House of Commons - Environmental Audit

Select Committee on Environmental Audit Tenth Report

ARE WE USING ALL THE CHANNELS?

58. To flourish and endure, ESD needs to be reinforced and supported by the physical infrastructures, social institutions and cultural processes which people encounter in everyday life whether at school, work or home.

Formal education

AT SCHOOL

59. There is a vast range of ESD initiatives and resources for schools to draw upon, offered by a spectrum of agencies, NGOS and charities such as RSPB, WWF, Centre for Research, Education and Training in Energy (CREATE), Peace Child[54] and envision. Though welcome, these initiatives need to be effectively co-ordinated and targeted so that schools are not deluged with an unfocussed and bewildering array of ESD activity. The RSPB has already counted seventeen different schools packages on "improving your school grounds for wildlife".[55]

60. The joint DfES/Department of Health Healthy Schools initiative[56] uses a National Standard to co-ordinate its activities. This standard forms the basis of regional and local programmes and allows local initiatives and priorities to develop within an overall national framework.

61. The closest model in the ESD arena is the Eco-schools programme. This is a Europe-wide programme run by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE) and operated by ENCAMS (Environmental Campaigns Ltd) in the UK. Eco-schools provides a structured process to support schools to manage their environmental impact and make improvements to lessen any adverse impact. Schools are awarded a Green Flag award, renewable every two years, and permanent Eco-schools status if they receive the award four times. Currently over 457 schools have a Green Flag award and eighteen of these have permanent Eco-schools status.[57]

62. The Scottish Executive uses participation in Eco-schools to measure progress against one of its National Priorities for Education (NPs). NP4 is "to work with parents to teach pupils respect for self and one another and their interdependence with other members of their neighbourhood and society and to teach them the duties and responsibilities of citizenship in a democratic society".[58] One of the associated performance measures and quality indicators used to monitor the delivery of NP4 is the percentage of schools participating in the Eco-Schools Award or similar accredited environmental award.[59]

63. We believe that it is important that schools have the freedom to establish ESD learning programmes which suit their individual ethos and ways of working. However, their activity could be better supported by a national framework. We recommend that the DfES develops a National School Standard for ESD akin to that used for Healthy Schools.

64. We recognise Eco-schools as a valuable initiative in the promotion of ESD. However, we would not like to see DfES follow the example of the Scottish Executive and promote Eco-Schools, almost exclusively, as the key ESD model.

ESD and the National Curriculum

65. The review of the National Curriculum in September 2000 provided a key opportunity to incorporate ESD in both general guidance and specific requirements. Largely through the influence of the SDEP, the National Curriculum now states that pupils should "develop awareness and understanding of, and respect for, the environments in which they live, and secure their commitment to sustainable development at a personal, national and global level".[60] This overarching theme is supported by explicit, statutory requirements for ESD within Geography, Science, Citizenship and design and technology.

66. The National Curriculum describes Geography as "the focus within the curriculum for understanding and resolving issues about the environment and sustainable development" and also as "an important link between the natural and the social sciences".[61]

67. Geography has come to be seen as ESD's natural home and this is reflected in the positioning of ESD responsibilities in DfES, Ofsted and QCA. However, there is some debate as to the correct approach to ESD within schools. There are those who advocate ESD as a separate subject and those who want to see it effectively integrated across the curriculum. Some geographers have expressed concern that too much emphasis is being placed on teaching values and attitudes to the extent that the subject has become "less rigorous, less demanding and less interesting" as a whole.[62] Others see it as an opportunity to revitalise the subject and ensure its place in the curriculum.[63]

A cross-cutting theme?

68. The QCA is in charge of developing the school curriculum. It views ESD as "an approach to the whole curriculum and management of a school, not a new subject". As ESD has its roots in environmental and development education, the QCA maintains that many of the building blocks of ESD are already present in every school".[64]

69. Eight of the National Curriculum individual subject handbooks contain a statement about how that subject might promote ESD. The QCA has also issued support guidance which provides case studies and examples of how ESD can be developed through every subject in the curriculum. However, the QCA accepts that it is difficult to be prescriptive across the curriculum. ESD can provide a context for teaching subjects such as Mathematics and English for example, but it is one of many competing contexts.[65]

70. The QCA acknowledges that the history of the cross-curricula theme is not one that has been "littered by success".[66] Ofsted told us that not one cross-cutting theme has ever been successful.[67] Without a clear lead within the management team of a school, and a school policy, cross-curricula themes can often be dealt with in a superficial way to try and accommodate the latest Government priority and fail to deliver genuine change. Without clear ownership, a cross-cutting theme such as sustainability, has no natural home or baseline and can be easily lost.

71. The QCA now prefers to talk about 'learning across the curriculum' rather than labelling issues such as gender, thinking skills, employability, and ESD, as cross-curricular themes which carry a historical baggage of prescription and failure. It is now accepted that a more successful thematic approach is one which employs a range of learning opportunities, i.e. a mix of specific teaching, general events and a broad understanding of how each subject contributes to it. This was the approach adopted by the QCA when it developed the citizenship agenda. However, strong leadership is still required within the management team of the school to join up these learning opportunities to form a coherent programme.

Citizenship and ESD

72. Citizenship is a new aspect of the curriculum for pupils at all stages of compulsory education and for young adults in post-16 learning, training and work.[68] It seeks to provide opportunities for children and young people to learn about their rights and responsibilities, government and democracy, communities and identity.

73. Citizenship was originally part of a framework of non-statutory, cross curricular themes when the national curriculum was established in 1999. QCA has reported that very few schools gave it time and attention because it lacked status with schools, teachers and pupils.[69] However, the Government has since made a concerted effort to relaunch citizenship giving it a much higher profile. DfES made available £12m in 2000-01 and £15m in 2001-02 to support the introduction of citizenship in schools.[70] Citizenship was made statutory for those aged between 11 and 16 in 2002 and is linked to personal, health and social development Education (PSHE).[71] It was the first national curriculum subject for which schemes of work were available in advance of its introduction.

