Decarbonisation Scheme Scrapped

The Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS), launched in 2020, has been withdrawn.

The scheme awarded grants worth more than £3.8 billion to public sector organisations including schools to upgrade their estates by fitting air-source heat pumps, installing solar panels and improving insulation to cut emissions.

The last phase of the scheme was awarded last month, allocating £940 million across the public sector, including £41.8 million to 36 academies across the country, £30 million of which found its way to the South West.

The Public Sector Low Carbon Skills Fund (LCSF), which supported organisations to prepare bids for PSDS was also withdrawn.

How is your school progressing towards the requirement to have a nominated sustainability lead by September 2025 and a climate action plan (CAP) developed by December 2025? If you would like some help understanding this complicated area of responsibility then have a look at the DAG Busy Governance Guide to Environmental Sustainability, created this year to support schools to better understand their responsibilities in line with the DfE’s Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for Education.