ESDF NI Curriculum consultation response 2028

The Survey PDF can be found at Resources | Education for Sustainable Development Forum | ESD Forum 

Environmental Highlights from the Curriculum documents can be found at Resources | Education for Sustainable Development Forum | ESD Forum 

Full documents can be found at Consultation on the Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028 | Department of Education 

A separate evidence document will be included in the response, including evidence supplied by the ESDF network in the evidence call-out. This can be found in the resource section of the ESDF website.

ESDF believes that all children and young people should develop a strong understanding of nature, biodiversity and the interdependence between people and the natural world. Alongside ESD, the Curriculum 2028 framework should ensure learners progressively develop nature literacy, an understanding of biodiversity loss and the role of nature-based solutions in addressing environmental challenges. Opportunities for outdoor learning, citizen science, environmental action and engagement with local wildlife should be embedded throughout the curriculum, helping learners develop knowledge, skills and a lifelong connection to nature, while supporting wellbeing, educational attainment and awareness of future green career pathways.  To support delivery, investment should also be made in high-quality teacher professional development, resources and partnerships that enable schools to incorporate nature-based learning across the curriculum and connect learners with skills development and future green careers. 

• Education for Sustainable Development Forum (ESDF) advocates for the delivery of ESD across learning and subjects in the new NI Curriculum 2028 at all stages from Foundation upwards. We believe that this is essential for intellectual development and future participation in society. Prioritisation of Education for Sustainable Development has the potential to increase learning, improve health, wellbeing and knowledge about environmental issues directly impacting them now and in the future. It will engage children and young people with the knowledge and skills to make a difference to the future of the planet on which we live and is linked directly to the capabilities for environment and ecological responsibility in the NI Curriculum 2028. 

• The NI Executive Environmental Improvement Plan outlines that ‘Education is one of the most important keys to tackling climate change. The Northern Ireland Curriculum will continue to play a vital role in supporting the green economy and nurturing environmentally conscious citizens. Through the integration of topics related to sustainability, climate change and green growth, schools can equip children and young people with the knowledge, understanding, skills, and values necessary to contribute actively to a greener future; a curriculum that emphasises the green economy can also prepare our children for future careers in sectors such as renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and green technology.’ 

• Many subjects in the Curriculum 2028 highlight either sustainability or climate as learning objectives at each key stage. The curriculum objectives are to develop young people as individuals, contributors to society, the economy and environment, and as lifelong learners. As such, we expect and ask that Education for Sustainable Development is an obvious, natural and coherent thread across the curriculum through concept and design. Each discipline can make a distinctive contribution to understanding sustainability challenges throughout stages of learning as evidenced by The Big Ideas of Education for Sustainability Progression Framework. This provides an opportunity to consider how sustainability can influence the selection, connection, and development of existing disciplinary knowledge, informing how learners develop understanding progressively over time, as highlighted as the aim in Transform Ed. 

• ESDF advocate for Education for Sustainable Development consistently taught across subjects. In order to have a well-sequenced body of knowledge, we would encourage coherent language and terminology mentioned throughout education in a consistent manner to equip pupils for lifelong learning, individual development and participation in wider society. Pupils deserve to understand the subject of Education for Sustainable Development fully throughout school and prevent small gaps from widening. The subject matter needs equity, coherence and meaningful context to the realities we all face today and into the future in line with The Climate Act (Northern Ireland) 2022. 

• Environmental and Ecological responsibility is positioned as a capability; there should be evidence of how that capability has influenced curriculum design, including content selection, disciplinary contribution, progression and the connections learners are expected to make. At present, the relationship between the proposed capability of ecological and environmental responsibility and the selection and organisation of curriculum content is not sufficiently evident. Without an accompanying pedagogy, it is difficult to see how this will work in practice and as such, we again ask for explicitly conceptual, coherent and progressive framework for developing understanding of sustainability. The Big Ideas of Education for Sustainability Progression Framework. provide an opportunity to consider how sustainability can influence the selection, connection, and development of existing disciplinary knowledge, informing how learners develop understanding progressively over time, as highlighted as the aim in Transform Ed.  

• ESDF reiterate that outdoor learning can be adopted throughout subjects and the opportunities for teachers to do this should be explicit in the pedagogy in order that it will be realised and delivered. Evidence shows the benefits of outdoor learning on many levels and should be included whenever possible. Outdoor learning in Northern Ireland’s schools in 2026: a review. Outdoor learning is only mentioned in the subject frameworks for Physical Education and at Foundation Stage but is covered in the capabilities and, as such, needs to be included in the guidelines and pedagogy to ensure it is embedded in schools. Outdoor learning goes hand in hand with a pedagogy, and this should be highlighted in the Curriculum guidance to enable the aim of ‘An hour a week is what we seek’ for Outdoor Learning at all ages. [NIFSA] 

• In Home Economics the word climate is not mentioned once, despite it being essential to the growth and production of food and livestock. Agriculture is one of Northern Ireland’s most important industries with 75% of our land farmed in some way by over 26,000 active businesses at the heart of communities, mostly small farms. The sector is already witnessing climate change impacts first-hand and projections show that Northern Ireland is expected to have warmer wetter winters and hotter, drier summers, and an increased intensity in extreme weather events. An update to the wording in the HE Curriculum to a necessary part of ESD and is an example of where can be included across subjects. Without this the subject falls short of fully explaining the fundamentals of sustainable food, nature based solutions, farming and environment. This reinforces the point that language and terminology should be consistent across the curriculum, guidance and pedagogy.  

• Greater links to professional development and training in green careers for future jobs in PSCC that give pupils real opportunities and enable them to make informed and responsible decisions throughout their lives. This approach will guide future skills development, green careers, and green growth, further supporting climate initiatives. In future every job will need to consider the environment/planetary crises. Therefore, every subject will need to consider it.  

• Further and Higher Education have already made significant changes in Education for Sustainable Development. Without ESD embedded across subjects at all levels there remains a risk that the continuation of education for children and young people in NI will be at odds with their future learning. Framework for Education for Sustainable Development – Advance HE Global 

• We welcome fieldwork in the curriculum for relevant subjects, but would like to see explicit aims for fieldwork for pupils to fully learn from the subject and experience included in the curriculum and the pedagogy.