Putting climate change at the heart of education: Is England’s strategy a placebo for policy?

Abstract

The paper sought perspectives from youth, teachers, and teacher educators on how climate change can go beyond providing resources and opportunities for teacher training. These areas for action include: (1) government; (2) school leadership; (3) curriculum, pedagogy and assessment; (4) teacher education and CPD; and (5) community partnerships. Moreover, the stakeholders call for recognition for climate change education to cut across disciplines, including citizenship, economics, geography, which critically examines political decision-making and (in)action. The paper also touches on the notion of how teachers perceive the educational attention between capitalism and climate change as a risky activity where there are mandates and guidelines related to schools’ position on political impartiality. The study situated in England, identify the attempts to depoliticise sustainability and climate change education, transferring responsibility to schools and teachers, without the budgetary commitment to ensure teachers have time to plan and respond to the demands of climate change for their specific subject. This contrasts with what stakeholders want from their leaders; they see economic priorities as part of the problem, demand environmental rather than economic sustainability and call for pro-­environmental action at all levels, including from policymakers.