How does it fit in with the National Curriculum?
The national curriculum for England recognises the importance of sustainable
development and the need for education to promote it.
The introductory section states:
"Education is... a route to equality of opportunity for all, a
healthy and just democracy, a productive economy and sustainable development.
(The curriculum) should develop pupils’ awareness and understanding
of, and respect for, the environments in which they live, and secure
their commitment to sustainable development at a personal, local, national
and global level.
It also gives a definition of education for sustainable development (ESD):
Education for sustainable development enables pupils to develop the
knowledge, skills, understanding and values to participate in decisions
about the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally
and globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging
the planet for the future."
From
the National Curriculum website:- Values, Aims and Purposes of National
Curriculum for England
(See The Reference section for links to more information
aboutESD and the Curriculum in Northern Ireland, Scotalnd and Wales (24)
)
Education for Sustainable Development has links with many broader features
of the National Curriculum, such as Spiritual, Moral and Cultural Development,
Learning across the Curriculum (especially Key Skills and Thinking Skills),
Citizenship and PSHE24. It is also explicitly part of certain subject
programmes of study, such as Geography, Science and Design Technology.
Building ESD into the curriculum as an entitlement is crucial to its wider
understanding and acceptability, as HMI / Ofsted research has noted:
“For many of the pupils interviewed in the schools visited, the
profile of ESD is raised when it becomes an integral part of the curriculum.
Where heads of department or subject co-ordinators review and, where necessary,
revise their schemes of work to include opportunities to promote ESD,
this reinforces a greater understanding of the key concepts and continues
to develop positive attitudes and values towards sustainability issues
across the whole school.” (25)
An Action Plan for Sustainable Development
The Department for Education and Skills has also produced an
Action Plan for Sustainable Development, with four main objectives: promoting
education for sustainable development in the curriculum; reducing the
environmental impact of the Department and its partner bodies; reducing
the environmental impact of the education estate; and promoting local
partnership activity. (www.dfes.gov.uk/sd/actionplan.shtml
)
References
23 ESD and curriculum links:-
For Northern Ireland see http://www.ccea.org.uk/
For Scotland see http://www.ltscotland.org.uk/
For Wales see http://www.accac.org.uk/
24 Education for Sustainable Development explained:
http://www.nc.uk.net/esd
25 Taking the first step forward......Towards an education
for sustainable development: Good practice in primary and secondary schools.
Ofsted / HMI 2003
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/
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