74. Citizenship and ESD overlap significantly. However, ESD was not effectively integrated into the citizenship agenda as it was being developed, as it had already been incorporated into other areas of the curriculum. Nor were the links between the two areas made explicit. Both Oftsted and QCA have acknowledged that there are opportunities to link the two.[72] The QCA describes them as "very natural companions" as both link with curricula and school management.[73] Ofsted particularly recognises that the active involvement of pupils in the stewardship of their environment and involvement in the decision-making process provides practical experience of citizenship on a micro-scale.[74]

75. However, ESD has not benefited from the strategic approach and resources which have been applied to citizenship. In addition, pupils are required to continue with citizenship after 14, unlike geography. As geography has been given the curriculum focus for ESD this means that a key thread of ESD teaching may be lost post-14, if schools are not encouraged to take a more holistic approach to ESD.

76. QCA has recognised that schools have limited time or resources for the variety of personal development aspects of the curriculum that are encouraged and has been looking at how far a single framework might be developed to incorporate all these different requirements. The current review of the 14-19 curriculum provides an opportunity to investigate the possibility of a more holistic approach, including aspects of ESD.

77. Although ESD is integrated into the National Curriculum, it is a theme which schools are expected to develop "across the curriculum". As past experience with citizenship has shown, this requires strong leadership within schools. We recommend that the DfES evaluates the opportunities for integrating ESD more effectively and explicitly into the existing framework of citizenship teaching.

Inspecting for ESD

78. The TTA and QCA acknowledge that many teachers do not consider ESD as an overall priority and certainly not a priority for their own subject teaching.[75] The QCA believes that teachers are still largely unfamiliar with ESD, despite its incorporation in the National Curriculum. The constant drive to raise educational standards (narrowly defined as academic outcomes) does not always sit easily with efforts to develop a more rounded curriculum.

79. The mainstreaming of ESD is not aided by the fact that it is not directly inspected by the Office of Standards for Education (Ofsted). The SDEP recommended that ESD should be included in the Ofsted inspection framework. This has not happened but inspectors do inspect and report on ESD where they encounter it. Ofsted told us that ESD hardly features in their inspection evidence but it is not clear whether this is because schools do not see it as an important aspect of the curriculum or because it is not a strong feature of Osted's inspection framework.[76] English Nature suggests that without Ofsted inspection ESD will "continue to be a fringe activity".[77]

80. As with the curriculum, there is a raft of competing demands for inclusion in Ofsted's inspection framework which is reviewed regularly. Encouragingly, the DfES' draft action plan for sustainable development states that the department is "taking advice from Ofsted about the place of inspection" in reinforcing the sustainability objectives of its plan.[78]

81. Estyn, Her Majesty's Inspectorate for Education and Training in Wales, has already incorporated ESD into its common inspection framework.[79] This means that schools in Wales will soon be assessed on the standard of understanding and awareness of sustainable development that the pupils demonstrate as well as the school's own approach to energy use, recycling and promotion of healthy lifestyles.[80]

82. Ofsted has recently completed a study to identify effective ESD practice in schools. This was a limited benchmarking exercise to aid the development of more detailed, future work. Between April 2002 and March 2003, HM Inspectors visited 27 schools (10 Secondary, 17 Primary) representing a cross-section of types and socio-economic contexts. They were selected as potentially being in the "vanguard of any developments in ESD".[81] Ofsted assessed the value of any specific ESD related initiatives that the schools were involved in and, in particular, the impact of ESD on the general school ethos and learning environment.

83. Ofsted will be publishing its findings shortly but told us that a key observation to emerge had been that where ESD was being promoted as a whole school initiative it was having a positive impact on developing the school ethos and behaviour of pupils. Ofsted found this to be clearly reflected in the positive attitude of most students and their high self-esteem as well as their ability to articulate and express opinions.[82]

84. We welcome Ofsted's initiative to investigate current ESD activities in school. We recommend that the Secretary of State requests Ofsted to include ESD in its inspection framework, encompassing ESD both in the curriculum and the learning environment.

Teacher Training

85. We are pleased to note the recent efforts by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA) to identify the opportunities that it can provide to further the ESD knowledge and practice of newly trained teachers and teacher trainers.

86. The Geographical Association describes ESD as technically challenging teaching which requires teachers to engage pupils in a culture of argument, complexity, uncertainty and risk analysis.[83] If teachers are to deliver ESD effectively, they need the right skills and tools. However, there are concerns that initial teacher training and Continuing Professional Development (CPD) do little to equip teachers with the skills and knowledge necessary to teach ESD in the cross-curricula manner that the QCA advocates. [84]

87. The TTA is responsible for teacher trainers, trainee teachers and teachers in their induction year. It currently orientates its training on ESD around the national requirement for teachers to incorporate ESD in various national curriculum subjects.

88. The Agency has recently commissioned a briefing from John Huckle, an ESD expert, to support the development of knowledge about ESD in different subject areas. This briefing is currently being refined through a peer review process. The TTA has plans to disseminate guidance on appropriate practice in ESD on subject areas to those training teachers. ESD is also incorporated as an element in subject specific induction packs produced for new teacher trainers and the face to face induction programmes provided in each subject area.[85]

89. It is important that existing teachers also have the opportunity to learn about ESD in their CPD which is the responsibility of DfES. The SDEP's final annual report identifies ESD in CPD as an area which continues to require attention.[86] We recommend that DfES takes account of any implications for Continuing Professional Development which are highlighted by the Teacher Training Agency's current work to support ESD in different subject areas.

90. ESD support material, available to all teachers, is provided by the QCA on a website which has been widely praised by teachers, NGOs, and the SDEP.[87] This is intended as a first point of contact for teachers and a guide to further resources as necessary. It includes guidance on the opportunities to incorporate ESD in the schemes of work for different subjects. The QCA regard it as the "most powerful weapon in their ESD armoury".[88] The website currently receives some 9,000 hits a month. This is comparable to the number of visits made to the English and Maths pages on the National Curriculum site.[89] The QCA have observed that the pages being hit most are those which provide a basic introduction to ESD rather than any of the detail. This indicates that it is being used primarily to help schools start to familiarise themselves with ESD.[90]

91. We urge the DfES and Teacher Training Agency to maximise the potential of the QCA's ESD web resource and encourage its use in the context of initial teacher training and continuing professional development. However, this website does not obviate the need to continue to develop a more comprehensive range of ESD support for teachers.

