The Francis Review: Two campaigns, working together, to support nature education in England

This is the last (for now) in our series of posts about the review of the national curriculum – the Francis Review. Previous posts can be found here. As ever with NAEE blogs, the views expressed are not necessarily those of the Association.

We feel hope and optimism with the new Labour Government and the new atmosphere at the Department for Education.  When we say ‘we’ we mean the Institute for Outdoor Learning’s Nature Premium Campaign and the Natural History GCSE strategic advisory  board.  We are working together to:

• deliver funding to education settings that gives the clear signal that nature is a priority and 
• establish the Natural History GCSE that provides a qualification in nature that would enable any young person to either begin a career in a traditional or new green economy or simply enjoy nature as people have always done.

The DfE Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy makes clear that all careers will be touched by sustainability and climate change and that the education sector has responsibility for preparing children for the upcoming challenges and opportunities (DfE, 2023). Both campaigns support this strategy. 

While we feel hope, we also acknowledge that the recent Living Planet Report (WWF, 2024), recognises that we are a ‘System in peril’, reporting on changes in the relative abundance of wildlife, and sharing that ,over the last 50 years, monitored wildlife has declined on average by almost three quarters.  On a positive note, we are not alone in recognising the power of education in our environmental struggles.  The UN Biodiversity COP 16 in Colombia recognises the role of education in the inclusion of a ‘Learning Hub on Biodiversity and Climate Education’, created to increase public support for, and engagement in, biodiversity and climate education initiatives that can help accelerate the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global biodiversity framework.  Our optimism stems from the fact that the Natural History GCSE and Nature Premium have the potential to help meet these aims, with numerous other benefits.

If you are reading this you will be able to imagine the advantages a young person starting work would have had from regular nature experiences throughout their education.  Apart from improving their engagement with education it would have included an understanding of:

• how to manage their own mental wellbeing.
• how to live a sustainable life and develop their love of and connectedness to nature.
• the potential skills and career opportunities in traditional and innovative green economies.
• how to develop agency, to take urgent action, to address the climate and ecological emergency.
• how to safely explore the countryside and respect other adventurers.

We are calling for an investment in education to fund a specific Nature Premium, guaranteeing that all children and young people will enjoy regular and ongoing nature experiences. We also seek the provision of additional funding for those with least access to nature, who may benefit the most.  As a campaign we define interaction with nature broadly as wild school grounds, gardening, conservation, adventurous activities, Forest School, farming, etc.  It is important that senior leadership choose the form of nature experiences appropriate for their location and their children’s life experiences.  The Nature Premium is an ambitious idea that would help children from disadvantaged ethnic communities, and deprived families and still be fair to all children.

The Natural History GCSE is a fantastic opportunity to provide structured learning about nature in young people’s own neighbourhoods and beyond, a stepping stone to enjoying nature at a deeper level and in the place of the learner, whether rural or urban.  In previous generations we learnt about the natural world through our everyday lives.  We can’t make the assumption that this will happen anymore.  Together, a Nature Premium and Natural History GCSE will give children and young people muscular hope and agency to address the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis.

You may have heard the popular expression ‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the next best time is today’.  The same timeline can be applied to environmental education, the next best time for it is today.  In this period of consultation, through the UK Government’s ‘Curriculum and Assessment Review’ process, we will be championing more than evolution in the curriculum, we call for a nature education revolution and urge you to use your voices to do the same.

…………………….

Elena Lengthorn is a member of OCR’s Natural History Strategic Advisory Board, and Senior Lecturer in Teacher Education at the University of Worcester.  Dr Sara Collins is co-founder and Lead Hypha of the Nature Premium Campaign.  If you want to learn more please contact: 

Sara Collins at: saracollins@naturepremium.org

Elena Lengthorn at: e.lengthorn@worc.ac.uk 

References

COP 16 (2024): Learning Hub on Biodiversity and Climate Education Biodiversity and Climate Education Hub. COP 16 Cali Colombia. Convention on Biological Diversity. Available at: https://www.cop16colombia.com/es/en/events/learning-hub-on-biodiversity-and-climate-education-biodiversity-and-climate-education-hub/ Accessed on: 24^th October 2024. 

DfE (2023). Sustainability and climate change: a strategy for the education and children’s services systems. UK Government. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/sustainability-and-climate-change-strategy/9317e6ed-6c80-4eb9-be6d-3fcb1f232f3a Accessed on 22nd October 2024. 

WWF (2024). Living Planet Report – A system in Peril. WWF and ZSL. Available at: https://wwflpr.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/2024-living-planet-report-a-system-in-peril.pdf Accessed on 24th October 2024.