Select Committee on Environmental Audit Written Evidence


APPENDIX 56

Memorandum from the Department for Education and Training of the Welsh Assembly Government

INTRODUCTION

  1.  The purpose of this Memorandum is to provide the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee's Sub Committee on Education and Sustainable Development with a brief synopsis of the activities of the Welsh Assembly Government's Education for Sustainable Development Panel.

BACKGROUND

  2.  At a meeting with the Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning, Jane Davidson, in March 2001, voluntary sector parties suggested establishing an advisory panel, to consider how to promote education for sustainable development effectively in schools and adult education. They were particularly concerned that education for sustainable development should not be regarded at synonymous with environmental education. Rather, it should focus on the interdependence of society, the economy and the environment and demonstrate how social, economic and environmental factors would impact on each other. She agreed to establish such an advisory panel and in May 2001, the Advisory Panel on education for Sustainable Development met for the first time under the Chairmanship of the head of Pupil Support Division. The establishment of this Panel is consistent with the fact that the Assembly is one of only three similar institutions worldwide, which have sustainable development as a statutory cross cutting theme.

  3.  Apart from the Assembly's own officials, the Advisory Panel comprises representatives from a wide range of organisations including:

    —  ACCAC.

    —  Estyn.

    —  ELWa.

    —  Environment Agency.

    —  Countryside Council for Wales.

    —  WLGA.

    —  Oxfam Cymru.

    —  RSPB.

    —  Keep Wales Tidy Group.

    —  University of Wales, Bangor.

    —  ESIS.

    —  Cyfanfyd.

    —  PEDEC.

  4.  The panel quickly agreed Terms of Reference, which are "To promote education for sustainable development in schools, further and higher education, at work, during recreation and at home; and to make practical recommendations for action in Wales". In developing an associated Work programme it established three sub-groups to take forward these proposals. These sub groups have been considering:-

    —  incorporating education for sustainable development across the Curriculum and disseminating good practice between schools and continuing professional development;

    —  incorporating education for sustainable development into initial teacher training; and

    —  communicating sustainable development across the major sectors in Wales, including the private, voluntary and higher education sectors.

  5.  In order to complement and facilitate, the work of these three sub groups, the Assembly made available £50,000 in 2002-03 to support four pilot projects. They are:

VIRTUAL DIRECTORY AND E FORUM

  This is designed to provide a web based directory containing information which will encourage others to include ESD within their educational work. It also incorporates a virtual "chat room" that allows practitioners and others alike to develop and share best practice across Wales. The Directory went live in May 2003. The e-mail forum will follow once the Directory becomes firmly established.

INSET

  This project is seeking to develop a framework for quality ESD INSET provision across the whole of Wales and to facilitate an increase in the capacity for local provision of this type of INSET, wherever possible, for teachers. The report is being finalised.

CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  The purpose of this pilot project which is currently being pursued in Powys, is to equip teachers with the knowledge, skills and confidence to integrate ESD into all aspects of school life. It is working alongside governors and teaching staff from three primary schools to develop a model that will integrate ESD and global citizenship into the whole school ethos and all aspects of the taught curriculum.

SUSTAINABILITY APPLICATION FRAMEWORK IN EDUCATION (SAFE)

  This project, which is being undertaken under the auspices of Carmarthen Country Council in conjunction with a sustainable development charity, The Natural Step, is assessing the feasibility of developing a generic framework for promoting sustainable development in schools across Wales.

  6.  All four pilot projects are being closely monitored and evaluated and will help influence future policy developments in this particular field. For 2003-04, the Assembly has, however, increased the level of resources available to test out new and innovative ideas to £100,000 and the process of selecting suitable projects is well underway.

  7.  A key achievement of the Panel has been the publication (jointly with the Working Group on Education for Global Citizenship) entitled "Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship". Its principal aim is to assist schools incorporate both these concepts into Curriculum and into every aspect of school life. It also provides guidance to organisations involved in providing initial teacher training and continuing professional development. In this way it draws together many of the standards being pursued by the three sub groups and fulfils many of their key aspirations.

  8.  A further key milestone for the Panel was its presence at the 2002 Welsh Education Show when, apart from a dedicated stand, the Panel took the opportunity of raising awareness of its work, sharing good practice and eliciting the views of teachers about he types of support they would find positively useful in taking forward ESD. A similar presence took place at this year's Education Show in Cardiff and it will also be exhibiting at a comparable one in North Wales in the Autumn.

ITET

  9.  In 2002, a programme of visits was conducted with all eight Heads of Schools of Education, and ITET colleagues. As a result of this research, a paper was prepared detailing specific proposals of how ESD and global citizenship can be further embedded into ITET. The paper was presented to the ESD Panel, and the Global Citizenship Working Group in March/April this year and future work is currently being prioritised.

  10.  One of the key outcomes of the Communication Group is a series of recommendations, which they believe will integrate ESD into workings of the assembly, ASPBs and other public agencies in Wales. Consideration of these proposals is currently being undertaken by the Assembly and the recommendations are likely to be submitted to the Assembly's Cabinet Sub Committee on Sustainable Development.

FORWARD WORK PLAN

  11.  For 2003-04, the ESD Panel has decided that it should begin to progressively extend the ambit of its role. While wishing to continue to build on the innovation that has already taken place within the schools sector, it believes that it is imperative that it should explore in greater depth innovative approaches within both further and higher education as well as adult education and youth support services. Key amongst this latter programme will be the recommendations that have flowed from a recent ESD Conference held in Swansea where the challenges of these particular sectors were considered.

EDUCATION FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP

  12.  The Assembly is also working jointly with the Department for International Development (DfID) to promote Education for Global Citizenship. Education for Global Citizenship is about enabling pupils to understand the global forces that shape their lives and to acquire the knowledge, skills and values that will equip them to participate in decision making which promotes a more equitable and sustainable world. This area of learning has a particular focus on the developing world, although it is broader than simply "development education".

  13.  There is a working Group on Education for Global Citizenship, the membership of which includes the Assembly Government, DfID, Cyfanfyd, ACCAC, Estyn, the British Council and LEA advisors.

  14.  The Working group on Global Citizenship and the Advisory Panel on Education for Sustainable Development have made a point of working closely together. This reflects the obvious linkages between these two areas of learning—both in terms of content and style of learning.

  15.  Current activities on Education for Global Citizenship include:

    —  The joint guidance on "Education for Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship" referred to above.

    —  An INSET video "Educating for Global citizenship", produced by the World Education Centre at Bangor with funding from the Assembly Government and DfID.

    —  Development of a "curriculum mapping" guidance document, which will show how the existing school curriculum provides opportunities to deliver Education for Global Citizenship.

July 2003


 
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