Making the announcement today, the education secretary Nadhim Zahawi will outline the part the education sector will play in the Government’s flagship Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.
Under the strategy, the Government will accelerate the roll-out of carbon literacy training to support at least one sustainability lead in every locally maintained nursery, school, college and university. The training will support settings to develop climate action plans that will bring together and drive activity to improve climate education, put in place measures to protect them against the effects of climate, and increase climate resilience through adaption initiatives.
The education secretary will also pledge greater support for teaching climate change at all levels, along with announcing the acceleration of the roll out of ultra-low carbon education buildings. By 2025, at least four schools and one college will have been built via the Gen Zero Platform – a construction kit of parts to build an ultra-low carbon structure.
Other measures include:
- The introduction of a new natural history GCSE by September 2025.
- More support and training for teachers on sustainable education with a greater focus on nature and climate change.
- Previously announced at COP26 – a new climate award for children and young people and the introduction of the National Education Park to increase biodiversity in the grounds of nurseries and schools.
While Early Education welcomed the measures, it highlighted the fact that 'outside space is not a requirement for early years provision' and called for the Government to review the matter in the future.
Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi said, 'We are delivering a better, safer, greener world for future generations and education is one of our key weapons in the fight against climate change. The entrepreneurial, can-do spirit of this country makes me confident that we will win this fight.
‘It shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone that young people are already very committed to a more sustainable planet. We should be proud of this, and I want to do everything I can to encourage this passion so they can be agents of change in protecting our planet.
‘The new natural history GCSE will offer young people a chance to develop a deeper knowledge and understanding of this amazing planet, its environment and how we can come together to conserve it.’
Beatrice Merrick, chief executive of Early Education, said, 'We welcome the Government's new Strategy and that early years is reflected through a range of strands, including commitments to inclusion of sustainability in the curriculum and the National Education Nature Park. It is perhaps increasingly anomalous that outside space is not a requirement for early years provision, and we hope that this is something Government will review in future.
'The popularity of the Sustainability Strand in the Birth to 5 Matters Spring Festival demonstrates the sector is already very committed to this topic.'
Baroness Floella Benjamin said, ‘To understand the plight of our planet and how to rescue it is vital. So young people need to study natural history as early as possible in depth, so that they can take GCSE exams and be equipped to save the world from catastrophe.’
Global adventurer Bear Grylls added, ‘The introduction of a natural history GCSE is a brilliant addition to the learning young people receive on climate education.
‘It will inspire so many young people to develop their passion and knowledge of the natural world, and how we can best protect it.’
'More needs to be done'
The Let's Go Zero campaign is a schools’ climate campaign, which has more than 1,200 UK schools, colleges and nurseries signed up so far.
It wants all schools to have the ability to generate their own energy, and for the DfE to commit to other key policies, including an urgent retrofit of the school estate and to commit to all schools being zero carbon by 2030.
Harriet Lamb, CEO of climate charity Ashden which leads the Let’s Go Zero campaign, said, 'We welcome many aspects of this strategy, including our suggestions that every school have a Climate Action Plan, a Sustainability Lead, and include sustainability and climate change in teacher training. But providing schools with the means to decarbonise quickly was glaringly absent in the strategy.
'We must invest now in a national programme to retrofit the nation’s schools. Providing adequate funding for action now will save hard-pressed school budgets as fuel prices are sky rocketing, boost local businesses, create new jobs, and support the Government’s net zero and levelling-up targets.'
Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said, 'This is a step in the right direction but so much more needs to be done if the education sector is to be in a position to claim to be a world leader in climate change by 2030. Encouraging young people to become agents of change in protecting our planet is incredibly important and the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the natural world is very much part of this. However, we are concerned that the DfE hasn’t taken the opportunity to address wider climate issues for young people at all stages in their education.'
'The roll-out of ultra-low carbon buildings needs to happen at pace. What has been announced – 4 new schools and 1 college by 2025 - is far too slow. The process needs to be speeded up. We need a target date for every new school to be built under these new specifications and for every old school to be retrofitted to a comparable standard.'
- To support early years settings to be more sustainable Nursery World is running a conference in July on the subject, for more information click here