FURTHER AND HIGHER EDUCATION

92. Further and Higher Education Institutions (FHEs) can make a significant contribution towards sustainable development. Forum for the Future has summarised these succinctly in terms of the key roles of FHEs as:

a) places of learning and research; forming and informing the leaders and decision-makers of the future

b) major businesses; where prudent resource use not only saves money but safeguards reputations

c) key community players; as employer, purchaser and amenity provider with a major impact on the wider world of influential ideas and technological development.[91]

93. In 1993, the Government appointed an expert committee to consider the role of the FHE sector in demonstrating environmental responsibility.[92] The resulting Toyne Report made recommendations targeted at government, further and higher education institutions (FHEI), funding councils and professional bodies. Its key recommendation was that every FHEI should adopt and implement an appropriately timetabled and prioritised strategy for the development of environmental education, and also a wider strategy for the improvement of all aspects of its environmental performance as an institution.

94. A review of the Toyne Report (Toyne II), launched in 1996,[93] revealed that most of the organisations which it had targeted had demonstrated "considerable indifference" to its recommendations. It also looked at the extent to which FHEIs were taking a strategic approach to 'greening' their curricula. It identified only six significant examples of good practice from the 756 institutions surveyed.

  95.  The Review made some particular recommendations in relation to sustainable development learning. These are set out in Box 1:


Box 1: Key recommendations of the Toyne Review relating to sustainable development learning

a)  Enabling global citizenship (which is the outcome of sustainability learning) should be recognised as core business of learning institutions and legitimate purpose of life-time learning.
b)  Funds should be made available to establish a national programme to support the further and higher education sector's response to the challenge of sustainable development.
c)  Within three years all FHE institutions should be either accredited to, or committed to becoming accredited to, a nationally or internationally recognised environmental management systems standard, such as the EcoManagement and Audit Scheme.
d)  Within three years, all FHE institutions should have developed the capacity to provide all students with the opportunity to develop defined levels of competence relating to responsible global citizenship.
e)  Those responsible for defining national standards relating to industrial and professional practice, and associated qualifications and standards, such as industry lead bodies and professional bodies, should ensure that appropriate reference is made to sustainable development issues.
f)  Within three years all funding councils should introduce a mechanism for linking environmental performance to the allocation of funds, for example by introducing environmental criteria into existing quality assessment and inspection procedures.

96. The RSPB has voiced its concerns that future decision makers coming through the Further and Higher Education sectors will "have little or no exposure to sustainable development, either in principle or practice".[94]

97. The Royal Academy of Engineering reports that a recent survey carried out amongst second year undergraduate students in the Engineering department at Birmingham University revealed a lack of understanding of even basic concepts relating to sustainable development. For example, more than 90% of the students had little or no understanding of the Kyoto Protocol despite the fact that the targets for carbon dioxide reduction which it sets will require them to deliver low-carbon solutions to their future employers. The Academy believes that this lack of understanding and engagement is almost certain to obstruct the Government's efforts towards implementing its sustainability agenda.[95]

98. In 1999, national surveys were conducted by the SDEP in partnership with the Higher Education 21 Project (see paras 101-102), to identify whether sustainable development learning elements had been integrated into business, engineering, design and teacher education programmes. The findings revealed a lack of any kind of strategic approach across all sectors surveyed. Other sector-based surveys of land-based and tourism courses, undertaken by the Council for the Protection of Rural England and Tourism Concern respectively, have drawn similar conclusions.

99. The Toyne recommendations have clearly not spurred the FHE sector to embrace sustainable development. Although, they have given those who were already starting to explore sustainable development, a framework to build upon as acknowledged, for example, by the University of Sunderland[96] and the University of Aberdeen.[97]

100. Sir Geoffrey Holland told us that universities were "dipping their toes in the waters of sustainable development".[98] Some specific examples have been highlighted in written evidence to the Committee from the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC).[99] Government funded initiatives have also operated post-Toyne to try and actively engage the FHE sector. The key initiatives are outlined below.

HE21

101. In 1997, Forum for the Future, sponsored by DETR, ran a two year project to identify and promote examples of best practice for sustainability in the Higher Education sector. The project was endorsed by the then Department for Education and Employment, and was carried out in partnership with 25 HE institutions. Each institution committed to improvement over the lifetime of the project.

102. By the end of the project in March 1999, the HE21 project had produced a range of publications including:

a) an environmental management systems guide for the HE sector.

b) four curriculum specifications covering the core learning agenda for sustainability in relation to business, engineering, design and teacher education at undergraduate level

c) a variety of bulletins identifying "trailblazer" activity and key issues

d) an HE21-LA21 Partnership for Sustainability discussion paper—including policy context, case studies and recommendations

e) a set of sustainability indicators tailored to the HE sector.

Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability

103. Forum for the Future is now collaborating with eighteen Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in an initiative called the Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability (HEPS). HEPS is a three year initiative which began in 2000 and has financial support (£1million) from the UK Higher Education Funding Councils (HEFCs).[100] The project aims to help HEIs deliver their own strategic objectives through a positive engagement with the sustainable development agenda and to share that experience across the sector.

104. Forum for the Future is mainly looking at the estates management side of sustainability issues with HEIs such as purchasing, transport and construction. However, it has also identified the curriculum as a key issue for the partnership project. There is a more established path to the 'greening of operations' than to curriculum development and it seems that most institutions are more comfortable about launching into the world of sustainable development through this route. Thus, it is a helpful 'way in' and provides the building blocks within an institution to integrate sustainable development into its learning operations.

105. As a result of its HEPS work, Forum for the Future has identified a gap between a corporate demand for ESD and its provision by business schools. This was also noted by the SDEP. Sir Geoffrey Holland, former Chairman of the Panel observed that the "biggest sadness" and "disturbing anxiety" that the Panel had come across in the higher education sector was the lack of sustainable development education in the business schools and in management education and training.

