Not the end of the story: What we need to see from the new Labour government

Yesterday, many of us around the country used our voices to speak up for issues we care about, and voted for the candidates that we feel will stand up for climate education and environmental action. Now that the election has finished and a brand new Labour government has gained power, it may feel like the long period of campaigning has come to an end. But in reality, this is by no means the end of the story - it’s rather the beginning of a new one.

Now that we have a new, Labour government in power, it is more important than ever to make sure that they implement all of the policies they have so far promised, and that we see this action as swiftly as possible. We at Teach the Future will be working hard to ensure that the new government sticks to the promises and commitments they have already outlined, and to hold them to account on their goals and targets.

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What Labour have committed to:

Formal support of the Climate Education Bill: Labour MP Nadia Whittome sponsored our Climate Education Bill, introducing it to Parliament. It was since adopted by the National Policy Forum, and Keir Starmer, Ed Miliband and Bridget Phillipson have all voiced their public support for the bill.

A review and audit of the school curriculum: In their manifesto, Labour promised an expert-led review of the school curriculum, with the aim of creating a curriculum that is rich and broad, inclusive and innovative. The review will consult school staff, parents, and employers, though young people are notably absent from this list.

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What we need from the new government:

Climate education to be included in curriculum review: We believe that a curriculum simply cannot be 'rich and broad, inclusive and innovative’ without the inclusion of comprehensive and integrated climate education, allowing students to gain the skills required to deal with their futures. We will therefore be looking to see Labour adopt climate education as a key part of their curriculum review.

Young people to be included in the discussion: Whilst Labour has committed to consulting school staff, parents and employers in their review of the curriculum, the lack of inclusion of young people is disappointing. Being in the current education system ourselves, we know better than anyone what needs to be seen in our curriculum to comprehensively prepare us all to deal with the climate crisis. After all, it is our own future, and so we need Labour to include young people in the discussion, and we will work hard to achieve this.

Collaboration between the Education Secretary and Climate Change & Net Zero Secretary: Just as we will not solve the climate crisis without intersectional and interdisciplinary solutions, we will not achieve fully integrated climate education without interdepartmental collaboration in government. We need all areas of policy, but in particular education and climate change, to work together on ensuring young people going into all areas of society are fully equipped with comprehensive climate education.

More investment in school retrofitting and decarbonisation: This was a policy area that was disappointingly weak across many political manifestos, but one that is so desperately needed. Even with the best quality education in the world, students cannot learn effectively or safely in school buildings that are not fit for purpose or are in need of retrofitting. We hope to see more action from the incoming government on this front.

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Ultimately, Labour’s commitments to climate education are promising, but we need to see them being implemented as soon as possible, and promises must be turned to action. Although we have hope for the new government’s policies, we mustn't get complacent, and will instead continue organising and campaigning as ever before, until we see the concrete changes we so desperately need. And so, to the new Labour government: we’ll be watching.

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PS: In this new and uncertain period of government, with one of the highest turnovers of MPs for years, why not email your new MP using our template and ask them to back our Climate Education Bill as one of their first priorities in office? Together we can ensure all students are taught about the climate crisis and how to prepare for it, giving them the tools and the knowledge to create change. The next generation deserves climate education.

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