Schools are recognised as important arenas for addressing pressing issues such as climate change or inequalities, for example through the Scottish Government strategy for closing the poverty-related attainment gap. However, school leadership and teachers often feel unprepared for dealing with these challenges.

This programmed aimed to produce an engaging toolkit to help educators a) build the national SDGs indicators into their local targets; b) identify relevant knowledge and network with players within and beyond schools to consider solutions; and c) evaluate their impact.

Research shows that schools and teachers can and do act as agents of change, e.g. towards inclusion, when they support the learning and wellbeing of all students and protect the vulnerable ones. This programme included both seminars (to consider the research on teacher agency for change, and on educational potential of game-based learning), and workshops, to co-design with various stakeholders a toolkit including a research-informed, pedagogically sound, visually attractive game that can engage school staff in scenarios of planning, implementing and evaluating change towards the achievement of SDGs. The team worked with potential users to develop and promote the toolkit to many more through Scottish and international networks of Continuing Professional Development providers, both within and beyond the project.