Blog post
How the Department for Education's Curriculum and Assessment Review can go further
Finlay McIlwraith
October 29, 2024
4 actions the Department of Education CAR Review should take to Teach the Future.
4 actions the Department of Education CAR Review should take to Teach the Future.
It’s easy to feel pessimistic about political progress at the moment, young people are growing up in a world shaped by the climate emergency and ecological crisis but our current curriculum doesn’t reflect this.
But after a difficult few years for climate education policy, Teach the Future is beginning to see some big wins on our campaign asks.
It’s good to see the announcement of £1.4 billion of funding towards repairing our “crumbling” school buildings but this only covers 50 schools in England and doesn't go anywhere near addressing the scale of the problem.
A big win is the announcement of the Department for Education Curriculum and Assessment Review. This review offers an excellent opportunity to ensure the views of young people are heard on the future of the English Education system.
Teach the Future is actively offering support and guidance on how organisations and individuals can engage with the Review.
We see that so much more could be done if the scope of the Review were a bit broader. With input from our 150+ supporting organisations, we’ve come up with 4 key areas where we think the Review has room for improvement.
There’s currently no formal requirement for young people to be included in the review.
The DFE roadshow is a useful tool for engaging different regions, but many have been held in difficult-to-reach locations or during school hours, making it harder for young people to engage.
More accessible feedback routes- such as surveys or consultations to be completed by young people in schools.
More formal invitations for young people to meet the panel.
Direct invitations to young people to join the panel.
Currently, there are no panel members with specific climate or nature expertise!
We feel strongly that an expert on the twin threats of the Climate Crisis and Nature Crisis would ensure sustainability is at the forefront of the review.
A Climate and Nature expert to be added to the panel and given direct responsibility for ensuring the integration of Climate and Nature Education.
We’re concerned that current discussions around curriculum reform are too often based on the idea that topics like Climate and Nature would require a completely new subject in order to be taught effectively in schools.
We need a more radical approach to how we view the curriculum.
All educational disciplines are linked but particularly Climate Education, which our research has shown can be linked to all existing subjects.
The time for significant change to our Curriculum is now.
We don’t need a zero-sum game of subjects being compared against each other for their relative merits!
Consideration of Teach the Future’s Curriculum for a Changing Climate proposals, which would integrate climate through all subjects.
Our Research shows :
- 92% of teachers are concerned about climate change.
- 89% of teachers report issues regarding climate change are relevant to their subject area.
- 70% of teachers feel they haven’t received adequate training to educate students about climate change.
No one expects teachers to be experts on the climate crisis, but we must ensure they have relevant and up-to-date materials and training on the Climate Crisis.
Preparing teachers to answer questions about the climate and nature crisis is the only way they can combat the climate anxiety so prevalent in young people growing up today!
Climate and Nature to be prioritised in any review of teacher training and support.
Teach the Future is delighted the Curriculum and Assessment review is under way.
We’re looking forward to engaging with the Department of Education on how these changes could make it even more effective.