Tips and training

• The Climate Action Club expands on the Climate Schools Programme and is intended to be run as an extra-curricular activity. Your Senior Leadership Team can be assured that it will provide great team-working opportunities for your students, as well as developing leadership skills, problem solving, and ideas to improve the built environment of the school. Students will also develop projects which can go on to represent the school in STEM competitions such as The Big Bang Competition.
• The Climate Action Club presentation provides an editable slide to use in assemblies, or to print off and use as a poster to recruit students to join in.
• If your school already has a Climate club, you can incorporate these materials into the club activities.

• All the materials are ready to pick up and use, but do adapt them as much as you like to suit your students and teaching style. 
• If you’re using the Climate Schools Programme science practicals as part of the club, give them a go in advance. 
• Build the club community: If your students don’t know each other well yet a quick warm up question to kick off the task can be useful. This can be general, with questions like: ‘If you could have a superpower what would it be?’ Or something more specific such as asking them to share the skills or knowledge they have to help them pick roles. 
• Support the students to create an inclusive environment by getting them to agree some ground rules and writing a club motto.

• The club sessions include group work as we know teamworking skills are important for students to be ready for the world of work. Collaboration and different viewpoints are key to solving complex problems when working in engineering and sustainability careers. 
• Activities have ample tasks for students in the group. Each student should have a similar amount of work and responsibility. You can support the students by pointing out the skills assessment activities in the student guide, and by showing where their skill could take them in the future.
• The Climate Action Club is designed to be student led but you can support them by either printing out the student guide for them or share it on your digital learning platform. You can help them plan and complete a project by running through the student guide with them which contains all the project planning materials they will need.
• If students are finding it difficult to think of a project, inspire them with the included practical activities – making a solar oven, making a wind turbine and making an electromagnetic motor.
• External mentors could be helpful for the club, especially if it is someone who has expertise in engineering or technology. STEM Learning can help you find a STEM or Climate Ambassador if you no one local is available.

There is guidance and support to help you enter the club’s projects for competitions and awards, including The Big Bang Competition.

We also recommend you share the curriculum resources of the Climate Schools Programme that pair with the Climate Action Club with colleagues in science, geography and English to link climate change education with the curriculum.

Explore Neon to find other extra-curricular and enrichment activities for your club or more widely for your school.

Register for Climate Action Clubs