Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the role of schools in helping pupils understand the implications of climate change for public health, the economy and national resilience.

Young people have consistently expressed a strong desire for greater depth in climate change, nature and sustainability education. This is an engaging topic for young people and is important in preparing them for life and work in a changing world.

Last year, Professor Becky Francis led an independent review of the national curriculum and made several recommendations for earlier sequencing and updated environmental content within the national curriculum subjects of citizenship, geography, science, and design and technology. There will be a public consultation on the proposals for the new national curriculum in due course.

Alongside this, the department funds resources to support schools to teach these topics through Oak National Academy and the National Education Nature Park.