Category: Project descriptions

About the project

Adapt-Ed is a collaborative project led by Sheffield Hallam University, working with The Green Estate, Sheffield City Council and Let’s Go Zero to support primary schools in responding to climate change.

Focusing on flooding, overheating and water scarcity, the project helps schools in Sheffield’s most climate-vulnerable communities to understand local risks and take practical action.

Through a combination of teacher development, curriculum innovation and outdoor learning, Adapt-Ed demonstrates how education can play a central role in building climate resilience—both within schools and across communities.

Project Team

• Lee Jowett – PI – Sheffield Hallam University
• Professor Aimee Ambrose – Sheffield Hallam University
• Dr Panagiota Blouchou – Sheffield Hallam University
• Laurie Kooben – Sheffield Hallam University
• Alice Jones – The Green Estate
• Dr Hannah Wallace – The Green Estate
• Sarah Slowther – The Green Estate

Why Adapt-Ed matters

Climate change is already affecting schools in the UK. Rising temperatures, increased flood risk and water stress are disrupting learning environments and disproportionately impacting disadvantaged communities.

Despite this, much of the focus in education has been on reducing emissions, rather than preparing for the impacts of climate change.

Adapt-Ed addresses this gap by:

• Bringing climate adaptation into everyday teaching
• Connecting learning to local, real-world risks
• Supporting schools to become community hubs for resilience

Sheffield provides an ideal context—combining high flood risk, urban heat island effects and socio-economic inequalities—making the learning both urgent and highly relevant.

What we’re doing

Adapt-Ed works with five primary schools, up to 10 teachers and around 300 pupils.

Key activities include:

• Teacher CPD
  Bespoke training to help teachers embed climate adaptation into the curriculum using research-informed approaches.
  
• Curriculum development
  Co-designed lessons focused on:
  • Flood risk and resilience
  • Drought and water scarcity
  • Overheating and urban heat
  • Food systems and nature-based solutions
    
• Outdoor and experiential learning
  Hands-on sessions delivered with The Green Estate, linking classroom learning to real environments.
  
• School-based action
  Supporting schools to integrate adaptation into their climate action plans and implement practical changes on site.
  
• Community engagement
  Showcases and events to involve families and amplify local voices in climate decision-making.

Our approach

Adapt-Ed combines research, practice and community engagement through a mixed-methods, participatory approach.

We:

• Co-design learning with teachers and partners
• Use place-based, creative and experiential methods
• Apply Sheffield Hallam’s Research-Informed Climate Education (RICE) framework
• Continuously adapt delivery based on feedback and evidence

This ensures the project is both rigorous and practical, with immediate benefits for schools and transferable learning for others.

What difference will it make?

For pupils

• Increased understanding of climate risks
• Stronger connection to nature
• Greater confidence and agency to act

For teachers

• Improved confidence to teach climate adaptation
• Access to high-quality, adaptable resources

For schools

• Integration of adaptation into climate action planning
• Practical steps towards more resilient buildings and grounds

For communities

• Greater awareness and engagement with local climate risks
• Opportunities to shape local policy and action

Beyond Sheffield

The project will produce case studies, resources and policy insights, shared nationally through networks such as Let’s Go Zero, helping scale impact across the UK.

Partners

Adapt-Ed is delivered through a strong partnership:

• Sheffield Hallam University – Project lead, research and evaluation
• The Green Estate – Delivery of outdoor learning and community engagement
• Sheffield City Council – Policy alignment through Built for Change
• Let’s Go Zero – National dissemination and scaling

Timeline

• March 2026 – Project launch
• Spring–Summer 2026 – CPD, curriculum delivery and school activities
• Summer 2026 – School showcases
• Autumn 2026 – Final evaluation and dissemination

Get involved

We’re keen to connect with:

• Schools interested in climate adaptation education
• Local and national partners
• Researchers and practitioners
• Policy and sector organisations

Get in touch to collaborate, learn more or explore how Adapt-Ed can support your work.

Contact

Lee Jowett
Sheffield Hallam University
Climate Change and Sustainability Research Fellow

South Yorkshire Children’s University helps children and young people build essential life skills through learning activities outside of the classroom. For over a decade, Children’s University has been supporting thousands of pupils across Sheffield – and more recently in Rotherham, Doncaster, and Barnsley to grow their confidence, motivation and self-esteem. Research shows that children who take part in Children’s University activities not only enjoy richer experiences, but also achieve higher results in school, including SATs and GCSEs.

Project in a Box

One of South Yorkshire Children’s University’s most successful initiatives is Project in a Box – a ready-made resource kit that enables schools to run engaging after-school clubs for groups of 12 or more pupils. Staff are supported through training sessions before delivering six to eight weeks of activities, all leading to a celebratory event where pupils showcase their learning and take part in themed challenges.

Think Climate!

For the 2024/25 academic year, Sheffield Hallam University partnered with Children’s University to launch the Think Climate! edition of Project in a Box. Developed by academic staff at the Sheffield Institute of Education (SIOE), the programme introduces pupils to climate change and biodiversity through a positive, research-informed approach. The focus is on increasing young people’s sense of agency and reducing eco-anxiety by highlighting local solutions and actions they can take.

The project offers:

• 8 themed sessions designed around climate change and sustainability.
• Teacher training and CPD to support confident delivery.
• Creative resources and incentives including craft activities and children’s books linked to environmental themes.
• Celebration events where schools and pupils come together to share achievements.

Impact and Reach

Launched in October 2024, Think Climate! has engaged nearly 50 schools across South Yorkshire – the highest number to date. Early evidence shows a positive impact on both teacher and pupil knowledge, skills, and motivation to respond to the climate and biodiversity crisis. A more formal evaluation is being undertaken and will be published soon (October 2025).

The project culminated in a celebration event taking place at the Institute of Education at Sheffield Hallam in July 2025. Over 100 children and staff attended from nearly 15 schools across South Yorkshire.

This collaborative project was delivered by Sheffield Hallam University’s Institute of Education, the Civic Partnership team, and Sheffield Children’s University, with support from our funding partners.

Funding Partners

• Sheffield Hallam University – Hallam Fund
• Sheffield Hallam University
• University of Sheffield

Research Team

• Lee Jowett – Climate Change and Sustainability Research Fellow
• Joelle Halliday – Senior Research Fellow

Further information and links

• Research into Think Climate! Report – published December 2025
• Celebration event at Sheffield Hallam – June 2025
• Read more about Think Climate!