Memorandum from the Department for Education
and Skills
INTRODUCTION
1. This note by officials provides general
background on the contribution of the Department for Education
and Skills to raising awareness of sustainable development, including
education for sustainable development (ESD). A final memorandum,
including more detailed information is to follow by 27 February.
2. Our memorandum to the Committee in February
2002 on preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD), usefully set out our overall approach to sustainable development.
A copy is attached at Annex A for ease of reference.
Key points are:
3. The Department for Education and Skills
has a direct impact on several of the Government's seven sustainable
development priorities as set out in the UK Strategy for Sustainable
Development, in particular:
— more investment in people and
equipment for a competitive economy; and
— improving larger towns and cities
to make them better places to live and work.
4. The Department's Strategic Framework,
published in October 2001 and revised in December 2002, states
the aim of the DfES as to "help build a competitive economy
and inclusive society by:
— Creating opportunities for everyone
to develop their learning.
— Realising potential in people
to make the most of themselves.
— Achieving excellence in standards
of education and levels of skills."
("Education and Skills: Delivering
Results—a strategy to 2006", page 4).
5. We will deliver "An Investment Strategy
for schools, colleges and universities, which encourages sustainable
development and modernises the estate. It must be fit for the
learning needs of the Twenty-first century, helping to enrich
communities and make towns and cities better places in which to
live and work" (Education and Skills: Delivering Results—a
strategy to 2006, page 17).
6. To achieve our goals it is vital that
we work effectively with our partners. "Meeting our targets
can only be achieved if we involve partners, including customers,
in the development and delivery of our policies." ("Education
and Skills: Delivering Results—a strategy to 2006",
page 18).
REPORTING OUR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
IMPACTS
7. The Department reports its sustainable
development impacts through cross-Government reports co-ordinated
for Cabinet Sub-committee ENV(G) (Green Ministers) by the Department
for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). These include
the Sustainable Development in Government report and the Government
Annual Report on Sustainable Development. The Department is also
represented by officials on the Green Ministers Official Working
Group, which meets on a regular basis throughout the year.
8. As part of Spending Review 2002, we also,
in common with other departments, reported privately to HM Treasury
on the sustainable development impacts of our spending proposals.
9. In response to new targets set out in
the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate[1],
we will launch from April 2003, new pages on the Department's
website, which will bring together publicly in one place information
about all our sustainable development impacts, including progress
towards the UK sustainable development indicators. This will include
the environmental impacts of the Department's comparatively small
estate as well as our key policies.
OUR MAIN
IMPACTS
10. The Department for Education and Skills
has a significant impact in England on the social and economic
aspects of sustainable development through its core business of
raising educational standards and improving skills. It has comparatively
less direct impact on environmental matters than those of other
Government departments, such as the Department for Transport or
the Ministry of Defence both in terms of the size of estate and
its business. Although education is central to this department's
business, raising awareness of sustainable development is a cross
Government responsibility.
11. Some of the key current activities to
promote and develop understanding of sustainable development are
set out below. Further detail will be supplied in our final memorandum.
INDICATORS
12. The Department for Education and Skills
is responsible for one of the headline UK sustainable development
indicators, and influences 8 of the lower ("national")
indicators. We have direct responsibility for the main element
of the fifth headline indicator H5: the percentage of 19-year-olds
in England achieving level 2 qualifications. We also have an interest
in part of headline indicator H4 on poverty and social exclusion:
the proportion of work-age people in England without a qualification.
(Please refer to Annex A, paragraphs 6-9.)
THE CURRICULUM
IN SCHOOLS
THE NATIONAL
CURRICULUM (ANNEX
A, PARA 2 REFERS)
13. Following a recommendation from the
Sustainable Development Education Panel, the revised National
Curriculum, introduced in 2000, saw education for sustainable
development (ESD) become a statutory requirement within Geography,
Science, Citizenship and design and technology. (Detailed breakdown
at Annex B.)
14. Geography plays a significant
part in ESD through:
— Developing pupil's knowledge
and understanding of the concept of ESD and the skills needed
to act upon it, for example, as part of a Local Agenda 21 initiative.
— Developing pupil's knowledge
and understanding of key concepts of sustainable development,
such as interdependence, quality of life and diversity.
— Developing pupil's skills of
critical enquiry and an ability to handle and interpret information.
— Exploring values and attitudes
about complex issues, such as resource use and global development.
