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Climate Wise Schools: CPD to underpin high-quality climate change education

Climate Change CPD
High-quality climate change education is vital if we are to prepare our young people for their futures. But high-quality teacher CPD is just as important. Heena Dave and Professor Leigh Hoath introduce the Climate Wise Schools pilot project
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In the face of an ever-pressing global imperative and the urgency of reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, Climate Wise Schools is making a profound impact on climate change education (CCE) and helping educators create a resilient future.

The initiative is a professional development programme developed through collaboration between the Teacher Development Trust (TDT), Leeds Trinity University, and Climate Adapted Pathways for Education (CAPE).

 

The urgent need for high-quality climate change education

In their recent Climate Ambition Summit (UN, 2023), a clear message resounded: the climate crisis looms large and the window to avert catastrophe is swiftly closing.

Climate change is an urgent global challenge demanding immediate attention and action. Educating the next generation about climate complexities and impacts is not only crucial for tackling this pressing issue but also essential in meeting the UK's net-zero target of 2050.

To address this global imperative, there is a demand for effective and high-quality CCE in schools.

Reports from teachers and school leaders highlight their capacity struggles and the need for better training (Dunlop & Rushton, 2022; Greer et al, 2023). Simultaneously, young people are demanding a high-quality CCE that is both relevant and impactful (British Science Association, 2023).

In response, the TDT, in collaboration with Leeds Trinity University and CAPE, has launched a research-informed professional development programme: Climate Wise Schools.

 

Building expertise for exceptional teaching and leadership in CCE

Climate Wise Schools aims to address this global imperative and the urgency surrounding CCE. This six-month pilot programme, currently being delivered, is designed for both school leaders and subject leaders.

It brings together 43 colleagues from 35 schools across England with the goal of equipping educators with the knowledge and skills needed to deliver effective CCE.

This programme is not just about imparting knowledge, it is about building expertise and instilling the habits that lead to exceptional teaching practice and leadership in the field of CCE in England.

To ensure we meet this goal, TDT, Leeds Trinity, and CAPE are working in collaboration with partners including the Chartered College of Teaching, the Natural History Museum, Learning through Landscapes, Future We Want, Earthwatch, and Earth Warriors.

 

Evidence-informed approach 

At the heart of Climate Wise Schools is an evidence-informed approach, drawing on best practices outlined in the Education Endowment Foundation's guidance report on professional development (Collin & Smith, 2021).

By incorporating evidence from a range of effective school leadership practices as well as CCE, the programme is aiming to ensure that educators can access up-to-date professional development provision.

To provide tailored content to school leaders, lead NPQ provider, TDT has ensured that the Climate Wise Schools programme aligns with the National Professional Qualification (NPQ) leadership frameworks. This alignment makes sure that leadership development within the programme is directly applicable to the challenges of CCE.

The programme focuses on domains of CCE leadership such as school culture, implementation, outdoor learning, curriculum development, and carbon reduction. This multifaceted approach hopes to ensure that school leaders in England can gain a comprehensive understanding of how to integrate CCE into their schools.

 

Building climate literacy and hope

One of the programme's key objectives is to cultivate collective operational climate literacy (Bey et al, 2020) within school communities. By nurturing an environment where leaders, teachers, and pupils consistently assess the consequences of their actions and champion sustainable practices, Climate Wise Schools aims to empower educators to actively enhance local environments and foster hope in children and young people regarding our collective capacity to address climate change.

As we pass the midpoint of the pilot programme, early signs indicate that the impact is tangible. School and subject leaders acknowledge the evidence-rich approach and the network of support provided by the programme, with participants reporting increased confidence in their understanding of carbon literacy, the need for collective approaches across the school community, and the realisation that CCE is an on-going process, not an event.

 

Empowering educators

The Climate Wise Schools programme offers a timely and impactful solution to the urgent need for CCE. By equipping school and subject leaders with research-informed practices, building collective climate literacy, and fostering hope in children and young people, this pioneering initiative helps schools tackle the climate crisis head-on.

Early signs validate the programme's multi-layered approach. Educators report increased confidence and a deeper understanding of effective CCE.

While long-term impacts remain to be seen, the groundwork has been laid for schools and educators to create a more resilient future. This programme provides a model for how we can urgently yet thoughtfully prepare children and young people to tackle the most pressing issue of our time.

  • Heena Dave is senior curriculum designer with the Teacher Development Trust, is co-founder of Climate Adapted Pathways for Education and is currently an ESRC-funded PhD student investigating the pedagogical content knowledge of climate change education. She is a former head of science and co-author of Cracking Key Concepts in Secondary Science.
  • Professor Leigh Hoath is co-founder Climate Adapted Pathways for Education and deputy dean of the School of Education at Leeds Trinity University.

 

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