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TellUs: Should Climate Classes Be Compulsory In Schools?

Should climate classes be compulsory in schools?

Today’s blog surrounds the question “should the UK education system be reformed, in order to teach children about climate change and the ecological crisis we are facing?” I am focusing this blog on just the UK educational system, as it has been swirling around the media for sometime now.

I wanted to start with the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN). This is an activist group consisting of people typically under the age of 18, that take part in street protests because they believe governments are lacking action on the climate crisis.

UKSCN Logo (Source: Raise The Alarm)
The UKSCN are adamant in their view that climate education should be compulsory within the educational system. Their aim for this, is that they believe then we won’t continue to make the same mistakes we have done and cause another global crisis. Their demands for the government is as follows:
  1. A government commissioned review into how the whole of the English education system is preparing students for the climate emergency and ecological crisis.
  2. An inclusion of the climate emergency and ecological crisis in teaching standards.
  3. An English Climate Emergency Education Act.
  4. A national climate emergency youth voice grant fund.
  5. A Youth Climate Endowment Fund.
  6. All new state-funded educational buildings should be net-zero by 2020, all existing by 2030.
I think what’s important to note here is that this is a student organisation. Therefore they are the ones that will experience these changes that they’re demanding. To me that strengths the case for including climate education into schools, as we see the demand coming from students themselves.

Earlier this year four secondary school students in Oxford started a petition to make climate change a core part of the national curriculum in England. Within writing this petition the students pointed out that climate change is supposed to be taught in geography and science, yet they “barely learnt about the climate crisis”. Therefore their point is to make it a “core part” of the curriculum, this means being able to learn about it in greater depth, not just a one off lesson here and there.

In response to this, BBC journalist John Simpson tweeted:

John Simpson's Tweet (Source: Twitter)

To which he got a response back from Toby Young, former director of the New Schools Network:

Toby Young's Tweet (Source: Twitter)
From what I mentioned earlier and the kids themselves addressing this, we already know there are snippets of climate change addressed within the curriculum. However nowhere near enough coverage, to which we can truly understand it. I think it’s safe to say that Mr Young didn’t quite understand the purpose of the petition. 

What does the national curriculum cover currently?
I thought it’d be useful to address what children are being taught currently. Including all aspects of the curriculum that involves climate change. 

Issues surrounding climate change are covered in both science and geography at Key Stage 3 (ages 11-14) and Key Stage 4 (ages 14-18). Both subjects are compulsory at Key Stage 3, however only science is compulsory at Key Stage 4. 

The science Key Stage 3 curriculum includes:
  • “The production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the impact on the climate”.
Science Key Stage 4 covers:
  • “Evidence and uncertainties in evidence, for additional anthropogenic causes of climate change”.
  • “Potential effects of, and mitigation of, increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane on the Earth’s climate”.
Geography Key Stage 3 and 4 covers:
  • “Weather and climate, including the change in climate from the Ice Age to the present”.
  • “How human and physical processes interact to influence, and change landscapes, environments and the climate; and how human activity relies on effective functioning of natural systems”.
All of this information I found on the UK’s Independent Factchecking Charity website. 

So what do you think? Do you think there should be set classes within the curriculum that teaches children about the climate and this crisis we are facing? Let me know your thoughts down below!

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Check out my previous blog: https://www.tellusabouttheenvironment.com/2019/10/tellus-natural-wonders-of-autumn.html
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