Embedding Sustainability Into The Curriculum

 By Divisha Patel

As mentioned in the previous blog post, teaching sustainability is becoming increasingly important as schools and other educational organisations take steps to develop the Department for Education’s initiative titled: ‘Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy’. In the past few months, WA has made steps in developing how we discuss these issues with the students, including hosting a weekly climate change club; continuing to promote Meat-Free Mondays; electing Sir David Attenborough as a house hero; hosting the Grantham Institute to teach Year 10 about the importance of managing climate change; and working with UCL’s new Centre for Climate Change and Sustainability Education. The steps the school has taken put us in great stead on ‘Action Area 1’ on the government’s strategy shown here. Action Area 1 promotes the importance of learning in and about the natural environment as well as supporting teachers in both primary and secondary classrooms.  

This post is the second post of three: 

1. Where to start? This was posted in October 2022

2. Current opportunities and curriculum planning

3. Goals for the future

In order to write this, I reached out to three middle leaders about how they were incorporating sustainability within their subjects. 

English - Izzy Hilliard, KS3 Coordinator for English

As part of the English curriculum in Y7, we make our non-fiction writing unit all about climate change. For instance, one of the articles that the Y7 students have to write is pretending they are undertaking an initiative that will promote sustainability at Westminster Academy. Some students talk about making posters; planting a garden; doing a clothes swap etc. This is a great way to engage students with the concept of advocacy whilst also developing their transactional writing skills. We also read speeches by sustainability and climate change pioneers such as Greta Thunberg and David Attenborough that the students attempt to mimic, with the use of key literary devices such as persuasive writing and emotive language.

Geography - Lucy Taylor, Geography Coordinator

In Geography, when planning the new Key Stage 3 curriculum, we ensured we included lessons on sustainability and/or climate change in every single unit we teach. It is a key geographical concept that bridges both human and physical geography and therefore it is essential students have an in-depth understanding. An example of this is within the Y7 unit of Australasia, students study the challenges the indigenous groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders face and one of these is how they are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change compared to other groups within Australia. Within Y8 during the Africa unit students will study how different groups across the continent are tackling climate change through initiatives such as the Great Green Wall, whilst also introducing them to the concept of sustainability being broken down into economic sustainability, social sustainability, and environmental sustainability. In Y9, students study Central America and within this unit they look at how ecotourism is a sustainable way to contribute to the economy whilst preserving fragile environments. At both GCSE and IB geography studying climate change and sustainability is a core part of the course, so they can apply the knowledge they learnt at Key Stage 3 and gain a deeper geographical understanding of the physical and human causes of climate change and the various approaches that may be used to tackle climate change and promote sustainable living across the globe. 

Science - Jennifer Scott, KS3 Coordinator for Science 

In Science, we have climate change and sustainability built into the curriculum and across units. For example in KS3, students consider the composition of the atmosphere and how this is impacted by pollution/carbon emissions, and the effects of this. They also consider energy efficiency and how to insulate a home to avoid energy being wasted. In KS4, students study in more detail how the atmosphere has changed over time, not only due to recent human impact but over millions of years. We also look at 'life cycle assessments' - a tool for evaluating the environmental impact of a product all the way from the extraction of materials to its use and disposal or recycling. Another consideration is the environmental impact of extracting metals from ores using different methods. In KS5, ESS takes the obvious lead on environmental studies, but through all subjects this is a consideration. For example, in practical IAs, one key aspect is the consideration of the environmental impact of the use and disposal of materials for students' chosen investigations.

How could you use this in your own teaching: 

• How does your current curriculum support the sustainability initiative? 
• How do you approach these ideas when they arise within your curriculum? 

If anyone is interested in developing how they teach about climate change further, UCL is hosting a free webinar in the Summer Term: 

Webinar: Teaching about climate change: Principles and Priorities (4 July 2022)