trusts
Multi-academy trusts that meet two or more SECR size thresholds must disclose energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in their annual trustees' report under Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting (SECR).
Energy data collection across trust sites
UK Government emissions factors and SECR report templates
Emissions-per-pupil intensity ratios for trustees’ reports
Consolidated reporting without trust-wide chaos
For MATs, the reporting challenge is operational as much as technical. The value is in getting site-by-site data into a form trustees can actually review and act on.
The complete carbon management toolkit, without the complexity
TrackZero guides in-house teams and sustainability professionals through every stage of carbon management, with or without prior expertise.
Measure
Easily measure and understand your carbon footprint for Scopes 1, 2 and 3.
Plan
Set reduction targets and create a plan with actions to achieve them.
Engage
Engage your suppliers and customers to support Scope 3 reporting and reduction.
Reduce
Take immediate action to reduce your carbon footprint and achieve your targets.
Report
Effortlessly generate audit-grade regulatory and voluntary reporting.
Promote
Share your sustainability story with your stakeholders and customers.
Why schools are taking action now
of the UK's building emissions come from schools and universities
schools have joined the Let's Go Zero campaign pledging to reach net zero
of young people want to take action to help the environment
UK school carbon reporting, common questions answered
Do all UK schools need a Climate Action Plan?
Yes. The Department for Education expects every education setting in England — including maintained schools, academies, multi-academy trusts, independent schools, special schools, and early years settings — to appoint a sustainability lead and publish a Climate Action Plan. While not yet statutory, this is a firm government expectation with progress reporting from 2025 onwards.
What is the difference between maintained schools and academies for carbon reporting?
Maintained schools are overseen by their local authority, which may hold estate-wide energy data and support sustainability planning. Academies and free schools operate as independent charitable trusts, so they typically own their own reporting — though many belong to a multi-academy trust that coordinates carbon data centrally. TrackZero works for both single-site schools and trust-wide roll-ups.
Do independent schools need to comply with DfE climate requirements?
Yes. The DfE's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy applies to all education settings, and independent schools are regulated by the department. They are expected to appoint a sustainability lead and maintain a Climate Action Plan covering decarbonisation, adaptation, biodiversity, and climate education — the same core pillars as state-funded schools.
When do academy trusts need SECR reporting?
Large multi-academy trusts that meet two or more SECR size thresholds — over 250 employees, turnover above £36 million, or a balance sheet total above £18 million — must include energy use and carbon disclosures in their annual trustees’ report. Trusts consuming more than 40,000 kWh of UK energy must report; smaller trusts can state why disclosures are omitted.
What emissions should schools measure?
Most schools start with Scope 1 and 2 emissions from gas heating, purchased electricity, and school transport fuel. Scope 3 covers procurement, catering, waste, staff commuting, and school trips — often the largest share. The DfE recommends using UK Government conversion factors and standards such as the GHG Protocol. TrackZero guides you through each scope with school-relevant categories and emissions-per-pupil intensity ratios.
Can TrackZero support multi-academy trusts with many schools?
Yes. TrackZero lets MATs collect emissions data across individual sites, calculate trust-wide totals, and produce consolidated reports for trustees, governors, and SECR disclosures. Sustainability leads can monitor progress at both school and trust level, set shared reduction targets, and engage staff and students with clear, accessible dashboards.
Start your sustainability journey today
Join our growing platform of organisations making the transition to a more sustainable future. Unifi.id can help you bring TrackZero into a school or trust workflow that is auditable, affordable, and easier to run.
Credibility markers
Certified B Corporation
Carbon Accounting Alliance
Bankers for Net Zero SME Sustainability Data Taskforce
ISO 27001