15. Science. Statutory requirements
for ESD develop pupils' skills in decision making on the basis
of sound science. They explore the values and ethics relating
to the applications of science and technology and developing pupils'
knowledge and understanding of some key concepts, such as diversity
and interdependence.
16. Citizenship's statutory requirements
for ESD develop pupils' skills in and commitment to, effective
participation in the democratic and other decision making processes
that affect the quality, structure and health of environments
and society. They explore the values that determine people's actions
within society, the economy and the environment.
17. Design and Technology. The statutory
requirements for ESD within design and technology develops knowledge
and understanding of the principles of sustainable design and
production systems, developing skills in creative problem solving
and evaluation and exploring values and ethics in relation to
the application of design and technology.
OPPORTUNITIES IN
OTHER NATIONAL
CURRICULUM SUBJECTS
18. There are also opportunities to promote
education for sustainable development in other subjects, and to
use sustainable development as a stimulating context for learning
across the curriculum.
19. Art and design provides opportunities
for ESD, through developing pupils knowledge and understanding
of the role of art and design in shaping sustainable environments
and exploring values and ethics within art and design.
20. Information and Design Technology.
Information and communication technologies (ICT) provide opportunities
for ESD, through developing pupils' understanding of the implications
of ICT for working life, society and the environment
21. History provides opportunities
for ESD, through developing pupils' skills of enquiry, critical
thinking and communication and knowledge and understanding of
how past actions, choices and values may impact on future societies,
economies and environments.
22. Physical education. Through
physical education, pupils' develop knowledge and understanding
of healthy lifestyles, and of different and challenging environments.
EDUCATION FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
(ESD) WEBSITE
23. In January 2001, the Department commissioned
and funded the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) to
develop web-based material to guide and support schools in meeting
the requirements of, and developing the opportunities for, education
for sustainable development.
24. The first phase of the project led to
the development of a web site designed to: increase understanding
of education for sustainable development; show clearly and concisely
the requirements and opportunities for ESD across all subjects
in the revised National Curriculum; and provide a single reference
point that provides links to other web based material relevant
to education for sustainable development.
25. Funding was also provided by the Department
for the development of the second phase (May 2001-March 2002)
which led to the extension of the web site to: disseminate examples
of effective practice in ESD across a range of subjects and contexts,
and provide guidance on the management of school development in
this area.
26. The third phase (April 2002-March 2003),
again funded by this department, includes:
— A review of current case studies
to identify gaps, ways in which they could be improved, leading
to improvements in current studies and the addition of new ones
in subjects and phases not adequately covered.
— Guidance on the opportunities
for ESD in the QCA/Department for Education and Skills schemes
of work.
— Guidance on the requirements
and opportunities for ESD in GCSE and AS/A level qualifications.
— Guidance on opportunities for
ESD in the Foundation stage areas of learning.
— Consideration of overall legibility
of site, including work to improve navigation.
— Maintenance of the site.
27. Work is currently underway to add a
fourth stand to the site which will include continuing professional
development and initial teacher training activities and the possibility
of adding an interactive element.
EDUCATION INITIATIVES
28. The Committee has asked for some examples
of current, key initiatives. These include the Growing Schools
initiative that will promote the outdoor classroom, with the emphasis
on growing, farming and the environment. Other examples are:
— the secondment to the Department
of an expert ESD adviser from the Council for Environmental Education;
— Teacher Training Agency Subject
Specialist Induction Packs; and
— Classrooms of the Future.
29. More detail on these can be found at
paragraphs 1-4 of our February 2002 memorandum (Annex A). Further
detail will be provided in our final submission.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
EDUCATION PANEL
(SDEP)
30. The Committee will be aware of the Department's
co-sponsorship with Defra of the Sustainable Development Education
Panel (SDEP)—please cross-refer to the Defra memorandum
to the Committee, which provides details.
31. At the 1995 conference "Environment
and Education: The Way Forward", hosted by the then Secretaries
of State for Education and Employment and for the Environment,
the idea of a series of conferences on policy development had
been aired, but a year later, a panel was now judged likely to
be more effective. A joint Department for Education and Employment
(now Department for Education and Skills) and Department for Environment,
Transport and Regions (DETR) leaflet was published in July 1996
entitled The Government's Strategy for Environmental Education
in England which stated that the Government intended to appoint
such a panel, for England only.
