In July 2024, the new Labour government announced a review of the national curriculum. Two of its stated aims are to ‘ensure children and young people leave compulsory education ready for life and ready for work’, and to ‘reflect the issues … of our society.’ If the review is to succeed in these aims, it cannot ignore climate change — arguably the defining issue of our age, and certainly key to many jobs of the future as the UK moves towards net zero.
Over the last year, I have been interviewing senior leaders and teachers in primary schools, secondary schools, further education colleges and local authorities to find out how climate change is currently taught. I have discovered a lot of great work, instigated by passionate staff members. But in all of my conversations, one thing was clear: for climate change to be given the time and attention it requires, it must be embedded in the curriculum.
The current situation: an inconsistent picture
The Department for Education brought out a climate change strategy in 2021, but crucially, it wasn’t mandatory. This has meant that, with so many competing priorities and all the demands of the mandatory elements of the curriculum, many schools are only dimly aware of it. Of course, schools and their staff recognise climate change as one of the most important challenges facing our species, and therefore they want to teach our children about the issue. But this is happening almost despite government policy, rather than because of it.
In all of my conversations with educators, nearly every one of them singled out a lack of time and space in the curriculum as a key barrier to teaching climate change. This means that current efforts at climate education are piecemeal and inconsistent, largely driven by the heroic efforts of individual members of staff rather than an overarching strategy. Interestingly, in the further education colleges I spoke to, sustainability was much more embedded in the curriculum. This is because these institutions tend to collaborate with employers, who need college leavers with sustainability skills. But the college staff I spoke to said that students were coming to them with a lack of climate change awareness, because the topic is not taught to the same level in primary and secondary schools.
Learning from success stories
The good news is that in all the settings I spoke to, there was excellent work happening around sustainability and climate education. From the Tiny Forests and Edible Playgrounds projects which help schools make the most of their outdoor space, to the Eco–Schools scheme for schools, children and young people across the country are taking part in practical, solution-focused climate programmes.
Alongside these national schemes, I found that local authorities can make a huge difference. Leicester City Council are the shining example. They run a huge number of projects that schools can take part in, including Less Litter for Leicester, the Mealbarrow food-growing competition, and Sustainable Drainage Systems for Schools.
So, what can we learn from the best examples of settings teaching climate change and sustainability well? From my conversations, two things stand out as crucial to these success stories. The first must-have is a passionate sustainability lead with the remit to oversee climate education across the whole school. The second is senior leadership who recognise the importance of climate education and give it the time and institutional backing needed. Without this, climate change risks being lost among other priorities.
What needs to be done?
The current climate change strategy needs to be strengthened. Again and again in my interviews, teachers said they didn’t have time to focus on climate. This could be resolved by slimming down the overall curriculum. Teachers also need time to be trained in climate education and sustainability, so they have the confidence to deliver. Finally, climate education must be made a mandatory part of the curriculum. Having a sustainability lead in each school would mean climate is embedded in all decision-making, in a similar way to safeguarding.
Climate change should become a golden thread that runs throughout the curriculum. It’s what the teachers I have spoken to want. And it’s what our children and young people deserve. If these comments ring true, get involved with our Sustainable Schools network or attend our Climate Leaders’ Conference at Sheffield Hallam on Thursday 6 March 2025. Further information and how to sign up is on our website.
Lee Jowett is a Climate Change and Sustainability Research Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University. Previously he worked for a local authority and has been a secondary school science teacher. He can be contacted on l.jowett@shu.ac.uk
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