14th October 2024

Francis Review – The latest in our series of posts about the Francis Review of the national curriculum were published last week.  All the posts can be found here.  When the series is complete, we shall share it with Francis team.  More posts will be published during October.  Let us know what you think.  

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Volunteer Editor Wanted – NAEE is seeking a volunteer to collate and organise news items for this weekly newsletter.  Although unpaid at this stage, it may be possible to offer a modest stipend in due course.  If you’re interested, please contact NAEE Chair, Paul Vare at pvare@glos.ac.uk by Friday October 25^th.

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2024 AGM – NAEE’s 2024 AGM is on Thursday November 28^th, 1800 to 1930.  We’re very pleased to have Katharine Burke as guest speaker.  Katharine is the author of Earthwards: Transformative Ecological Education published by the Hawthorn Press.

On Tuesday October 15^th Katharine will be talking with Ann Finlayson in an exploration of the question her student once asked: ‘Miss, do you think that, like, we are the Earth?‘  If you are near Stroud and fancy attending, please email: ann.finlayson@se-ed.org.uk

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Dear Bridget – Also on Tuesday October 15^th at 1600, the Secretary of State for Education will host a live online event for the education sector.  The session will be a chance to hear the Secretary of State’s reflections on the government’s first 100 days in office and discuss upcoming priorities.  She says that she also wants to hear from you and will answer questions from the live chat.  Register here.

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Rethinking Education – The International Association of Universities – the global voice of higher education – is also hosting an October 15^th webinar focusing on Re-thinking education for a more sustainable world.  It’s from 1300 to 1430, and Stephen Sterling will be contributing.  Details here.

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Rescue Me – It’s National Recycle Week from October 14^th to 20^th.  The theme of this year’s campaign is ‘Rescue Me’ which focuses on rescuing recyclable items heading to the rubbish bin.  Those in the know say that recycling at least one extra item as part of our daily routine will make a huge difference.  Details here.

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Finding Nature – This week is also Hidden Nature Week at the National Education Nature Park and you can join in by taking part in the Hidden Nature Challenge.  Discover what wildlife is hiding around your site and have the chance to win prizes for your school, college or nursery.

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Nature Gap – WWF has launched its daily dose of nature primary classroom pack.  Using these your class can record daily doses of nature and the time you spend connecting with the natural world throughout the autumn and winter months.  Register here for your classroom pack, and find more classroom resources, including mindful classroom videos and a wellbeing and nature reading list here. 

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COP29 – Click here to read UNESCO’s latest ESD newsletter.  It looks forward to COP29.  With just one month left before the latest annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29), UNESCO invites students, teachers, schools, universities and local communities to participate in a #GreeningEducation campaign 

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Decolonising Conservation – This is one of the themes at the Communicate 2024: New Connections for Nature conference.

• explore this year’s programme
• book a conference ticket
• spread the word using the comms pack

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DERC Webinars – DERC is hosting Zoom webinars that showcase the main themes that have emerged from students’ research and its relevance to broader debates in the field of global education and learning.  Please click on these event headings for more information, and to register.

• October 22^nd, 17:00 Teaching and Global learning: debating the intersection  (Giannis Efthymiou)
• November 27^th  16:00 Misleading Opportunities: Global Competency Frameworks in Ontario Teacher Education  (David Montemurro)

A new run of DERC’s online short course Educating for Sustainable Development (ESD) in Schools and Universities starts on October 14^th.  The free three-week FutureLearn course was created with support from Sustainable UCL and is relevant to all educators.  You can find out more here.

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Animal Rising – The RSPCA has committed to plant-based catering at its AGM after pressure from animal protection organisations.  Only plant-based food and drinks will be available at internal events, and at external events that they cater.  Animal Rising supporters submitted the motion for plant-based catering in 2023, which gained member approval at that AGM and was passed to trustees.  Animal Rising has repeatedly called on the RSPCA to lead a transition to a fairer, kinder plant-based system, in keeping with the RSPCA’s core values of protecting all animals.

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Pump Storage – Glen Earrach’s proposed 2GW pumped storage hydro project aims to facilitate energy transition with what is described as a large water battery.  It’ll likely cost between £2bn and £3bn.  New Civil Engineering has the details.  This would be the largest pump storage system in the UK.

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Wetter and Wilder – The Economist has an article exploring whether tropical cyclones (known as hurricanes in the Atlantic) are getting both more frequent and worse.  It concludes that global warming is not making them more frequent (though it might be shifting where they occur).  But the storms are becoming stronger, slower, wetter and wilder.