106. The key outputs of the HEPS process will be a series of guidance documents, developed by Forum for the Future and due to be published by the end of this year. This series will include a guide for curriculum greening within universities. Forum is also developing a reporting tool so that higher education institutions can measure their progress on sustainable development.[101]

Facilitating a new approach

107. Forum for the Future has identified enthusiasm for ESD in the FHE sector but believes that this is best tapped by a process of encouragement and facilitation which delivers home grown initiatives rather than by the imposition of prescriptive models which do not sit well with traditional academic independence. At the same time, the Environment Agency has identified a need for more guidance for institutions on how to integrate sustainable development objectives into existing courses.[102]

108. Universities UK, the body which represents the executive heads of universities has acknowledged that there is a vital role for Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), as a statutory funding body, in facilitating change through sensitive operation of the funding methodologies, which can provide a framework for institutions' and students' decisions. However, in its response to HEFC's draft strategy for 2003-8, the organisation cautions that a careful balance must be struck between supporting the sector and steering it to achieve Government driven, policy-related outcomes otherwise there is a danger of it becoming a vehicle for the micro-management of institutions. [103]

109. Forum has found peer level engagement to be a particularly powerful influence on the spread of good practice in the higher education sector. Forum suggests that the professional associations, trade bodies and employer organisations are the key to achieving consistency across the sector. The particular influence that professional bodies can exert on higher education programmes is discussed below in paras 184-192.

110. The pioneering new Open University course on the environment is an excellent example of an innovative cross-curricula approach which seeks to engage science, social science and humanities students in analysis of the factors driving unsustainable change and what society needs to do to redress this change.[104] However, the authors of this course told us that its development process had highlighted the lack of a common ESD language across disciplines. They stressed that it was also difficult to take the kind of cross-discipline approach to sustainable development which is required when discipline domination seemed to be growing.[105] The latter situation is not aided by the fact that research funding mechanisms do not cater well for interdisciplinary projects.

111. We are disappointed at the dismal response shown by the Government and the majority of Further and Higher Education institutions to the Toyne Report and its review.

112. We recommend that DfES and the Higher Education Funding Councils carefully evaluate the findings of Forum for the Future's Higher Education Partnership for Sustainability report and consider how they can best support and promote ESD in Higher Education Institutions both through strategic guidance and changes to funding criteria.

113. There is little evidence that ESD is being effectively integrated into higher and further education syllabuses. The DfES should assess the adequacy of the range of guidance available to FHEIs relating to the integration of ESD and strengthen this as necessary. HEFCE should evaluate whether its funding mechanisms for both teaching and research sufficiently support cross-curricula activities such as ESD.

THE POST -16 LEARNING AND SKILLS SECTOR

114. DfES has a range of 'delivery partners' to assist it in post-16 education and training outside universities. These include: the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), the Learning and Skills Development Agency (LSDA), the Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) and the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA).[106] These bodies are in a pivotal position to ensure that skills needs relating to sustainable development are identified and integrated into the Government's skills agenda and reflected in curricula content and load.

115. Sector Skills Councils are still being established and we have not considered their work in detail in this report. They will bring together employers, trade unions and employers bodies to consider the skills needs in a variety of sectors. The full network will be set up by summer 2004 when there will be around 25 SSCs covering the UK, replacing the 73 former National Training Organisations. The network will include LANTRA, the SSC for the environment and land-based sector. The SSDA is responsible for establishing the network, promoting the development of each Council and monitoring their performance. The SSDA acts as developer, co-ordinator and ambassador for the network.

116. The LSC was established in 2001 and is responsible for funding and planning post-16 education and training including: further education, work-based training and young people workforce development, adult and community learning information, advice and guidance for adults, education business links. [107] The Council has a budget of £7.3 billion and operates through 47 local offices and a national office in Coventry. The LSDA, previously known as the Further Education Development Agency, is a strategic national resource for the development of policy and practice in post-16 education and training. It was launched in November 2000 with a new remit from the government to cover all education and training provision funded by the LSC.

117. The urgent need to build ESD capacity within the LSCs has been highlighted by organisations such as EAUC.[108] The promotion of sustainable development is included in the LSC's remit. It has identified key projects in this area as: greening the curriculum, developing sustainability champions and sustainability audit. The LSC funded 11 pilot projects relating to sustainability in 2001-02. These were designed to disseminate good practice in sustainable development education and to bring on board the local LSCs by helping them to develop an increasing awareness of ESD.[109]

118. The LSC launched a second tranche of projects in November 2002, completed in June 2003, focussing on five sustainable development education themes: management, strategic planning, curriculum, formal/informal learning and social inclusion.[110] These projects will provide the basis of a Best Practice Guide to be developed by the LSDA by August 2003 with a national dissemination event planned for October 2003. The LSDA is also developing a web-based ESD toolkit with case studies which it hopes to make available by the end of October this year.[111]

119. We welcome the range of pilot projects which have been supported by the LSC and LSDA to explore a range of approaches to ESD. We also welcome the willingness of the two organisations to work together in this manner. It is now important to build on the experience of these initiatives and develop a coherent and focused programme of activity.

120. The LSDA has been a major partner in the development of the Leadership College which will develop the leaders and managers of the future for the learning and skills sector.[112] The College will be launched in autumn 2003 and the LSDA expects to have close association with and influence on its programmes. The Agency recognises that this is an ideal opportunity to influence the content of these courses in terms of sustainable development education and to 'train the trainers' in this area. The LSDA will also be playing an influential role in the development of the new sector skills council for Life Long Learning which is due to be launched in March 2004.

121. We welcome the LSDA's intention to use its involvement with the new Leadership College and Sector Skills Councils for teachers to integrate education for sustainable development into its programmes from the start. These developments represent an important opportunity to embed ESD into the activities of key players in the learning and skills sector and cannot be missed.

Informal public education

122. Individuals can play their part in making sustainable development a reality by making changes to their everyday lives. However, to do so requires an understanding of which everyday practices to change, the potential impacts of these changes and a means to exert the appropriate lifestyle choices.

