Climate change and sustainability: curriculum

Introduction

‘No one will protect what they don’t care about; and no one will care about what they have never experienced.’ Sir David Attenborough

A connection with nature is linked with pro-environmental behaviours and providing opportunities to make this connection within the curriculum will inspire children to be guardians of the natural world. It is critical that every child, through the whole curriculum, becomes engaged with climate and environmental issues and feel that their voices are heard and that they are empowered to take action. The curriculum should provide opportunities to explore both the global and local challenges and solutions, including the role played by technology and the social responsibility for all of us in our everyday lives.

3 actions you can take now:

1. Review, enrich and embed opportunities for children to connect with nature and the outdoors throughout the whole curriculum.
2. Explore opportunities, throughout the curriculum, to raise awareness of and limit waste within the school and local environment (e.g. energy, food, plastic, paper, clothes, water etc.)
3. Consider how the curriculum can develop pupil agency to address environmental issues within the school, local community and beyond.

Resources to inspire

Below you will find a selection of resources to inspire your next steps related to each of the suggested actions.

Other resources to explore

Action Aid UK

Action Aid UK have created teaching resources, activities and PowerPoints for keys stages 1-4, covering food, water and climate change adaptation.

Action Aid: Teaching resources

British Council

The British Council have created classroom resources for primary and secondary school pupils. All activities support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal on climate action. Topics covered: climate change, water, life on land, air pollution, rising sea levels, energy, and waste.

British Council: Climate resources for teachers

Carbon Partners

Carbon Partners is a registered charity funded by UK Aid looking to develop sustainable school partnerships. They use carbon footprinting to provide real and tangible examples, empowering students to make a difference. Their resources include a school electricity carbon calculator and carbon footprint calculator, as well as activities and lesson plans on energy, water, waste, transport, biodiversity, and food.

Carbon Partners: Resources

Climate Detectives worldwide schools project 

Teams of students (ages 8 - 15), supported by their teacher, are called to make a difference by identifying a climate problem; investigating it by using available Earth Observation data or taking measurements on the ground; then proposing a way to help reduce the problem, as individuals and citizens. Share evidence of their actions. Support from scientists.

STEM Learning: Support your students in becoming climate detectives

Green Choices

Green Choices have collated primary school resources on climate change and sustainability, for subject such as English, maths, science, DT, geography and art.

Green Choices: Teachers resources

Green Schools Project

The Green Schools Project offer primary and secondary school resources to help schools become carbon neutral and take climate action. Teachers can access a coordinator guide, information and activities about the climate and ecological crisis, as well as guidance on how to run projects such as energy saving, youth activism, wildlife, food, waste and more.

Green Schools Project 

NASA Climate Kids

NASA have developed a website for children to explore and learn about climate change. The online resources including activities, games, videos and articles, covering the weather and climate, the atmosphere, water, energy and plants and animals.

NASA: Climate change for kids 

National Geographic

National Geographic have created primary school resources on climate change and the environment. The resources cover the SDGs, sustainable living, circular economy, plastic pollution and water conservation.

National Geographic: Climate change primary resource

National Geographic: Primary teacher resources 

The Royal Society

Royal Society partnership grants for schools to apply to create opportunities for pupils to:

• develop problem solving and data handling skills
• demonstrate their creativity
• have a voice in the direction of scientific research by working with their STEM partner

The projects are run in partnership with STEM professionals from industry and academia. The next application cycle begins in November.

The Royal Society: Tomorrow's climate scientists

Sustainability and Environmental Education (SEEd)

SEEd is registered charity looking to embed sustainability into school education. They have complied online learning resources for all key stages, including: interactive mixed media websites, online courses, webinars, talks and podcasts, videos, reading and articles, and teacher resources. Their resources cover nature and biodiversity, habitats and homes, energy and climate change, equality and justice, health and wellbeing, water, green growth and economics, food and farming and campus facilities.

SEEd: Resources

Sustainable St Albans

Sustainable St Albans have collated resources for teaching students inside and outside the classroom and training staff to teach climate change confidently. Their primary and secondary climate change resources cover a wide range of topics such as energy, wildlife, food and gardening, as well as addressing how teachers can talk to children about climate change and understand eco-anxiety. Sustainable St Albans have also created three assemblies, each of which are 15 minutes long and are accompanied with a teacher’s guidance note and some further information which can be sent home to families, all of which is free to download from their website.

Sustainable St Albans: Sustainable schools

Teach Starter

Teach Starter have created a collection of primary teaching resources on sustainability. Resources include posters, worksheets, comprehension pieces and lesson plans including information on natural resources, recycling, sustainable practices for an environmentally friendly classroom and much more.

Teach Starter: Sustainability teaching resources (primary)

Transform Our World

Transform Our World is a resource hub to help teachers bring environmental action into the classroom for all key stages, from individual lesson plans and assemblies, to full-scale year-long programmes on a range of sustainability and environment-based topics. The resources cover climate, energy, food and consumption, pollution and waste, the SDGs, values and wellbeing, biodiversity, water, and environmental careers.

Transform our World: Top resources for teachers

The Wildlife Trusts

Nature's Climate Heroes" is an inquiry-based learning resource aimed at 7-11 year olds. It's designed to support children to:

• understand the connections between nature, climate change and people.
• investigate how nature helps our fight against climate change.
• discover what small and local actions can be taken to give nature a boost in this bigger fight.

Wildlife Watch: Nature's climate heroes

WWF

WWF have created classroom resources, activities, and classroom presentations for primary and secondary schools, across a wide range of environmental topics and themes. From rainforests to rivers, climate change to citizenship, pupils will learn about our planet and the environmental challenges it faces and how we can all take action.

WWF: Schools resources

Share your successes

We are keen to hear from schools on the actions they are taking to reduce climate change. Contact us at climateactionschools@hertfordshire.gov.uk to share your success stories. The most inspiring will feature in our planned digital publication “Inspiring Stories to Reduce Climate Change in Schools”.