Great challenge for education.... Although a single A level exists focusing on these crucial issues, how is this being promoted to schools, and how many teachers and schools are in a position to offer it? Figures for last year show just over a 1000 students taking the A level , with previous 3 years approx 800 per annum. How many of those are inspired to go on to become our net zero heroes of the future? We need to be getting so many more signing up to this starting point, the challenge is how?
Thanks for your thoughtful points Vivienne. I think we have two contrasting positions: one where we have too few schools offering Environmental Science at A Level (less so in large Sixth Form Colleges) but we have over 100 environmental science related degree programmes run in UK universities - so while school students are not being formerly taught environmental science, sustainability, and climate change at school, there is clearly a huge interest in the area as students make their choices of degree programmes. Given that this is the case, it might suggest there would be a large, and growing uptake of Environmental Science at A Level. One of the attractions of Environmental Science is its truly multi-disciplinary subject and very much related to tackling real world problems.
Great challenge for education.... Although a single A level exists focusing on these crucial issues, how is this being promoted to schools, and how many teachers and schools are in a position to offer it? Figures for last year show just over a 1000 students taking the A level , with previous 3 years approx 800 per annum. How many of those are inspired to go on to become our net zero heroes of the future? We need to be getting so many more signing up to this starting point, the challenge is how?
Thanks for your thoughtful points Vivienne. I think we have two contrasting positions: one where we have too few schools offering Environmental Science at A Level (less so in large Sixth Form Colleges) but we have over 100 environmental science related degree programmes run in UK universities - so while school students are not being formerly taught environmental science, sustainability, and climate change at school, there is clearly a huge interest in the area as students make their choices of degree programmes. Given that this is the case, it might suggest there would be a large, and growing uptake of Environmental Science at A Level. One of the attractions of Environmental Science is its truly multi-disciplinary subject and very much related to tackling real world problems.