Commenting as Secretary of State for Education announces a range of measures
designed to ‘put climate change at the heart of education’ in his
speech at COP26 today, James Bowen, director of policy for school
leaders’ union NAHT, said:
“School are fully committed to playing their part in tackling
climate change. There is a huge amount of good work already
taking place in schools to reduce their carbon footprint, and we
know this generation of pupils are passionate about bringing
about meaningful change.
“A coherent national strategy is essential if we are to see real
impact. The government must be truly ambitious, not just looking
to new buildings, but also at how the existing school estate can
be made as environmentally friendly as possible.
“Many schools are already actively teaching pupils about the
importance of conserving and protecting our planet through their
existing curriculum. It’s vital that any work on a new model
curriculum is developed in close consultation with the profession
and builds on the excellent work already taking place.”
Graham Frost, NAHT national executive member and headteacher of
Robert Ferguson Primary School in Carlisle, who proposed a motion
encouraging the teaching of the climate crisis to NAHT’s annual
conference in 2019, said:
“Education is almost universally considered the means by which we
build for a better future, so we simply have to equip children
with the knowledge they need to challenge politicians and
business leaders to act urgently on climate change.
“School leaders cannot ignore the growing pupil voice on climate
change, and children cannot articulately challenge the
powers-that-be without being educated. I have seen young people
speak truth to power. I have also witnessed their despair with
elected officials who think personal changes such as using a
different soap or recycling plastic is sufficient response to
looming environmental catastrophe. Equipped with scientific
knowledge, our pupils can see that system-wide technological,
political, sociological and economic changes on at a local and
global level are urgently and desperately needed.”
