Memorandum from Qualifications and Curriculum
Authority (QCA)
1. THE CURRENCY
OF THE
TERM ESD
The term ESD has not lost its currency within
schools. If anything, there has been a gradual improvement in
recognition of the term "education for sustainable development".
QCA has no evidence that the environmental message within ESD
has been lost within the formal education context. Indeed, in
those schools that give some emphasis to ESD, it is the environmental
strand that tends to be dominant.
In view of the current development of the sustainable
development framework, the message within ESD that might appear
to be most at risk is "education". At the heart of ESD
is the juxtaposition of what children are taught and learn in
schools with the way in which sustainability is incorporated into
school policies and practices. The term used for the new development
may suggest an emphasis on sustainable schools rather than schools
that educate for sustainable development.
2. SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT ACTION
PLAN PROGRESS
There is little evidence that schools are aware
of the sustainable development action plan. The launch in 2003
was not widely reported and would not have been noticed by many
schools. The schools most likely to be aware of the action plan
are those that are already in the ESD "loop" through
contact with an ESD NGO.
There has been some progress in relation to
the ESD objective of the action plan. The Department has:
— continued to support the development
of content on the QCA ESD website, although we understand that
further development of the site will cease after March 2005, when
the Department plans to subsume elements of the current freestanding
site into its new sustainable development section of the TeacherNet
site;
— commissioned the development by subject
associations of scheme of work units designed to strengthen ESD
links in science, design & technology, citizenship and geography.
QCA will publish the resulting new or revised scheme of work units
on its ESD website; and
— set in train work by WWF and South
Bank University on a web based whole school sustainability framework
on TeacherNet.
In addition, in early 2004 QCA added a series
of six whole school case studies to its website showing approaches
to ESD by a range of primary and secondary schools at various
stages of development of ESD (introductory, emergent and advanced).
Further such case studies are currently being developed for inclusion
by March 2005.
These various initiatives have the potential
to support the further development of ESD in schools. The main
concerns that QCA has about the initiatives are:
— the impact of the loss of a freestanding
and visible ESD website that has developed a reputation for high
quality ESD support and has become the first port of call for
many schools seeking guidance on ESD. During 2004, the site has
been attracting 100,000-150,000 hits a month, representing 10,000-15,000
page hits from 2,500-3,500 distinct users. The inclusion of the
sustainable development framework as but one area in the generic
TeacherNet site may reduce the visibility of ESD support rather
than improve it;
— the potential compartmentalisation
of the "teaching and learning" and "management"
aspects of ESD in schools; and
— the possible compartmentalisation
of ESD into the separate "topics" (eg transport, energy,
waste) that are to form an organising framework for the new sustainable
development web based support on TeacherNet.
3. UK SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
Education should be a key feature of the Government's
sustainable development strategy. QCA believes that there should
be a headline indicator focusing on ESD rather than—or to
complement—the more general current educational indicator.
4. 14-19
Although it will not be clear until early in
the new year what the Government's response to the Tomlinson recommendations
will be, there are two ways in which the White Paper could ensure
that ESD is adequately represented in the 14-19 phase:
— The inclusion of ESD as a compulsory
element of students' curriculum entitlement. Work on the detailed
implementation of the Tomlinson report may conceivably provide
opportunities for establishing such an entitlement as part of
the common knowledge, skills and attributes (CKSA).
— Ensuring that sustainable development
is included in all (relevant) post-16 qualifications. The common
criteria for all qualifications state that:
"The units and/or the qualification
as a whole must also include the identification of opportunities,
if appropriate to the subject or sector, for developing understanding
of:
— spiritual, moral, ethical, social,
legislative, economic and cultural issues;
— sustainable development, health
and safety considerations, and European developments, consistent
with international agreements"
Such a general statement needs to be backed
up by a requirement for developing understanding of sustainable
development across a wide range of relevant subject criteria.
At the present time, few subject criteria make such a requirement.
5. EMBEDDING
ESD INTO SPECIFIC
CURRICULUM AREAS
There is no evidence to suggest that there has
been a discernible improvement in these areas in schools. However,
the Department has set in train work by the subject associations
to support this objective (see above).
6. INFORMAL LEARNING
QCA has no evidence to respond to this question.
7. GETTING THE
ENVIRONMENTAL MESSAGE
ACROSS
QCA has no evidence to support or refute the
suggestion that the Government is getting better at getting the
environmental message across. Support for environmental education
at regional and local levels remains patchy. Some regional development
agencies (eg Yorkshire & Humber) have been active in providing
ESD support for schools. Individual NGOs continue to be active
at the local level, but there remain very few local authorities
that offer specific ESD support to schools.
8. RESOURCES
Sufficient resources have been made available
to QCA for the continued development of the ESD website in 2004-05.
QCA has no information on the resources made available elsewhere
to deliver the government's commitment to ESD.
December 2004
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