Together with over 60 education experts and organisations, SOS-UK is proud to be calling for climate education to be fully embedded in the English national curriculum. A new report from the National Climate Education Action Plan (NCEAP) Group, “Climate Education in the Curriculum: From Early Years to Further Education in England”, presents a roadmap for curriculum reform for sustainability for the new UK government and the incoming national curriculum review.

The new Labour government has committed to “rebuild Britain”. Among other priorities, it wants to see the country become a “clean energy superpower” and introduce a “broader, richer, cutting-edge curriculum”. The only way in which this can be delivered is through incorporating quality climate and sustainability education into it.

The student voice

As a student-led charity host of the Teach the Future campaign, we know well that climate education integrated into all subjects is what young people want and need to prepare them for the future in the climate crisis. In the foreword to the report, Teach the Future’s Lisa Hoerning said:

“Like my peers, I have not been necessarily equipped with the knowledge to tackle these challenges that will continue to face us over the next years and decades of my life and career. I completed full-time education, spent years of my life in classrooms and behind a desk, yet somehow the curricula I learnt hardly taught me about the issues and solutions surrounding perhaps the most significant threat to humanity… The current curriculum studied by young people across England doesn’t educate us on the climate and ecological emergency, and, depending on your subject preferences, you can nearly skip the relevant content entirely!”

SOS-UK are proud to have come together with partners from across the sustainability education sector to strengthen young people’s voices through this new publication.

Different approaches

The report highlights different options to improve climate education from the first week of the new government, and the pros and cons of each of these approaches.

There are opportunities for an expansion of current climate education by adjusting teaching within the current curriculum, or by making small but meaningful changes to current curriculum specifications. We are delighted that the report spotlights Teach the Future’s ‘Curriculum for a Changing Climate’ project.

It includes detailed mapping showing where and how climate can fit into the curriculum. These changes could be implemented quickly while a more comprehensive review takes place. The report also highlights how greater inclusion of climate education fits with the desire of the new government to make the curriculum rich, broad and inclusive.

A united call from the sector

The report was produced by a group of authors from fourteen educational organisations including SOS-UK. Led by Professor Sylvia Knight, of the Royal Meteorological Society, and science education expert Dr Sean McQuaid, it is endorsed by a broad coalition of 60 organisations from schools, colleges, universities, climate charities and educational publishers.

It was launched at the Royal Meteorological Society Annual Weather and Climate Conference on Monday 8 July by Professor Andrew Charlton-Perez, of the University of Reading and Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society.

Professor Charlton-Perez, chair of the National Climate Education Action Group, said: “Including climate and sustainability within the curriculum review will be vital to ensuring that the new government delivers long-lasting reform that can prepare young people for the good green jobs of the future.”

Read the full report here.