Pupils from Miles Coverdale Primary School stood in Godolphin Community Garden
Teachers across Hammersmith & Fulham primary and nursery schools are raising awareness of the grave dangers of climate change.
To help local teachers at 19 local primary schools, H&F Council has teamed up with Hammersmith-based environmental charity Urbanwise to create a new Climate Education Guide.
Online Climate Education Guide
The new guide – which features curriculum ideas and support from the council – was unveiled this week to teachers across the borough. It was developed after years of working closely with local primary schools and nurseries, including Miles Coverdale, Sir John Walham Green, John Betts, Avonmore, Brackenbury, Fulham, Normand Croft and St Augustine’s.
The guide will help teachers plan their lessons around climate science, but it will also help the borough as local schools will both play an integral role in helping H&F cut its CO2 emissions to carbon net zero by 2030.
“We have some of the best Ofsted grades and exam results in the country – but education in H&F is about so much more than that,” said Cllr Larry Culhane, H&F Cabinet Member for Children and Education. “Our schools are dedicated to inspiring our children to achieve great things and equipping them with the skills to do it.
“This new guide will not just help educate about the dangers of climate change, but also what needs to be done about it. It’s a crucial part of our efforts to make the borough carbon net-zero by 2030 and I thank our schools, pupils and their families for stepping up and helping us protect the planet.”
What the schools say
Miles Coverdale primary in Coverdale Road, Shepherds Bush, is an example of where climate change education has taken root.
Headteacher Tara Baig said: “Our aim is to teach children about how the world is changing, the impact of humans, and the steps society needs to take to ensure we have a sustainable future. We hope to drive sustainable change and encourage sustainable behaviours as second nature.”
Teachers at Miles Coverdale recently joined the eduCCate Global Programme. It’s accredited by UN CC:Learn (the One United Nations Climate Change Learning Partnership) and delivers the climate change teacher course and the climate curriculum for all ages, which will be taught throughout existing school curriculum.
Climate in the community
The push to raise awareness of the climate emergency through our local schools has also been assisted by the resident-led Climate and Ecological Emergency Commission.
The local residents on the commission are working to help H&F reduce its carbon emissions and make more space for nature across all activities. They have worked with education officers at H&F and Urbanwise to devise the booklet.
About Urbanwise
Established in 1983, Urbanwise.London is a voluntary organisation previously known as Hammersmith and Fulham Urban Studies Centre. It is based in the Lila Huset building in Talgarth Road, Hammersmith.
Their small team has extensive teaching experience with children, young people and adults, and follow the national curriculum with the local area as a focus, encompassing aspects of history, geography, science and citizenship.
H&F Council work closely with Urbanwise, specifically on environmental and outdoor learning projects. Recently, we have worked together to establish the successful Mudlarks project, which this summer saw the production of a video accompaniment to the Mudlarks song – which was completed during lockdown.
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