By Abdullahi lukman
Subject experts, including climate scientists, academics, and key figures in education, are urging the UK Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson to ensure that climate change and sustainability are thoroughly integrated into the kingdom’s school curriculum.
In an open letter sent to Phillipson, these experts emphasize that preparing young people for a future increasingly shaped by climate change is one of the most critical tasks for the ongoing government review of curriculum and assessment.
The letter calls for climate change education to be embedded across all subjects, not just in science and geography, for all students up to the age of 18.
Experts argue that such an approach is essential to effectively equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to face the challenges of an environmentally uncertain future.
The signatories include Cat Scutt, Deputy CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching, and Professor Lee Elliot Major from the University of Exeter, along with other climate scientists and education leaders.
The experts highlight that the current national curriculum falls short in preparing students for a sustainable future.
A recent government report on the climate literacy of school leavers revealed significant gaps in young people’s understanding of climate change and the actions needed to combat it.
This report underscores the urgent need for a broader and more comprehensive approach to climate change education.
The letter stresses that climate education should go beyond the confines of science and geography classes.
It advocates for a multi-disciplinary approach, where subjects like history, English, and the humanities are also utilized to discuss climate change, sustainability, and environmental issues.
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This approach, experts argue, would allow students to examine the climate crisis from different perspectives, promoting a deeper understanding of the issue.
Dr. Cat Scutt, one of the signatories, emphasized that sustainability and climate education have emerged as top priorities for schools in recent years.
Through the “Rethinking Curriculum” project, which worked with primary schools across the UK, Scutt found that climate education is among the top five curriculum development priorities.
However, schools face challenges such as a lack of national curriculum focus, insufficient teacher expertise, and concerns about climate anxiety among students.
Professor Nicola Walshe, the lead signatory and pro-director of education at IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education and Society, has a background in glaciology and was previously head of geography at three secondary schools.
Her department’s 2023 research, which surveyed 850 teachers, found that there is a strong desire for climate change and sustainability to be embedded across all disciplines.
However, teachers feel that they need more professional development to effectively integrate these topics into their lessons.
The letter has been coordinated by the UCL Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education and Global Action Plan, an environmental charity focused on the intersection of health, education, technology, and pollution.
Alongside Professor Walshe, other notable signatories include Professor Sir David King, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser from 2000 to 2007, and Professor Danny Dorling, a social geographer from the University of Oxford.
This call for a more comprehensive climate education comes as the Department for Education’s review of the national curriculum continues.
The review, which closed for evidence in November 2024, will produce an interim report later this year.
A full report is expected to be released in the autumn of 2025, with the hope that climate change education will play a significant role in shaping the future of the UK’s school curriculum.
