DfE Consults – The Department for Education has launched a survey to gather feedback on its Sustainability and Climate Change draft strategy. This will run until 20th February. The survey ask us which actions set out in the strategy are the most important to us and seeks our our opinions of the overall approach. This is the link.
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Union Letter – At the end of January, school-focused unions sent a joint letter to the DfE on climate strategy in the curriculum. They welcome the strategy as far as it goes, but propose the following:
- Embedding sustainability and environmental education throughout the whole curriculum.
- Prompt action to tackle gender disparity within STEM subjects.
- Establishing, and keeping to a target date of 2030 for the retrofitting of the school estate.
- Development of a detailed policy on green travel for students, staff, and parents.
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Science Education and Climate – The main part of Volume 383 of School Science Review, published by the Association for Science Education (ASE), is a themed edition that looks at science education in the context of the climate crisis. It has been co-ordinated by Lynda Dunlop (York) and Elizabeth Rushton (King’s). Most of the papers are restricted to members, though the editorial and contents are open-access. NAEE Fellow, Melissa Glackin, and colleagues have contributed to this.
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Sustainable School Science – ASE International is an online journal available to all members of the ASE. Its articles are normally a mixture of previously published work from other ASE journals and original material concerning the teaching of science in a global sense. Its latest edition has the theme of climate education and sustainability and contains a contribution from NAEE President, Justin Dillon who writes (with Jing Huang) about Education for sustainable development: opportunity or threat? It also includes a paper (available here) on Science and the Sustainable Schools Initiative: opportunity and imperative written by NAEE’s Chair. Both articles first appeared in Vol 338 of School Science Review.
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A Vibrant and Diverse Subject Community – The Geographical Association [GA] has published a report into geography teachers’ professional needs and views. The report presents the findings from an online survey [417 responses] which was followed by focus group discussions [60 people]. It was focused around the GA’s vision to ‘create a vibrant and diverse subject community inspiring high-quality geographical teaching and learning’. The report outlines the approach to the data collection methods, presents the findings from both phases of the research, discusses their implications, and makes recommendations.
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Empowering Young People to Tackle Climate Change – This is the title of an input to the FED website by Kate Gillingham, Head of UK & Ireland Government and Public Affairs for LEGO. It is based on her contribution to a roundtable discussion on Building an Education Curriculum for a NetZero Future – Ensuring future generations learn about Climate Change.
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See you in Court – An article in The Conversation by Sam Frankhauser and Kaya Axelsson says that Two-thirds of countries have committed to reaching net zero greenhouse gas emissions at some point this century. During 2021, the share of large companies with net zero commitments jumped from one in five to one in three. They add that few of the net zero targets are attached to policies that will achieve them. This mismatch is now the subject of legal challenges in the Netherlands and Germany. The UK is the latest government to be sued for failing to take sufficient action on climate change.
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Be Nicer to Nettles – So says Plantlife which makes the biodiversity case for these typically unloved plants to have a place in your garden if not your heart.
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What do Plants do all Day? – This is the title of a recent Curious Kids article in The Conversation. In it, Paul Ashton from Edge Hill University responds to a question from 3-year-old Oliver from Kent. The article concludes: “every day, plants are making food, extracting minerals so they can grow, working out what season it is and whether they are getting enough light, and protecting themselves from animals that want to eat them – as well as warning their neighbours. It makes for a busy day, although one that is largely invisible to humans.”
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Remembering Kenneth Watkins – Like NAEE, the Woodland Trust is celebrating its first 50 years. Here’s a link to an exploration of its history.
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Green Teacher – We mentioned Canada’s Green Teacher magazine a couple of weeks ago. This started life in Wales in 1986 as a forum for youth leaders, and its North American publication began in 1991. Although the UK publication ceased in 1995, its Canadian offshoot continues and has just become a charity. There’s more about its history and ambitions here.
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Levelling Up – News comes that the Eden Project has been given the go-ahead to build a new visitor experience in Morecambe where it will “focus on reimagining health and wellbeing, wonder and entertainment within its core venues.” Its shell-like structures will be located near the town’s iconic Midland Hotel and Winter Gardens. Public education will be a major focus of its work.
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Funding Biodiversity – DEFRA has released details of financial incentives for farmers to restore and rewild their land: [i] the Local Nature Recovery scheme will pay farmers for local actions, eg creating wildlife habitat or planting trees; [ii] the Landscape Recovery scheme, will fund more wide-ranging change. A policy document sets out the intended environmental outcomes. The announcements got a mixed reaction and not everyone things that planners have managed to avoid all the problems that were in the EU’s common agriculture policy. The Wildlife Trusts havepraised the rhetoric but are concerned that the schemes lack detail and are not urgent enough.
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School of the Year – The 2022 Sustainable City Awards, coordinated by Global Action Plan, are now open for nominations and are looking for London’s Sustainable School of the Year and School Changemaker of the Year. The Awards are especially looking to recognise and amplify great examples of action led by or involving culturally diverse and marginalised groups to promote inclusion and advance racial, social and environmental justice. The winning sustainable school and the individual School Changemaker of the Year will be eligible for a £2,500 donation towards their sustainable work or for a cause of their choosing, kindly donated by Investec. Make your nomination here before 22nd February.