Missed Deadline – What progress the government was making to give the final go-ahead to the Natural History GCSE has been brought to a halt by the calling of the general election. It will now be down to the next government to take the necessary steps if it wants to. One thing is clear, though, the possibility of an autumn 2025 start has vanished.
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IMPACTS – SEEd, Our Shared World, Reboot the Future and the Harmony Project have been working with Lord Jim Knight on an election project, giving students a voice and then keeping the next government to its pledges and promises. SEEd says that teachers or organisations wishing to help as many students as possible should email here for direct weekly updates on developments.
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Strategy not Sticking Plasters – The FED’s National Education Survey has now ended. Outcomes will be reflected in the FED’s 4th National Education Consultation report that will be launched in the House of Lords on July 9th.
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School Spending – The NGA says that the next government will face a range of immediate spending pressures, specifically on SEND provision, teacher pay, and school building repairs. This was highlighted in a recent Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report which seeks to inform the debate on school funding for the general election. The IFS found that if total school spending were to be frozen in real terms between 2024 and 2028, falling pupil numbers mean that spending per pupil would grow by 1.5% per year even though total spending could be cut by about £3.5 billion. However, while falling pupil population may create opportunities for savings, it was acknowledged that this may be difficult to realise in practice, as it would likely require reductions in the workforce and/or school closures. None of the main parties have stated how they will deal with school funding after the election.
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Can Butterflies Vote? – Butterfly Conservation asks us to read its manifesto and share it widely. It has created guidance and questions we can ask our local candidates, and we can sign up for dedicated campaigning emails.
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A Broad Curriculum Review – Labour says that this is what we can expect early in the next parliament if it wins the election. Bridget Phillipson MP confirmed this during a visit to Corbridge Middle School last week to look at the school’s work on the environment and climate. You can listen to her talking about the visit and the election with the Northern Echo here.
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Children for Change – A new children’s writing competition, Children for Change, is open to 8 to 12 year olds and will lead to a collection of stories, illustrations and facts inspiring young readers to ‘take an action’ – big or small, local or global – to protect our environments. Entries need to be no longer than 500 words and can be submitted here where there are also guidelines, Ts & Cs, and writing tips. The closing date is Friday July 12th 3pm.
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Loxodonta UK under Threat – The latest (and sadly probably the last) edition of Elephant Times is now available. Contents include:
- Reflecting 50 years on: the DEC/Tide~ network experience
- An education-driven agenda: responding to the climate crisis
- Connecting Dialogues: building skills to engage with complexity
- Zafroon Bibi & Maria Ferrante explore opportunities for meaningful dialogue
- Valuing Teachers: building a disposition for ‘space’ ….
- What is it about Tide~ & elephants?
- A full list of contributors with links to articles
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Reading the Climate Action Roadmap – On September 27th there will be a Westminster Education Forum meeting focused on climate change and sustainability education in England. Key stakeholders and policymakers will examine the rollout of the DfE’s climate change strategy, including its target for all education settings in England to have nominated a sustainability lead and put in place a Climate Action Plan by 2025. Delegates will discuss priorities for the Department’s roadmap, setting out timeframes and how sustainability targets are to be met, due to be published in Autumn 2024. Fee details here.
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Making Space for Teacher Creativity – We’re invited to join a Zoom event on Thursday on June 27th at 1800 to explore how we can stimulate commitment to making ‘space’ for teacher creativity responding to global realities. Diane Swift[a teacher educator who has been involved in many Tide~ projects] and Paul Turner [from the Ministry of Eco Education] will share their reflections on the proposition to start the discussion. Sign up here.
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Fostering Intercultural Dialogue – Click here to read news from the UK’s National Commission for UNESCO. Included are details of the key role it plays in the World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue. For example, James Bridge, the UKNC Chief Executive and Secretary General, represented the UK National Commission in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the 6th World Forum on Intercultural Dialogue, with UNESCO Ambassadors and National Commissions. James played a key role throughout the three day event; including chairing one of the Forum’s key Plenary Sessions; “Safeguarding our past and future: Cultural heritage in the face of Climate change” during which he highlighted the UKNC-led Climate Change and UNESCO Heritage project.
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Fix the News Last week the WHO and UNICEF released a new report on global access to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools. They revealed that between 2015 and 2023, global access to clean drinking water in schools increased from 66% to 77%, basic sanitation increased from 68% to 78%, and basic hygiene rose from 58% to 67%. In actual numbers, it means that well over 200 million schoolchildren have gained access to improved water, sanitation, or hygiene services in the last eight years, a period of time which includes the severe disruptions of the pandemic.
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Going Zero – The Climate Action Countdown is now live. It is part of Let’s Go Zero, Ashden’s campaign supporting schools to become zero carbon by 2030. June finds a month of climate-related activities – from games and quizzes to nature challenges. You can sign up here. On June 26th there’ll be a webinar for schools, colleges and their partners around the UK, looking at how they can help young people pursue rewarding green careers. Registration is open now.
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Vote for Wildlife – You can find out more about the Wildlife Trusts’ priorities for the election election here. You can also show your support for nature at the Restore Nature Now march in London on June 22nd (1200 on Park Lane).
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Remember to be Wild – Don’t forget #30DaysWild this month. There’s still time to join in by getting a free pack of resources, but best be quick.