A curriculum for a changing climate

Aim

We want to demonstrate what the primary curriculum could look like if it was shaped around the climate emergency and ecological crisis.

About Teach the Future

We are a youth-led campaign to embed mandatory, solutions-centred climate education into the national curricula across the UK. We want to urgently repurpose the education system around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. We are hosted by SOS-UK, a sustainability education charity. 

Our crowdfunder will help to implement climate education in primary schools through our 'curriculum for a changing climate'.

Much of the national curriculum has not been substantively nor systematically reviewed for over eight years, and the Department for Education hasn’t yet committed to amending it to integrate topics of climate emergency and ecological crisis. 

We cannot wait, so we have created our curriculum for a changing climate to show where and how climate education can be implemented within the existing guidelines of the English national curriculum. We commissioned a group of academics used a 'tracked changes' methodology to show the amendments for a range of KS3 and KS4 (GCSE) subjects*. Teachers are already using this guidance to change how they engage with the climate crisis in the classroom so that young people feel empowered by the solutions, rather than feeling hopeless and scared.

We now want to provide guidelines for all primary subjects so that more students, across all levels of education, receive better climate education and teachers are supported to teach it. 

The climate emergency is already affecting our education. School infrastructure is being negatively impacted by more extreme heating and cooling and greater humidity. Education is the path to tackling the climate crisis. We need curriculum reform to allow us to respond and build resilience in the face of this crisis.

*view the list of subjects and guidance on our website. 

Hear more about our project on the 'Reasons to be cheerful' podcast. 

"Teach The Future’s overall Tracked Changes Review highlights that 'The curriculum is already interconnected. This holistic view has enabled us to integrate climate change and the ecological crisis more coherently across the curriculum as a wealth of transdisciplinary connections became apparent.' It’s win-win – and there’s no time to lose." - Sarah Dukes, teacher, The Chase School

We have support for our curriculum for a changing climate

• 68% of students want to learn more about the environment 
• 89% of teachers believe that issues regarding climate change are relevant to their subject area
• Over two-thirds of the UK general public agree it is important for children and young people to be prepared for climate change issues at schools

Benefits of our curriculum for a changing climate 

• Does not require a drastic overhaul of the national curriculum and uses resources teachers are familiar with
• Provides clear direction for teachers on how to include climate education
• Minimal cost to be rolled-out instantly by the government
• Expands climate education beyond the subject silos of geography and science
• Students will appreciate the interconnectedness of living and non-living things and critically engage with the concept of sustainability
• Students will better understand eco-anxiety, and feel empowered to take action to tackle the climate crisis

"This project is great as it shows how climate education needs to go beyond carbon emissions and recycling to empower students to participate and engage with the climate crisis." - Maya, Teach the Future volunteer

How will your contribution help?

The money raised will help to pay the academics, with subjects specialities, to complete the primary subject reviews.

This project successfully funded on 5th October 2023