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What is the Sustainable Schools SEMP builder?

What is the Sustainable Schools SEMP builder?

The Sustainable Schools SEMP builder is an on-line tool that asks a series of questions.  Your responses to those questions gradually build and cross reference to form your School Environmental Management Plan.  You can save (or print) the plan and return to amend it at any time. Access to your on-line plan is by password only and the school can restrict access to the school's password and therefore to the SEMP.

Plan structure


    1.An introduction from the Principal
       - an opportunity for the Principal to reflect upon the school and its achievements and challenges.

    2. About the School

  • The school vision and the school's visions and goals for the environment
  • Profile and background about the local environmental and community issues
  • The school's current priorities
  • Detail about how the SEMP fits into whole school planning
  • Information on the school environmental education team's priorities.

    3. About this Plan
        - the school is asked to:
  • set goals across 5 focus areas - curriculum, resource management, grounds management, whole school planning and school community participation
  • identify current issues that this plan will address
  • describe how progress will be celebrated
  • list community organisations that can assist.
            This generates:
  • a set of goals for the plan
  • a series of issues-based action plans (as Appendices)
  • celebratory and promotional activities
  • a list of the school's community and environment network participants (as Appendix)
  • an evaluation plan (as Appendix)

Go to SEMP Builder

Ensuring the plan is relevant

Ensuring the plan is relevant
A finished plan is only useful if there is ownership and willingness by the school community to implement it. The website contains many useful processes, ideas from others and links to assist the school community. In developing the plan it is useful to consider the following:
1.
Consult with the school community
 
Knowing peoples' concerns and priorities can help guide the first steps towards a more sustainable school. Use the school council or teachers' meetings, or student and community forums to develop a picture of the needs and wants of the school community. Get a team together to decide on how to best use this information and start your plan.
2.
Learn more about your place
 
Through curriculum and programs students can investigate their school or local environments. They can research how we use materials and resources. Investigating your school's water use through audits and studying  your catchment through stormwater studies for example, lets students transfer these skills to monitoring water use at home.
3.
Plan your action
 
Students and teachers can bring the research information together with the consultation and develop Action Plans. Your water action plan may include changes to the schools plumbing systems, water capture systems, and changing patterns of water use at school and at home.
4.
Measure, record and describe
 
Integrating these steps into teaching programs will give students important skills across all curriculum areas. The SEMP on-line tool helps you by keeping a record of your goals and how you achieved them. Your results can then be communicated to the school, to parents and to the community.
5.
Celebrate
 
Reflecting on the process and the outcome of each of your action plans is an important step. These celebrations will motivate your school community to take on the next challenge and engage others along the way.
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