APPENDIX 24
Memorandum from Hampshire County Council
The "Environmental Education: a follow-up
lesson to Learning the Sustainability Lesson" Inquiry
1. OUR ORGANISATION
Minstead Study Centre is a Hampshire County
Council funded residential centre in the New Forest.
The Centre holds a strong corporate commitment
to Sustainability Education. Over the last 12 years the centre
staff have had the opportunity to "actively research"
the dimensions within effective delivery of ESD.
Minstead is a thriving environmental study centre
offering unique "quality" experience for Hampshire children,
teachers and the local community. Having participated in the Healthy
Schools and Growing Centres initiatives we are now involved with
the National Federation for Education Research to assess the impact
of our Outdoor Education on lifelong learning
The Centre is currently working towards Eco-Centre
status.
2. CURRENCY OF
THE TERM
ESD
In our view, the term Education for Sustainable
development, is still gaining currency in the English language,
whereas the term Environmental Education has now slipped from
general parlance. It must be recognised that ESD likewise will
have a limited lifespan as buzz phrases come and go with vernacular
evolution. As providers of ESD, it is not a phrase used often
with Primary children. We prefer to use the term Educating for
Sustainability or "Sussed Ed" due to the conflict of
meaning of the word "Development" Children equate "Development"
with the concept of growth and expansion, rather than an acceptance
of global equilibrium where "more" is not necessarily
better.
3. HOW TO
STRENGTHEN THE
ROLE OF
LEARNING WITHIN
THE UK SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
Funding streams would need to be identified
to support the model proposed below. As ESD is cross departmental
contributions could be combined from Education, Environment, Resource
Management and the Primary Care Trust.
4. HOW TO
EMBED EDS IN
THE SCHOOL
CURRICULUM
1. ESD needs a clear champion within a County.
This needs to be strategically managed at least from Inspectorate
level.
2. County Policy for ESD would be disseminated
to all schools and County departments.
3. Monitoring of ESD targets could be managed
within an Eco-School framework of audit, action plan, review.
4. Centres for Excellence can be established
within certain schools or the County Study Centres, from which
outreach officers (Sussed Teachers) can promote good practice,
based on tried and tested models of learning.
5. The power of the residential experience
can be utilised to activate ESD whereby the holistic nature of
the learning can be emulated.
6. Grassroots networks can be supported
through this framework.
7. Funding needs to be secure in order that
the long term growth for ESD can be promoted and all strata of
the learning community can benefit.
The model here utilises highly effective senior
staff to engender change across the County, investing money for
a higher level of expertise obviates the clear difficulties experienced
by Agenda 21 Officers when trying to engineer change.
November 2004
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