32. In March 1997, the sustainable development
charity Forum for the Future and DETR sponsored a one-day seminar
with the aim of developing an action plan to take forward the
ideas of Taking Environmental Education into the Twenty-first
Century. Their conclusions influenced the terms of reference
and nature of the Panel.
33. The Panel's remit is to identify gaps,
opportunities, priorities and partnerships for action in providing
ESD in England, and to highlight good practice. Its members are
drawn from education, the voluntary sector and business. Since
its establishment, the Panel has produced four annual reports
(a fifth is pending). Each annual report has contained recommendations
for actions for central government and other agencies. The Panel
has also participated in Government consultations, for example,
the review of the National Curriculum, the review of National
Training Organisations, and the 14-19 consultation.
34. In March 2002, Ministers announced the
Panel's routine quinquennial review. This was a review by Defra
officials, steered by a group including officials from this Department
and Defra, with some Panel members and independent, external experts.
35. The SDEP will be presenting a draft
ESD Strategy for England to the Environment Minister on 25 February,
who will receive it on behalf of Defra and the Department for
Education and Skills. Ministers are still discussing the future
of the Panel and how to take forward any proposals for a national
ESD strategy. It is too early, therefore, to comment further on
the proposals or on the form any national strategy should take,
though we can assume that the proposals would be subject to consultation
before final decisions are made.
ASSOCIATE BODIES
36. The Department's associate bodies—our
non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs)—have made good progress
in integrating and adopting the principles of sustainable development
and are actively taking steps to address any issues, as demonstrated
in our contribution to the Sustainable Development in Government
report. [2]
37. This has been in direct response to
an action plan which the Department sent to all NDPB Chief Executives
in October 2000. The action plan highlighted the requirement to:
promote sustainable development in their work and report on environmental
matters in their annual reports; consider how their organisations
activities and operations impacted on sustainable development;
develop indicators to act as a baseline to which future progress
in sustainable development could be measured; and establish an
awareness raising strategy. The Action Plan is attached at Annex
C.
38. Our final memorandum will provide details.
Key developments the Committee may wish to note have included:
— NDPBs have sought to raise awareness
in target groups including young mothers, under fives, community
leaders, teachers, local authority staff and stakeholders.
— The Learning and Skills Council
has funded eleven pilots identifying and sharing good practice
on education for sustainable development in the further education
sector. These will be evaluated later this year and will aid the
creation of a "toolkit" and a champions network to inform
and promote sustainable development.
INSIDE THE
DEPARTMENT FOR
EDUCATION AND
SKILLS
39. The Department continually seeks to
improve its environmental and sustainable developmental performance
and to manage its operations. Information about its performance
is also available online externally to the public through the
Sustainable Development in Government report. [3]
40. Within our everyday operations we aim
to help staff understand what sustainable development means and
how they can contribute to it through their everyday actions.
Activities to date have included: a tray drop to every member
of staff of an A5 laminated reference card setting out the key
principles of sustainable development; articles on the Department's
internal news centre (our intranet); and guidance for policy makers
on sustainable procurement. Sustainable development is referred
specifically in our in our Strategic Plan, embedded into our policy
development, estate and everyday operations.
41. Public campaigns. The Committee has
asked how the Department has contributed to any Government public
campaigns to promote sustainable development such as "Doing
your bit". We have promoted "Doing your bit"
to our staff through our Intranet and also at "service day"
events—that is, events for staff about the internal services
provided for them. The information has always been well received.
We have also included guidance from this campaign and energy efficiency
campaigns in specific (online) promotions such as for World Environment
Day. We also offer tailored presentations to staff on request.
42. Recycling schemes. Internal electronic
guidance on our intranet pages includes links to the official
Government sustainable development website and we continue to
raise issues through promotion of new initiatives: for example,
we recently introduced an innovative scheme to recycle batteries,
which was promoted electronically to staff and though a poster
campaign in our offices. This has been very well supported by
staff.
43. Officials also learn about environmental
issues through on-the-job training and written guidance, as well
as through formal courses provided by the Civil Service College
and other training providers. Operational staff are encouraged
to undertake any appropriate training or development in support
of their roles.
44. Additional evidence of other activities
and good practice can be found in the Sustainable Development
in Government Annual Report 2002. More details will follow in
our final memorandum.
12 February 2003
1 http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/improving/index.htm Back
2
http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/reports/ar2002/index.htm Back
3
http://www.sustainable-development.gov.uk/sdig/reports/ar2002/index.htm
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