‘What do I do? Save the environment or let children go hungry?’ Leading English schools at time of climate crisis

Our analysis of interviews with 10 headteachers of English secondary schools (11–18 years) shows they are keenly aware of the importance of climate change and sustainability issues but are not always able to translate this into action within their schools. Carried out in the summer of 2022, just after the Department for Education’s first Strategy for Climate Change and Sustainability was published, the interviews explored headteachers’ thoughts and actions in response to the climate and ecological crises. Surprising aspects of their responses led us to distinguish in our analysis between ‘surface’ and ‘latent’ meanings. The former revealed competing priorities and a lack of personal expertise that undermine their sense of agency and, in some cases, lead to an over-reliance on a committed individual elsewhere in the school. The latter revealed defensiveness in justifying their alignment with government-led priorities, and a sense for some that the interview itself was creating a space to think about these issues properly for the first time. Together, they showed headteachers making painful moral choices between perceived short-term systemic demands and the long-term well-being of students and society.