Help the national curriculum connect children to nature

Children need nature for their health and wellbeing, their education, and the development of vital social skills. However, today's children are less connected to nature than ever before and they’re missing out on these benefits. An additional, disturbing, consequence is that they’re less likely to take action to save nature now and in the future.

A great tool that governments can use to help children develop a connection to nature is the national curriculum. Through this they can ensure there are opportunities for children to experience it firsthand, to learn about ecology and the environment, and about how humans can impact on nature.

As you may have seen in the press recently, the Department for Education is currently consulting on reforms to the national curriculum for 5-14 year-olds in England. You have the opportunity to respond until 16 April, and we’d encourage you to do so if you have 10 minutes to spare.

As you’ll see from the points below, there are wider implications for saving nature. Therefore, if you do respond, we’d like you to forward your response to your MP and ask them to write to Richard Benyon MP (Minister for Environment) to encourage the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to fully engage with the reform of the national curriculum.

Here are a few points you could raise in your response in relation to the draft programmes of study:

• We welcome the requirement for environmental and ecological knowledge in science; starting with learning to name plants and animals, and progressing to learn about habitats, evolution, and “the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the impact on climate”.
• We also welcome the statutory requirement for fieldwork throughout geography, and ‘working scientifically’ (including real world learning experiences) across science.
• We would remind Government of its ambition, in the 2011 Natural Environment White Paper, “to see every child in England given the opportunity to experience and learn about the natural environment... [and] to help people take more responsibility for their environment...”
• We would also remind Government of their 2010 commitment to help deliver the global UN target that, “By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it sustainably”.

Given the scale of these challenges, we feel that additions must be made to the statutory requirements:

• The role of geography across all key stages must be expanded to include inspiring a sense of environmental responsibility, and growing knowledge of ecosystem services, the conservation of biodiversity and how human activity and natural processes can lead to changes in the environment.
• Learning in science must be expanded to recognise that environments are constantly changing as a result of natural processes and human activity, and that this can sometimes pose dangers to specific habitats and species, including humans.

Please e-mail your response to the consultation to NationalCurriculum.CONSULTATION@education.gsi.gov.uk by 16 April.

To find out who your MP is and how to contact them you can visit the UK Parliament website, or you could use the Write to Them website. Please let us know if you’ve taken part by commenting on this post or by e-mailing campaigns@rspb.org.uk – we’d also be interested to see any replies you receive.

Thanks for your help!