123. All behaviour change programmes are challenging. However ESD poses some specific difficulties because of the complexity of the issues involved. Often the information relating to sustainability is dependent on scientific evidence which may be contested. Focus groups suggest that the general public is "overwhelmed" by the number of sustainability issues which need to be addressed.[113] In the absence of positive feedback about the achievements which have been made, most people feel uncertain about how effective any individual actions might be in relation to the scale of the task and are unlikely to take any action as a result.

124. At present a consumer-led lifestyle is widely considered to be normal. Voluntarily denying oneself wanted goods and services and reducing personal choice is seen as abnormal, irrational and old fashioned.[114] Acting unsustainably is not socially unacceptable nor is acting sustainably noticeably rewarded. Furthermore, those trying to make more sustainable choices may find themselves actually thwarted by the economic and administrative infrastructure they operate within. For example, 'green team' students we met at Hampstead Comprehensive had discussed fair trade issues, health food and organic farming and wanted to ensure that their school catering reflected some of these concerns. However, the school was unable to influence its catering contract.

125. Over the past 15 years, regular surveys in England have monitored public attitudes to the environment. These have shown that public concern about the environment has been increasing across all types of issues and that awareness of environmental issues has not changed significantly since 1996/7. In the latest survey (October 2002), 99% of respondents had heard of at least one of the terms: climate change, global warming or the greenhouse effect. However, 70% of respondents wrongly thought that the hole in the ozone layer was a cause.[115] The latest OECD environmental review of the UK concludes that these findings confirm the need for continued, well-targeted initiatives to strengthen environmental education and awareness raising.[116]

AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS

126. DEFRA is the department within Government, with lead responsibility for promoting sustainable development within Government and has largely focussed its efforts on awareness raising and public campaigns.[117]

Going for Green

127. In 1995 the Government launched Going for Green. The programme was designed to increase public recognition of the role of simple, individual action in delivering sustainable development and to secure commitment to personal lifestyle changes that would reduce the environmental degradation caused by day to day living. Going for Green operated through various communication channels—the media, service providers, retailers and community groups—to disseminate positive messages around the themes of resource use, pollution and the protection and enhancement of local environments. Initially piloted in specific communities, it was rolled out on a nationwide scale in 1996.

128. In 1998 the National Consumer Council undertook a review of the Government's environmental awareness raising, of which Going for Green was the key component. (Other initiatives at the time comprised mainly of energy efficiency programmes and promotions from diverse environmental charities supported by the Government's Environmental Action Fund). The Council concluded that the Government's approach was "somewhat diffuse and bitty" and that it was "failing to present a coherent, readily accessible message" or even "creating confusion in people's minds".[118]

129. In 1999, mid term evaluation of the Going for Green community-based projects concluded that they were making little discernible difference to household behaviour. Despite high levels of support for environmentally friendly action among participants, the evaluation revealed a range of reasons why they personally found it very difficult to do so.[119] It was in this evaluation that the term 'value-action gap' was first coined.

Are you doing your bit?

130. In response to these criticisms, in the run up to the Kyoto Climate Change negotiations in 1997, the DETR launched "Are you doing your bit?" (AYDYB) while what remained of Going for Green was quietly absorbed into 'Keep Britain Tidy'. AYDYB was planned as a three year campaign with total funding of £19.7 million.[120] Its basic purpose was to reinforce existing promotional activity on climate change and transport in particular. An evaluation, published by DETR in November 2000, found that while the campaign's brand recognition among its target audience was strong "there had only been small changes in consumer attitudes or behaviour".

131. In its final year, 2001-02, most of the campaign's resources were reallocated to rural support, during the outbreak of foot and mouth disease, and expenditure was cut from a planned £9.3 million to £0.6 million.[121] All funding came to an end in April 2003. DEFRA decided against commissioning any further evaluation of AYDYB in view of the limited resources expended since the DETR study.[122]

132. Others have, however, commented on its degree of effectiveness: Environmental campaigns (ENCAMS) worked with DEFRA on the AYDYB roadshow. ENCAMS told us.

123

133. Forum for the Future believe that the fundamental flaw of AYDYB was that it failed to reinforce positive behaviour: anyone 'who did their bit' did so without recognition or reward while surrounded by others not doing their bit and finding life a lot more convenient. Other NGOs, academics and educational professionals have also criticised AYDYB for being "naïve"[124] and "scattergun"[125] and too general and unfocussed to achieve any real shift towards sustainable behaviours. The Environment Agency was equally critical but more optimistically felt that it had at least been a "step in the right direction".[126]

134. Global Action Plan, as its Director Trewin Restorick described, had "wrung their hands in horror" at the number of government initiatives such as Going for Green and AYDYB which had come in "like big firework displays, lit up the sky very briefly and then disappeared with no long-term impact".[127] A more successful and cost-effective approach to promoting sustainable lifestyles, demonstrated by some non-governmental programmes, is to focus on specific messages targeted at specific groups alongside initiatives which enable practical behavioural changes.[128]

135. A new communications strategy for sustainable development is being developed within DEFRA and the Department is considering replacing the general awareness raising approach of AYDYB with better targeted and more effective activity, focussed on waste and energy use. This approach is likely to be well received by others involved in promoting sustainable development. A more targeted approach requires an understanding of current lifestyles-"our starting places"—and the barriers faced in each particular area of lifestyle change, so that specific changes can be promoted appropriately.[129] This will require a long-term, consistent programme of promotion which operates at both national and local level on a scale commensurate with major public health campaigns.

136. DEFRA's two major awareness raising campaigns relating to sustainability to date have been less than half-hearted and ill-focussed. We believe that the funding of any further large-scale, general awareness campaigns would not provide value for money. To stimulate the behavioural change required we recommend the Government funds and develops a coherent, long-term, targeted approach to promoting sustainable development which focuses on specific, priority issues such as waste and energy use.

137. We welcome DEFRA's plans to consider replacing the general awareness raising approach of its Are You Doing Your Bit? campaign with a more targeted approach. Any new initiative should be fully funded to completion, subject to monitoring and evaluation, and protected from resource leakage.

138. Future mass media campaigns should concentrate on reinforcing positive behaviour through incentives, rewards or reassurance and be supported with a range of practical opportunities for behavioural change at both individual and institutional levels.

