Dear Colleagues 

The Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy for the Education and Children’s Services Systems is designed to support the education sector in the UK in playing a critical role in positively responding to climate change and inspiring action. Through the delivery of the strategy’s commitments and funded initiatives, the Department is helping to create a sustainable future through education, developing the skills needed for a green economy, supporting our sectors to reach net zero targets and adapting to climate change.   

Curriculum and climate leadership:  

Having talked to young people and stakeholders, we believe that we can make a significant impact in improving climate education by giving teachers more support and training. So, we have implemented measures set out in the strategy to support teachers to feel more confident in teaching about climate change and nature.  Climate change and sustainability is now included in science teacher’s continuous professional development (CPD) to help ensure young people receive high-quality teaching on the scientific facts about climate change and environmental degradation. We have also committed to include content on sustainability when DfE is tendering for new CPD, where it is relevant to the subject area.   

The National Education Nature Park online hub provides free access to high-quality curriculum resources, so that teachers in all settings and subjects can confidently use materials that will support the teaching of sustainability and climate change. Our new network of Climate Ambassadors provides access to local expert support and peer to peer learning opportunities, and the Oak National Academy has released a primary science curriculum that includes an emphasis on nature.   

Extensive stakeholder engagement has highlighted that settings and trusts have the greatest success in driving change where there is leadership for sustainability with authority, knowledge and commitment and a holistic plan is in place. DfE’s Sustainability Support Programme will support all settings to establish sustainability leadership and develop and implement a climate action plan, covering curricular and extra-curricular activity, procurement, adaptation, and decarbonisation.   

We’ve announced that we’ll be holding an independent review to refresh the curriculum and make sure it meets the needs of every child and young person.  We will first be engaging with teaching professionals and other experts, parents, children and young people to understand what the review should look to address. The review will publish recommendations in 2025.   

Well-being  

DfE recognises that the challenge of climate change is formidable and fully acknowledges that for children and young people to meet it with determination, knowledge and positivity. Learners need to know the truth about climate change – through knowledge-rich education. They must also be given the hope that they can be agents of change, through hands-on activity and, as they progress, through guidance and programmes enabling them to develop green skills and access green careers.  

Empowering young people is an important factor in addressing climate anxiety. The strategy sets out initiatives for children and young people to take positive climate action and drive solutions. For example, the National Education Nature Park launched in October 2023 and is being evaluated through the evaluation framework which launched in January 2024. It brings together all the land from across education settings into a vast virtual nature park, enabling children and young people to take practical action to improve the biodiversity of their setting’s grounds while learning about nature’s role in climate change. This initiative provides educational opportunities for children and young people to take part in community science, in biodiversity monitoring, mapping and data analysis - learning important knowledge for the future, underpinned by a strong foundation in numeracy. It helps children and young people develop their connection to nature as well as supporting their mental and physical wellbeing by being outside.   

Buildings  

In addition to being safe and well-maintained, it is important that schools and colleges are energy efficient so they can provide the best possible learning environments for young people, minimise operating costs and reduce carbon emissions. A focus on supporting local sustainability leadership will ensure nurseries, schools and colleges are supported to develop action plans to improve climate education, reduce energy use and increase their climate resilience through adaptation initiatives.   

The department’s Plan, Inspire, Act approach is promoting innovation, collaborative opportunities such as the Net Zero Accelerator Service to provide responsible bodies with a low burden service to help improve their estate. This will include the development of a clear hierarchy of interventions, most likely to be – condition and basic fabric improvement, adaptation measures, energy efficiency measures, energy generation and then heat decarbonisation. LocatED, one of DfE's Arm's Length Bodies, is currently leading an Invitation to Tender to pilot the service throughout 2024-25 with 50 schools and colleges. The pilot will demonstrate the potential range of decarbonisation interventions and condition/fabric improvements that could be delivered, the associated reduction in carbon produced and energy consumed to inform future steps.   

Kind Regards