Earlier in the New Year, the school was honoured to be invited to send representatives to attend the Association for Science Education (ASE) 2024 conference. The success of creating and implementing the Year 8 Sustainability Project conference from the last academic year was showcased. The project, led by Dr. Nasser, centred around the United Nations Sustainability Goal 11: SustainableLiving in Cities, and involved collaboration across seven subjects, requiring monthsof planning. 

Notably, it drew upon a framework for meaningful climate education outlined in a research paper authored by Dr Melissa Glackin from King’s College London and Kate Greer from University College London. One pivotal aspect of the project was its emphasis on justice, sparking numerous discussions centred on values and ethics regarding climate change in our classrooms. The school continues to work closely with Melissa and Kate to improve the quality of our climate education at SWPS.

Held at Northampton University, the ASE conference provided a fantastic opportunity to connect with expert educators nationwide. Staff attended several presentations on climate education and its integration into the curriculum, highlighting its widespread interest among schools.
The presentation – delivered to a select group of passionate individuals – focused on the successes and challenges in implementing the Year 8 Sustainability Project and its positive impact on students. Also discussed were the hurdles other schools encountered in introducing climate education. The audience shared valuable insights and suggestions for improving the project, and we are currently exploring collaboration opportunities with researchers and other European schools committed
to climate education!

Overall, the ASE conference reaffirmed the widespread interest in climate change education among schools nationwide. A new appreciation was gained for the expertise, passion, and dedication of SWPS staff in delivering such a meaningful project to our Year 8 students (we learned that the absence of such qualities from staff is a common barrier to climate education implementation in schools). The feedback and collaboration opportunities received were also invaluable and we look
to improve our Year 8 Sustainability Project for 2024.

Mr Teng and Ms Tytherleigh