Why Labour's education review is make or break for the environment
Most eyes in the environmental movement are on the new government’s plans for cleaning up rivers and accelerating the race to net zero. However, in terms of long-term impact, Labour’s biggest environmental policy moment might turn out to be the changes they make to the national curriculum for England.
The new curriculum, which all state schools will be required to follow, will be shaped by the findings and recommendations of the Education Secretary’s freshly-launched Curriculum and Assessment Review. The implications for people and planet are potentially huge.
The decisions made as a result of this review will determine how an entire generation of young people engage in sustainability education. We’re talking about ten million people here, probably more.
The stakes are incredibly high. If, following the review, the Department for Education decides to leave sustainability education where it currently is – narrowly defined, minimal for most, and largely siloed within geography and science lessons – that will scupper any last chance this country has of becoming a climate-resilient, sustainable society.
Global Action Plan is campaigning to ensure sustainability education isn’t left in the margins. But we need your help, and your ideas.
How you can get involved
Over the next 12-18 months, we’ll be calling on our peers and partners in the sustainability and education sectors to engage with the review. Here is a summary of what this could look like. It is a work in progress – we’re keen to hear your feedback and we want to collaborate.
Write to the Chair of the review calling for a sustainability education expert to be included in the review group
Professor Becky Francis, appointed as Chair of the review, will be recruiting fellow experts to a review group in summer 2024. She’ll do this in consultation with the Education Secretary, but we don’t know how big or how diverse the group will be, how (or how often) it will meet, or which interests will be represented. We’ve written to Professor Francis to call on her to include a sustainability education expert in the review group and to form a sustainability education sub-group. You can echo these calls by writing to Professor Francis yourself (whether as an individual or organisation) and by sharing our letter.
Respond to the review’s call for evidence with examples that demonstrate the value and effectiveness of sustainability education
The review group will launch a call for evidence in late summer/early autumn 2024. This will be an opportunity for everyone working on sustainability and/or values-based education to input directly to the review. We need to share evidence that highlights the value and effectiveness of sustainability and values-based education, both as ways to “equip young people to shape our response to the challenges of our changing world” (as per the review launch press release), and as ways to improve education and wellbeing outcomes for young people, especially those living in the most deprived communities.
Invite the review group to see sustainability education programmes in action
While the call for evidence is open, the review group will visit education settings to consult teachers, parents, young people and other stakeholders and experts. Those of us working in and with schools participating in sustainability and/or values-based education programmes can invite the review group to visit and see their value and effectiveness at first hand. We’ve already invited the Education Secretary to visit one of the 60+ schools that are participating in our pioneering Good Life Schools programme.
Mobilise young people to engage with the review
The voices of young people must be heard in this review. After all, it is their future at stake. If you engage with a sizeable number of young people, you can support a youth-led response to the call for evidence and/or the wider review process.
Assemble formal responses from the education sector
Education professionals need spaces to assemble and deliberate on effective education sector responses to the climate and nature crisis. We can organise events that bring people together to discuss this, with the outcomes and recommendations consolidated into formal reports for the review group.
The Curriculum and Assessment Review will influence how an entire generation of young people engages with the climate and nature crisis. It is a critical moment and one the environmental movement must not miss.
Like us, you are probably developing and implementing your review-related campaign and advocacy strategies already. We’d love to hear what you are doing and have planned, so that we can coordinate.
We’d also like to invite you to campaign with us. Let us know if and how you’d be interested in taking part, and we’ll keep you updated as our campaign plans develop and will support you to get involved.