National Climate Education Action Plan update

Young people across the UK are benefiting from improved education on climate change and its impacts, thanks to ongoing work led by the University and a host of national partners.

In 2021, the University brought together young people, scientists, teachers and educationalists, policymakers and campaigners to create the National Climate Education Action Plan – a 9-point plan to give school and college pupils greater access to quality climate knowledge and skills to be part of climate change solutions.

This has led to more than 80,000 young learners benefiting from our Climate Ambassadors scheme, while our Institute of Education is supporting trainee teachers to boost their knowledge and confidence to incorporate climate education into all their lessons.

On International Day of Climate Action (24 October), we bring you an update on the Action Plan and how you can get involved.

Find out more information about the University of Reading’s work on climate education on our Partnering for the Planet website.

Continuing to work together to make change happen

The University continues to chair the National Climate Education Action Plan (NCEAP) Group and, in line with Action 7 in the Plan, meet every six months.

The Group has grown substantially in size as more organisations join us to collaborate and drive action together.

National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Award scheme

The Natural History Museum is leading a partnership to take forward the National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Award scheme, which launched on 4 October 2023.

These programmes will provide excellent opportunities for more outdoor learning for all young people, and help them develop their knowledge about nature as well as skills in numeracy and data science.

Find out more about the National Education Nature Park and Climate Action Award.

A Climate Action Plan for each educational setting

In its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, the Department for Education (DfE) outlined its vision for all education settings to have a Climate Action Plan in place by 2025.

Climate education is a key area, empowering teachers and school leaders to ensure there is time for it within and beyond the teaching day. This vision takes steps to address Action 3 and Action 9.

The DfE’s strategy has a goal of establishing a nominated sustainability lead by 2025 in each educational setting, who will own the local Climate Action Plan. This move towards identified leadership aligns with Action 4.

In spring 2023, the University of Reading welcomed a group of local schools to participate in a pilot workshop, a first step towards helping providers to think about how individual Climate Education Plans might be developed.

Climate Ambassador Scheme

The Climate Ambassador Scheme, led collaboratively by the University of Reading and STEM Learning, gives UK schools and colleges access to free support and guidance from sustainability experts in universities and research institutions.

Since the Scheme launched in 2022 in response to Action 8, Climate Ambassadors have reached over 80,000 young learners. They can support in a number of ways, including connecting with young people, teachers, governors and others involved in school or college leadership.

Find out more about the Climate Ambassador Scheme, including how to become an Ambassador and how to request support for your school or college.

Empowering teacher trainers and initial teacher trainees

The University of Reading’s Institute of Education developed the Climate Education and Sustainability Initial Teacher Education (ITE) Framework, which is now shared, for free, to support training providers.

This framework empowers trainee teachers to develop their knowledge and understanding of the climate crisis, to enable them to support the young people they go on to teach in these areas.

Find out more about the Climate Education and Sustainability ITE Framework.

Accredited teacher professional development and quality resources

Action 1 and Action 6 in the NCEAP focus on accredited continuing professional development (CPD) for school and college staff, and a national scheme of quality assurance for climate education teaching resources.

A group of organisations, led by the RMetS (The Royal Meteorological Society) and the Geographical Association, is working on a pilot project to quality assure climate-related resources for teaching. The Group also plans to address gaps in resource provision for SEND (special education needs and disabilities) pupils.

EAUC is leading work to map continued professional development opportunities, while work is ongoing to map out where and how climate could feature within the existing curriculum.