Schools invited to join innovative climate programme pilot

Ahead of the start of COP28 later this week, a brand-new pilot Climate Schools Programme has been launched – designed to help students explore solutions to tackling climate change and discover what future careers might be available in this field.   

Designed for secondary schools, the free programme will help teachers address climate education, using a unique whole-school, cross-curricular approach. High quality science, geography and English lesson plans and resources are on offer, that align with the curriculum. There are also Climate Action theme packs available that support existing extra-curricular clubs or new Climate Action Clubs.

The free resources will bring real-world examples of work that engineers and technologists are already doing to tackle climate change, helping to reduce young people’s anxiety around this issue. Through taking part, students will also develop skills such as teamwork, problem solving and communication – all vital to future employability. 

The programme is funded by Helsington Foundation run by EngineeringUK – a not-for-profit who already run a number of successful STEM outreach programmes for schools including The Big Bang and EnergyQuest. 

Maddie Dinwoodie, director of engagement programmes at EngineeringUK, said: “We know young people are interested in climate change and environmental sustainability, but they are often unaware of the vital role modern engineering and technology are playing in tackling this.

“We want to provide busy teachers with the resources, knowledge, and confidence to address this modern issue with students, stimulate interest and debate, and communicate a solutions-focused message. With curriculum-aligned learning, we hope to inspire students to explore green engineering careers and join the current effort to tackle climate change head-on”. 

The Climate Schools Programme will initially run as a pilot from January to July 2024. During this time, schools taking part will test the programme model and have the opportunity to help shape the content and resources as it is iterated to respond to need. State-funded secondary schools can register their interest to take part from January 2024, or September 2024.

The programme launch follows on from a successful Tomorrow’s Engineers Week 2023, an annual celebration event run by EngineeringUK that took place earlier this month. The week saw over 50,000 young people across the UK engaging with exciting careers activities and inspiring career stories and role models from around the engineering and technology sector.

For more information about the Climate Schools Programme and to register your school’s interest, click here.