Curriculum making and climate change and sustainability education: a case study of school teachers' practices from England, UK

Abstract

School-based climate change and sustainability education are widely understood as a vital response to the triple environmental crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. This current research analyses over 700 responses from a national survey of teachers working in England to explore teachers’ curriculum making activities and the sites in which these occur, in the context of climate change and sustainability education (CCSE). Micro and nano sites of curriculum making were the most prominent in the responses provided. A central barrier to curriculum making is understood to be the content-heavy nature of the National Curriculum in England and the low visibility of climate change and sustainability in both the National Curriculum and examination specifications. Enablers and barriers include the level of personal motivation of teaching staff and students to engage with climate change and sustainability education, the extent to which school leaders provide support, the availability of no-cost and high-quality resources, and meso-level support and opportunities for teachers to develop their knowledge and confidence in relation to climate change and sustainability. At a time of curriculum review in England, we highlight the opportunity for policy makers to reconsider the orientation of the National Curriculum such that, consistent with the practices of teachers in relation to climate change and sustainability education, it combines a reduced focus on academic rationalism and social efficiency with an increased emphasis on social reconstructionism.