Reading’s Climate Education Action Plan

The University of Reading’s climate education action plan emphasises working in partnership to tackle what clearly is the defining crisis of our generation. The university says:

“Following the Climate Education Summit, our National Climate Education Action Plan has emerged. No single organisation, or indeed government department, is able to take this agenda forward alone. Informed by diverse voices – comprised of our speakers and guests and the wider public who submitted questions and suggestions – our joint plan will be co-owned, co-led and contributed to by both different organisations and young people themselves. Only by working together will real change be possible. The University of Reading will support and collaborate with our partners and others to put the Action Plan into practice.”

The plan makes 9 points, each of which is developed further within the text:

1. Everyone involved in the education of children in school and college settings should be encouraged and supported to access accredited continuing professional development (CPD) to improve their personal understanding of up-to-date data and science of our changing climate and the impacts of these changes.
2. All teacher trainers and initial teacher trainees should be able to access training that empowers them to effectively incorporate climate education within their teaching across all levels and subjects.
3. Teachers and school leaders should be encouraged and empowered, both at a national and local level, to ensure time and space within and beyond the teaching day is included for climate education.
4. Every school and college should identify a senior staff member to lead on climate education and provide them with support and funding.
5. A structured programme or climate award for schools, colleges and youth organisations should be developed, providing a national focus to a range of extra- curricular activities and supporting resources to aid delivery.
6. A national scheme of quality assurance of teaching resources for climate education should be developed.
7. A regular national meeting of the dynamic, well-supported, national networks of educators, scientists and young people should be held, to share ideas and promote collaboration among representatives of these groups.
8. Professionals working in climate research and policy, from science and non-science disciplines, should pledge a proportion of their working time to providing help to teacher-led climate education initiatives.
9. A national, guiding framework for all educational providers that outlines compulsory climate education for all young people via schools and colleges should be developed and implemented.

You can read the full detail here.

This makes an interesting read alongside the DfE’s policy on sustainability and climate change, and in the light of NAEE’s own 16 point Manifesto.