Page 5 - Copy of Climate Change and Sustainability Education report

1. INTRODUCTION

Climate change and sustainability education (CCSE) is an integral requirement in the
Curriculum for Wales, reflecting global priorities such as United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals 4 (Quality Education), 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and 13 (Climate
Action). In practice, CCSE delivery across Wales is uneven: primary schools generally
demonstrate stronger engagement, while secondary, ALN and alternative provision
settings only sporadically deliver content, depending heavily on individual teachers’
expertise and confidence. ALN settings face particular challenges. Although CCSE
resources and training exist, they are designed for neurotypical learners in mainstream
schools, leaving ALN educators to adapt or create new materials to meet the diverse
communication, cognitive, sensory and wellbeing needs of their learners.

Keep Wales Tidy runs Eco-Schools, an international programme designed to empower and
inspire young people to make positive environmental changes to their school and wider
community. A recent Keep Wales Tidy Eco-Schools evaluation (2018–2022) highlighted that
more could be done to support ALN schools to implement the Eco-Schools programme
and therefore engage with critical CCSE themes. Although Keep Wales Tidy’s education
team has a range of skills and experience in CCSE, there is no one with a specific ALN
teaching background or anyone with capacity to undertake further learning and detailed
research in this area. SMART Partnership funding temporarily filled this gap, but is not a
long-term solution due to funding restrictions.

The climate crisis disproportionately affects those with ALN and disabilities (Saxton &
Ghenis, 2018). Therefore, access to engaging, appropriately levelled CCSE is not just an
educational priority but a matter of social justice - underpinned by the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), particularly their right to education and to
be informed and prepared for the effects of climate change.

The research informing this report stems from
interviewing teachers in different types of

settings including Special Schools, STFs, PRUs
LPCs, EOTAS, an MLD provision and a CNRB.
Throughout the report we have used “ALN
Settings” as a collective term for these
settings. Ranging from pre-progression steps
to progression step 4, the types of learners in
these settings vary widely, however the
majority have some form of ALN, these include:

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
Anxiety Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (ADHD)
Global developmental delay (GDD) Behavioural, emotional and social
Mild, moderate, complex and profound difficulties (BESD)
and multiple learning difficulties (PMLD) Physical disabilities (PD)

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