A new communications strategy for sustainable development

139. The Head of Communications at DEFRA recently described the communication of sustainable development as an "immense challenge". He said

"we are talking about producing real outcomes - significant changes to attitudes and behaviour in society. There is no overnight, one-size fits all, quick fix. It is therefore not surprising that we are drawn towards pessimism rather than optimism about our chances of success".[

130

140. DEFRA gained extensive experience in the communication of sustainable development as the lead department co-ordinating the UK delegation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. The department had to work hard to highlight the public interest stories behind the Summit issues before UK media editors were even minded to send teams to Johannesburg to cover this major international event.

141. DEFRA's Communications Directorate is responsible for developing the new, long-term communications strategy for sustainable development. As part of this process it is 'auditing' all of its existing sustainable development-related communications activity (both internal and external) to identify which approaches have proved successful, with a particular emphasis on discovering what motivates behaviour change. It will be considering all aspects of communications, including the use of the internet, media relations and paid publicity.

142. DEFRA intends to seek stakeholder's views on any resulting proposals later in the year. The department will be recommending that education should be treated as a priority communications area, with specific consideration given to a high profile national schools education programme.[131]

143. In addition to DEFRA's work, the sustainable development communications consultancy Futerra has recently assessed the degree to which a range of Government departments are employing successful communications strategies to change behaviours and attitudes in support of sustainable development. Futerra expects to make its report available in summer 2003.

144. We welcome DEFRA's initiative to develop a new communications strategy for sustainable development.

145. Education will be a priority communications area in the strategy and DfES should actively contribute to its development.

146. Although DEFRA is the lead department for awareness raising of sustainable development, it is a cross-Government responsibility and all departments should be actively seeking to contribute to this review and the promotion of the final outcome. We look to the Sub-Cabinet Committee on Green Ministers (ENV (G)) to ensure this.

147. We are aware that a number of departments are participating in a review of their sustainable development communications by FUTERRA. We will draw upon this work in the course of our ongoing scrutiny of the 'greening government' initiative. We recommend that all Departments, even those who have not participated in this exercise, draw upon its findings in shaping their communications response to sustainable development.

MEDIA

148. The media is a powerful force in influencing our attitudes and actions. In our inquiry we have paid particular attention to its use by Government in generating awareness of sustainable development but have not explored its impact upon informal learning for ESD beyond this (see paras 126-147).

149. Research has consistently shown that audience awareness of environmental issues increases with the volume of media coverage of those issues. Public opinion surveys record higher levels of concern matching the topics covered in the media. However, these levels of concern equally fall away as coverage declines.[132]

150. A variety of Government departments are starting to engage actively with the media to promote sustainable development. DCMS has discussed the opportunities for sustainable development education programming with the BBC's Education Department. However, it can only set the framework for public service broadcasting and plays no role in determining the content or scheduling of broadcasting output. National and regional newspapers are equally independent.

151. DCMS also plans to consult the BBC and Channel 4 on its forthcoming sustainable development strategy, which gives suitable prominence to the potential for DCMS' sectors to inform and motivate the public on sustainable development issues. One of the department's NDPBs, the National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts, has funded Futerra, to produce two short films to be used by business, local government and educators.[133]

LEISURE

152. DCMS accepts that the sectors which it oversees, including libraries, the Royal Parks and the historic environment, have a significant role to play in ESD. The Department reports that several of these, including the National Museum for Science and Industry, the Natural History Museum and the Royal Parks Agency, are already actively promoting sustainable development through their educational programmes and exhibitions.[134]

153. The Secretaries of State for DCMS and DfES recently announced their intention to work more closely together through museums. The two departments are jointly funding grants of £2.5 million to be shared by eleven national museums to deliver children's education programmes and community projects in partnership with museums in the regions. The projects are intended to support learning in general and enrich the National Curriculum.[135]

154. We welcome the recent announcement by Culture, Media and Sport and Education and Skills to collaborate more closely through their work with museums. The two departments have a key role to play in promoting ESD through informal learning channels.

155. DCMS has offered to support DfES in developing the lifelong and informal dimensions of its Sustainable Development Action Plan. We recommend that DfES draws upon DCMS' experience in this area.

AT HOME

156. Local authorities offer a key route to engagement with sustainable development at the household level because of their direct influence on everyday life. Many have built up effective programmes and networks to encourage local action for sustainable development through their Local Agenda 21 (LA21) strategies which are now being incorporated into Community Strategies.[136]

157. We visited Nottinghamshire County Council which is operating a number of ESD initiatives in conjunction with the City Council. For example, it produces a regular sustainability magazine which seeks to present human interest stories behind sustainable development issues and demonstrate that sustainability is normal and mainstream. This message is reinforced by ensuring that the publication is present not only in public buildings but also in dentist surgeries and in hairdressing salons. Further examples discussed during our visit are included in the Annex to this report.

158. The development of effective ESD programmes and materials to support individual households has proved a challenge. Few initiatives to date have succeeded in generating lasting changes in behaviour. However, a programme which seems to be making some progress is GAP EcoTeams initiative.[137]

EcoTeams

159. An EcoTeam is a group of 6-8 households who agree to meet together with a facilitator once a month over a 4 month period to work on ways to change their consumption practices. The effects of the behavioural changes made by individuals in each household are measured over time. The original concept was developed by the founder of the Global Action Plan movement, David Gershon, in 1990. Several Northern European countries took up the EcoTeam idea in the early 1990s, with variable degrees of success. The most notable success has been in the Netherlands where results from long-term monitoring of 10,000 EcoTeams show that many of the behavioural changes achieved through the programme were still in place nine months later.[138]

160. GAP is currently supporting EcoTeams in Rushcliffe in Nottingham. We took oral evidence from five members of the public who were members of these teams and discussed their initial motivation to join and their experiences of being an EcoTeamer. Many wanted to build on their existing interest in the environment and learn more about the practical actions they could take, others had joined to get to know more people in their area.[139] As well as learning practical measures to reduce water and energy consumption in the home, the EcoTeamers had swapped intelligence on the best cycle routes to work, shared lifts to farmers' markets, and lobbied their local Council to provide a local can recycling bank.

