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The know zone

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Hayley Dunn highlights the key initiatives in the government’s new Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for Education

Climate change

The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly known as COP26, brought parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). 

As part of the UK government’s response, the DfE launched its draft strategy, Sustainability & Climate Change: A draft strategy for the education & children’s services systems, to become the “world leading education sector in sustainability and climate change by 2030”. 

The strategy launch was announced by Secretary of State for Education, Nadhim Zahawi, in his speech at COP26 on 5 November. He said “We want to deliver a better, safer, greener world for future generations of young people and education is one of our key weapons in the fight against climate change. Empowering teachers in every school to deliver world-leading climate change education will not only raise awareness and understanding of the problem, but also equips young people with the skills and knowledge to build a sustainable future. 

“The COP26 summit has further amplified the UK’s commitments to become a world leader in sustainability right across the education system by engaging young people and bringing them on our journey towards net zero and a green future. 

“And it goes beyond the classroom – our National Education Nature Park and Climate Leaders Awards will let pupils get hands-on experience of understanding, nurturing and protecting the biodiversity around them.” 

What is the strategy timeline? 

It is important to note that currently the strategy is draft, and the government intends to use the draft for engagement. Consultation on the strategy will take place from November 2021 to March 2022, with the intention to publish the final version soon after in April 2022. 

What do the proposals cover? 

The strategy is segmented into five action areas: Climate Education, Green Skills and Careers, The Education Estate, Operations and Supply Chains, and Data. On the first of these – Climate Education – the proposals include a primary science model curriculum with an emphasis on nature and the recognition of species, linked science CPD, exploring ways to identify champions, and new-build, net-zero schools, among others. 

The key focus running through the strategy appears to be two initiatives the government is keen on: the National Education Nature Park and Climate Leader Awards. 

The idea of the National Park is to see the education estate as one, with comparison made to the combined grounds of nurseries, schools, colleges and universities in England being equivalent in space to an area twice that of Birmingham. Children and young people would be encouraged to get involved and increase biodiversity within their setting and could upload their data to a virtual space to track progress. 

The Climate Leader Awards would work in a similar way to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE), with levels to progress through from bronze to gold. 

What do the proposals not cover? 

A significant omission from the draft strategy document is a commitment to funding all education institutions to enable them to be net zero in the future. There are mentions of elements of potential funding, but schools and colleges will need firmer details to assess what is possible to deliver. The DfE’s own Condition of School Buildings Survey (tinyurl.com/auwc4w9m) found that it would cost £11.4 billion to repair or replace all defective elements in the school estate and this was assessed on a fabric condition basis, and not from a climate change and sustainability point of view. The insufficiency of capital funding is the elephant in the room. 

How can you share your views? 

We would welcome your views on the elements included in the strategy. We would like to know if they will work for your context and if there are proposals you would like to see added. 

We would particularly like to hear from primary leaders on the proposal for a model primary science curriculum and from leaders involved in operations on the strategies that would impact on buildings and estates. You can share your thoughts by emailing TellUs@ascl.org.uk using ‘Climate change’ in the subject line.

FURTHER INFORMATION

You can read the draft strategy online at tinyurl.com/3sa2scxd

Hayley Dunn
ASCL Business Leadership Specialist
@ShropshireSBM

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