Why it matters
Fuel poverty is one of the hidden barriers to learning, as 6 million UK children are affected by living in a cold home, impacting their physical and mental health as well as their academic attainment.
Many struggle to stay warm, safe and healthy at home. For over 40 years, the charity National Energy Action (NEA) has worked with government, charities and communities to tackle this issue.
In our exclusive survey, three in four UK educators said fuel poverty is directly affecting pupils’ engagement. Two-thirds reported students falling behind academically. When pupils cannot rest, concentrate or participate fully in lessons, the impact is immediate and long-lasting lasting.
With support of our funding partners National Energy Action will provide a dedicated education officer to support your school in designing effective and engaging delivery to suit your centre’s needs. This may be in the form of an ‘energy fortnight’ with tailored workshops and lessons or it may be spread throughout the year to align with your current curriculum delivery.
Fuel Poverty Aware Schools will gain:
• Better safeguarding insight
• Improved pupil wellbeing and engagement
• Free curriculum-linked workshops
• Support for families and staff
• Resources to support your Eco Schools or Climate Action Plan goals
• Activities to support Gatesby Benchmarks
• A stronger connection with your community
For Students:
We deliver fun, interactive assemblies and workshops that help pupils understand energy, the
environment and how to stay safe and healthy at home. Students will learn about:
• Fuel poverty and its impacts
• Energy efficiency and behaviour change
• Renewable technologies
• Careers in the energy sector
• Managing your bills and preparing for living independently
All sessions are aligned to the National Curriculum. We also help schools embed key energy
and wellbeing messages across each key stage, ensuring they are revisited every year through
our designed lessons and enrichment resources.
For teachers:
Each Key Stage will receive tailored classroom resources designed to reinforce the workshop
content and embed consistent energy-related messages across the curriculum. As educators,
we understand the significant impact that poverty — and specifically fuel poverty — can
have on both attendance and academic attainment. To support schools in addressing these
challenges, every participating school will also receive access to our CPD materials to
strengthen staff knowledge and confidence.
Our teacher-focused CPD sessions include:
• The research behind fuel poverty
• How fuel poverty affects pupils’ wellbeing, behaviour, and learning
• Practical guidance for safeguarding leads
• Tools and strategies to support families effectively
These short CPD sessions equip teachers with the skills to recognise the signs of fuel poverty,
For Parents:
Each Key Stage will receive tailored classroom resources designed to reinforce the workshop
content and embed consistent energy-related messages across the curriculum. As educators,
we understand the significant impact that poverty — and specifically fuel poverty — can
have on both attendance and academic attainment. To support schools in addressing these
challenges, every participating school will also receive access to our CPD materials to
strengthen staff knowledge and confidence.
Our teacher-focused CPD sessions include:
• The research behind fuel poverty
• How fuel poverty affects pupils’ wellbeing, behaviour, and learning
• Practical guidance for safeguarding leads
• Tools and strategies to support families effectively
These short CPD sessions equip teachers with the skills to recognise the signs of fuel poverty,
Download our leaflet for more information
Sponsor or Fund Curriculum Support in Schools and Colleges
If you are part of an organisation that would like to sponsor the delivery of any of these sessions in school, or if you are a school/college with funding to buy in curriculum support or enhancement activities, please get in touch.