- A comprehensive review of the entire curriculum, so that it is preparing and mobilising our whole society for a sustainable future.
- As an interim measure, the government should support Jim Knight’s Private Member’s Bill, restoring sustainability as a pillar of the curriculum.
- A comprehensive plan to decarbonise the entire education estate by 2030, as part of an overdue refurbishment and repair programme.
- A detailed policy on green travel for students, staff, and parents should be developed.
“The UK Government needs to step up to ensure teachers have the resources and tools to provide access to curriculum entitlements that give all children and young people the opportunity to develop their understanding of environmental issues and to be responsible citizens.
“We also need to see much more action from the Government to deliver substantial improvements to the energy efficiency of existing school buildings which have suffered from significant under-investment over decades.”
“Schools and colleges can play their part and the UK Government needs to ensure that quality climate change education is embedded across the curriculum, as well as focusing on decarbonising the education estate by 2031.”
“UCU, alongside our sister unions, is calling on the Secretary of State for Education to make sure that education for sustainable development is embedded into the work of schools, colleges and universities to empower students to build a fairer, greener future.
“This must include a comprehensive plan for decarbonisation of the education estate and urgent action on affordable green public transport for students and staff.”
“Not only is it vital young people learn about a greener tomorrow but the government must ensure schools are able to practise what they teach.
“Classrooms and facilities need significant investment to ensure they reach net zero targets, and transport for pupils, staff and parents has to be sustainable.”
- A comprehensive review of the entire curriculum, so that it is preparing and mobilising our whole society for a sustainable future. The “asks” from Teach the Future (see below) summarise how this could be done.
- As an interim measure, the government should support Jim Knight’s Private Members Bill, restoring sustainability as a pillar of the curriculum.
- A comprehensive plan to decarbonise the entire school estate by 2030, as part of an overdue refurbishment and repair programme.
- A detailed policy on green travel for students, staff, and parents should be developed.
- Establishment of a practitioner-led review group for integrating sustainability into the curriculum
- Amending the teacher training standards to include learning about the climate emergency, ecological crisis and climate justice
- Creation of a new professional qualification for teachers on climate
- Creation of comprehensive learning programme for existing teachers and lecturers, and other key educational institution staff, on the science of the climate emergency and ecological crisis, the systems changes required to abate them
- A national Climate Education Information Institute to disseminate scientific information to educators about climate change, its effects and measures of prevention. This will include teaching resources as well as continuous professional development materials so schools can maintain up to date knowledge on the issues;
- A national programme of vocational training through the development of national centres of excellence to promote the reskilling of the workforce in line with the green skills requirements of industrial strategy;
- A national programme for research into the impact and outcomes of sustainability learning in terms of learning outcomes, attainment, resilience and wellbeing;
- A national programme of outdoor education and connection to nature linked to learning about the climate emergency and ecological crisis;
- An English climate emergency youth voice grant fund, so that youth voice climate boards can be established in all education providers.
- Establishment of a Youth Climate Endowment Fund to fund youth-led climate and environmental social action enabling students in every educational institution to engage their peers, teachers and parents in practical, local action to abate the climate emergency and ecological crisis.
- Amending the Education Act to impose a new duty on schools to ensure they designate a senior member of staff as a climate co-ordinator, responsible for implementing their new duties, and create a general duty on the Office for Students with regard to teaching and learning about the climate emergency and ecological crisis.
- New funding secured to put educational buildings to the front of the queue to be retrofitted to net-zero standards through the national infrastructure plan, ensuring all new state-funded educational buildings are net-zero from 2022; all existing state-funded educational buildings retrofitted to net-zero by 2030.
NASUWT: Kirsten Kurt-Elli – E: Kirsten.Kurt-Elli@mail.nasuwt.org.uk; M: 07825 867511
UNISON: Anthony Barnes E: a.barnes@unison.co.uk; M: 07834 864794