Education: Standards

(asked on 1st June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will take steps to introduce standards of learning for sustainability similar to those introduced by the General Teaching Council for Scotland.


Answered by
Nick Gibb Portrait
Nick Gibb
This question was answered on 9th June 2020

It is important for young people to learn about climate change and sustainability issues. That is why both are included as part of the science and geography curricula and qualifications.

For example, in primary science pupils are taught about how environments can change as a result of human actions. In secondary science, pupils are taught about the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the effect this has on the climate. In GCSE science pupils consider the evidence for additional anthropogenic causes of climate change.

As part of GCSE geography pupils study the causes, consequences, and responses to extreme weather conditions and natural weather hazards. In 2017, the Department also introduced a new environmental science A level. This enables students to study topics that will support their understanding of climate change and sustainability.

Schools and teachers are free to go beyond the areas set out in the National Curriculum and can deliver more in-depth teaching of the topics. The curriculum deliberately gives teachers and schools the flexibility to decide how it should be taught. Pupils’ knowledge of these areas of the curriculum will be assessed through teacher and school assessment and relevant qualifications. The quality of education provided at a school, including curriculum coverage, is a central part of Ofsted’s inspection framework. The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual) regulates qualifications (including GCSEs and A levels), examinations and assessments in England.

Sustainability content will also be included in T levels - the new post-16 technical study programmes. When designing outline course content for the technical qualifications, the T level panels of employers and industry experts must consider sustainability where relevant to their sector. For example, in the Construction and Engineering and Manufacturing routes, T level students will be required to learn about renewable energy and emerging technologies to support energy efficiency.

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