161. In 2002, GAP took 11 teams (98 households) through the programme (and another 11 are currently underway). In 2002 the teams achieved just under 50% savings on waste, 27% on gas and electricity and a 17% reduction in water use. The EcoTeam model currently costs around £85 per household. This makes it too expensive and intensive for GAP to run on a larger scale as the organisation relies on sponsorship. The EcoTeams project is supported by Biffaward (through landfill tax monies), Rushcliffe Borough Council and the Energy Savings Trust.

162. The cost is mainly due to the staff time involved in the facilitation process, which is fundamental to success. GAP is seeking to make the scheme less cost-intensive and transferable to a wider area. This may then make it viable for local authorities to invest in EcoTeams, which can assist the authority in the delivery of objectives such as minimising waste disposal costs and encouraging social cohesion.[140] Nottinghamshire County Council spends £22 per household per year on waste disposal. Households participating in EcoTeams tend to halve their waste and therefore theoretically save the council £11 per household per year.

163. We were impressed by the EcoTeams programme run by Global Action Plan which is successfully promoting behavioural change at household level. We recommend that the Government funds the expansion of this programme to operate on a trial basis across diverse communities, with a full evaluation of the resulting costs and benefits both in qualitative and quantitative terms.

THE WORKPLACE

Is there a sustainable development skills gap?

164. Although there seems to be a degree of consensus regarding what we need to learn and understand about sustainable development there has been no systematic assessment of the extent to which these skills are currently being integrated into both our formal and informal systems of learning and the nature and size of the skills gap which needs to be addressed if we are to meet our sustainable development goals.

165. In contrast, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Neighbourhood Renewal Unit is working with the Centre for Education in the Built Environment to identify and map the provision of education in the skills required by the new 'urban professional'. An exercise is in progress to define the relevant skills required, survey the existing type and scale of provision of education for these skills and its geographical spread. On completion, liaison with the Regional Development Agencies, other agencies and appropriate providers will be undertaken to develop and deliver provision ranging from bespoke Continuing Professional Development to degree programmes.[141]

166. A similar exercise could be applied to ESD. However, in order to evaluate the sustainable development skills base effectively, stakeholders need to ensure that they are talking about the same thing. The LSC and LSDA highlighted the need for common language as SD skills can be labelled differently in different sectors. For example as skills for citizenship, key skills, basic skills or communication skills.

167. There remain concerns within both the educational sector and amongst employers that there is a deficit in basic education, in terms of scientific and social scientific literacy. Select committees of both Houses of Parliament have consistently raised issues relating to science education in this respect.[142] The QCA and National Foundation for Educational Research is currently considering changes to the science curriculum as part of its 14-19 reforms.

168. The Co-operative Insurance Society, which employs more than 10,000 people over 160 sites in the UK, has observed a "poor level of education and knowledge about sustainability" across its workforce in the UK. The company has identified a "significant education gap" especially in basic science education which it has had to overcome before it can teach and explain the new sustainability initiatives it is pursuing within the company.[143]

169. The LSC provided a practical example of a skills gap which it identified and helped to plug. The NVQ which relates to the gas industry has recently been updated to include sustainable issues and sustainable modules. This was particularly driven by the need to enable people working in the industry to install up-to-date condensing boilers which are being promoted in the UK but have been underutilised because of the lack of skills available to do so.

170. A growing number of professional institutions are recognising that the challenge of putting sustainability into practice requires a rethinking of professional training. The Sustainability Alliance (an alliance of professional institutions) reports that professionals are beginning to call for more help and guidance from their professional associations as they are being required to demonstrate their competency in complying with a growing and complex set of environmental, social and ethical standards.[144]

171. The Sustainability Alliance (8 organisations representing professions such as town planners, architects, waste managers and electrical engineers) believes that sustainable development has profound implications for the engineering, planning, chemical, environmental and accounting professions in particular in both the practice and role of the professional. Those professionals responsible for the safety, technical and economic performance of their activities now have growing responsibilities to:

b) to use their influence to ensure that their work brings social benefits which are equally distributed.

172. The Alliance suggests that these responsibilities heighten the importance of ethics and social responsibility in curriculum design and will require greater emphasis on codes of conduct and the role of the professional as social change agents.

The Skills White Paper

173. DfES published its Skills White Paper on 9 July 2003.[145] In advance of its publication, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, Rt hon. Charles Clarke MP, assured us that this would incorporate the recommendations of the SDEP in relation to skills for ESD.[146] The White Paper makes a number of references to sustainable development but it neglects to set skills policy within the overall context of the Government's overarching commitment to sustainable development. Throughout, the paper consistently emphasises the economic dimension of sustainable development only, linking it to skills policy in the narrowest sense as a driver for economic productivity and competitiveness. For example, the Paper states:

147

174. More encouragingly, the White Paper identifies sustainable development, alongside leadership and management, as a cross-sectoral theme to be given priority across the Skills for Business Network. Cross-sector Boards, established by the SSDA, will be considering which generic skills (relevant to all sectors) and sector specific skills are necessary for understanding, developing, and implementing sustainable technologies and working practices.[148]

175. We welcome the commitment, in the recent Skills White Paper, to make sustainable development a priority theme across the Skills for Business Network in relation to its work on generic and cross-sector skills. However, we are disappointed that the Government chose to present its future skills policy so visibly and exclusively within the narrow context of economic competitiveness rather than against the wider backdrop of sustainable development. The White Paper will be a key point of reference across the employment and education sectors and the Government has missed an important opportunity to embed sustainable development as a guiding principle .

Training and development

176. For most people the workplace is the significant learning environment in their adult life. As more employers seek to demonstrate corporate social responsibility, develop accredited environmental management systems, and meet the requirements of an increasing body of environmental regulation, their employees are gradually becoming more aware of sustainability at work. However, sustainable business practice is still not widespread and neither is the ESD to support it.

