Date – 19 October 2021
Time – 12:00 am
Westminster Education Forum policy conference
Greening the curriculum – qualifications, curriculum design and implementation, supporting teachers, and progression routes into further study and employment
Morning, Tuesday, 19th October 2021
This conference will discuss proposals for a new qualification in Natural History as well as wider considerations around incorporating the environment and sustainability themes into education provision in England.
This will be a timely opportunity to discuss priorities in the context of relevant developments, such as:
- the proposal for the new Natural History GCSE, put forward by OCR, which is currently being considered by the Department for Education
- campaigning by youth movements, such as Teach the Future and School Strike for Climate, to integrate further discussion on climate changeinto school curricula and faster action on tackling climate change
- wider discussion around policy priorities for tackling climate change ahead of the COP26 conference being hosted in Glasgow later this year
The conference will also be an opportunity to discuss the role of the education sector in improving understanding of the natural world, the practicalities of incorporating this into education, and fostering an awareness of environmental issues.
Discussion is also expected on key priorities for improving carbon literacy amongst young people, particularly in the wake of the publication of the findings of the recent UN IPCC report on climate change which has sparked considerable calls for faster action to tackle climate change.
We are pleased to be able to include keynote contributions from:
- Sir Tim Smit, Co-Founder, Eden Project
- Craig Bennett, Chief Executive Officer, The Wildlife Trusts
- Paul Steer, Head of Policy, OCR
- Dr Laura Colucci-Gray, Senior Lecturer in Science and Sustainability Education, University of Edinburgh
The discussion is bringing together stakeholders with key policy officials who are due to attend from the DfE; Defra; the Government Legal Department; the Intellectual Property Office; the Planning Inspectorate; Ofsted; and Ofwat – as well as parliamentary pass-holders from the House of Commons.
View the full Agenda here.