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Great news! Today it has been announced that young people in England will learn more about climate change and sustainability in school. This is a huge win for young people and the planet. This change happened because of young people coming together to fight for it – and telling those in charge of education they need to prioritise what we care about.
When the government announced that there would be a shake up in the curriculum, we were worried they wouldn’t include young people’s voices – so we took action. Working with lots of other youth organisations, we formed the Youth Shadow Panel – a group of passionate young people who travelled around the country collecting children’s and young people’s views on what they want to learn.
One outcome was clear: young people strongly wanted to see climate change and sustainability integrated across all subjects and key stages in a solutions-centred way. Alongside this, young people wanted to see less exams at GCSE, a more inclusive and diverse curriculum and a greater focus on citizenship education. All of these asks have been reflected in the proposed changes to the curriculum.
The Panel wrote all their recommendations for changes to education into a report, which they presented in Parliament.
Today we’re excited to see that many of the recommendations have been strongly incorporated, and we are delighted to see a move towards an education system that better prepares young people for life. Of course, there are some aspects that do not meet our ambitions, and we are committed to continuing to work with government in the implementation of the recommendations to ensure youth voice is strongly incorporated.
We’re so proud to have worked on this alongside the Shadow Review’s partners – this change will make sure young people’s voices are reflected in what they learn for years to come.
A truly empowering and effective education system must equip young people to understand, navigate, and shape the world around them. That means embedding climate and nature education throughout the curriculum, and ensuring that every young person is supported and encouraged to recognise the positive role that they can play in creating a better future.
So, what was specifically said in the report on climate change and sustainability?
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