177. Some organisations are now required to provide programmes to raise staff awareness in relation to sustainable development. For example, to be certified to the international environmental management system standard ISO 14001 an organisation must ensure a level of understanding of key sustainable development issues across its entire workforce, encompassing their diversity of education, ability, experience and working environments. As part of the Government's greening government initiative, all Government departments are expected to have a strategy in place for raising staff awareness of sustainable development.[149]

178. There are a number of NGOs working with businesses to help them use staff engagement to improve their environmental performance. For example, Forum for the Future offers a learning programme aimed at improving sustainability knowledge and understanding of mid-career managers[150] whilst GAP runs an 'Environmental Champions' programme working with employees of large organisations and SMEs to reduce their organisation's resource use.[151]

179. However, as with schools there do seem to be a range of providers overwhelming businesses with ESD support. In looking for advice and guidance in running their staff awareness programme, the Co-operative Insurance Society, identified more than sixty service providers-all of which were subsidised through Government or European funding. However, it found that few of these were sufficiently well-resourced to provide an effective service.[152] This again highlights the need to target resources effectively.

Union Learning Representatives

180. The trades unions already offer access to a range of learning opportunities for their members and the Government has recognised this key role in establishing the Union Learning Fund and Union Learning Representatives (ULRs).[153] To date, 6500 ULRs have been trained and the Government aims to have 22,000 in post by 2010.[154]

181. A recent survey by the TUC indicated that workforces were keen to do more on sustainable development issues, not least in terms of the environment, but felt hampered by a lack of resources and statutory right to play a positive role.[155] The TUC found that 10% of respondents had been refused time off for environmental training although almost half had never actually asked. The reluctance of some employers, particularly smaller firms, to provide time off for training is a well known barrier to all types of training. The Government is currently seeking to address this through its Employer Training Pilots.[156]

182. The unions are seeking to incorporate sustainable development into their steward training, through the Learning Representatives. However, the Trade Union Sustainable Development Advisory Committee accepts that the appointment of ULRs to date constitutes a "great sustainability opportunity missed" as many received preliminary training which did not incorporate ESD.[157] However, trades unions organisations such as the TUC are working to retrieve the situation.

183. We recommend that DfES works with the trades unions to maximise the potential for promoting and incentivising education for sustainable development through the mechanism of the Union Learning Representatives and the Union Learning Fund.

Professions

184. Over the last five years, professional bodies have been coming together in a variety of groups and alliances to try to address the issues that sustainable development raises for membership. For example, in the form of the Sustainability Alliance and the Professional Practice for Sustainable Development (14 professional bodies a partnership project involving the Environment Agency).

185. The SDEP set out a number of strategic goals for the professions. This included a recommendation that by 2010 all professional bodies and industry lead bodies should have sustainable development criteria included within their course accreditation requirements. Having phased out their own examinations, many professions now rely on 'accredited' degrees as the educational route to membership and play a key role in defining the curricula of higher education programmes.

Qualifications and Standards

186. In February 2001, the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA) and Sustainability First hosted a conference to initiate a debate on the desirability of establishing Sustainable Development Standards.[158] Following this, IEMA consulted 8,000 stakeholders and found 75% in favour of such standards with support expressed by DETR (now DEFRA), various higher education organisations and professional institutes including members of the sustainability alliance.[159]

187. Ten environmental institutions, including IEMA, have combined to launch a new umbrella body called the Society for the Environment, which is aiming to co-ordinate qualifications and develop a framework for new 'Chartered Environmentalist' status. IEMA has also put forward a very prescriptive model for sustainable development standards to DfES.[160] However, DFES has not yet responded or indicated whether it would support such an approach in principle.

188. The professions are now wanting to move quickly and are exploring professional standards in sustainable development both as specific qualifications and elements of professional courses. For example, the Royal Institute of British Architects launched an enhanced sustainability syllabus in June 2000 and hosted a symposium on sustainability in architectural education in June 2002.[161]

189. Mr Russell Foster, the Chief Executive of IEMA, gave us the impression that the environmental institutions were expecting to set the professional standards in this area which others should follow. It is not clear that this is a view more widely shared amongst other professional institutions and this may be a potential area for conflict. It is important to ensure that institutional aggrandisement does not impede a collaborative response from all the professions.

190. There have not as yet been any major steps towards specific ESD qualifications.[162] QCA has developed some initial material on the ESD opportunities within qualifications.[163] However, as each subject is typically associated with a range of different qualifications, this presents a more complex area for integrating ESD than the National Curriculum.[164]

191. The QCA has been revising the common criteria which guides the development of all qualification specifications. There is now a requirement for all qualifications to involve an understanding of sustainable development "where appropriate to the subject". This updates the previous reference to the understanding of environmental issues alone and enables QCA to ensure that ESD is incorporated as subjects come up for re-accreditation.[165] The QCA, along with the SSDA and LSC, is also participating in a review of vocational qualifications.

192. The development of standards and qualifications for sustainable development is at an early stage for both the professions and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The DfES should convene a standing conference of all those responsible for developing qualifications in this area to facilitate a co-ordinated approach.

54 Be the Change, Sustainable Schools Programme (England) sponsored by DEFRA. See www.peacechild.org. Back

55 Ev276, para 3.1. Back

56 The Healthy Schools Initiative was launched in May 1998. This was in response to the White Paper, Excellence in Schools, which committed the Government to helping all schools become healthy schools, and the Green Paper Our Healthier Nation which identified schools as a key setting for implementing the Government's health strategy. The Initiative aims to raise the awareness of children, teachers, governors, parents, and the wider community about the opportunities that exist in schools for improving health. Back

57 Ev235, Annex 2. Back

58 www.nationalpriorities.org.uk. Back

59 Ev236, Annex 3. Back

60 Sustainable Development Education Panel - Second annual report 1999, DETR, April 2000, para 5. Back

61 Ev238, para 3.1.1. Back

62 Alex Standish, Constructing a value map, 12 November 2002 (www.spiked-online.com). This study was also picked up in the press. See David Harrison, Children being brainwashed by new geography lessons, The Sunday Telegraph, 24 November 2002. Back

63 Ev238-241, Q295-6. Back

64 www.nc.uk.net/esd/index.html. Back

65 Q289. Back