A survey of SQA ‘Arrangements Documents’ (Secondary Appendix 1) has identified a very large number of opportunities currently available for subject departments to deliver Eco-Schools/Sustainable Development lessons within the formal curriculum. This survey can inform an audit to identify such delivery and allow Eco-Schools assessors the opportunity to give schools credit for these lessons. The audit may also encourage other departments to take up options within the curriculum not already delivered, or recognise areas where ‘rich tasks’ and other forms of cross-departmental cooperation can be facilitated.
Examples of appropriate topics in SQA subject areas include Access and Intermediate Level ‘litter’ topics in Chemistry, the relationships between people and their environment in Drama, and an Advanced Higher Modern Languages topic on ‘Environment Issues’ – and many others.
The Eco-Schools Scotland guide and website provide a series of examples to show how work undertaken as part of the Eco-Schools programme can link with a broad range of curricular and cross-curricular areas.
Integration of SDE into the curriculum can vary from a short reference when a curriculum topic warrants it, to full-scale linking so that Eco-Schools activities fully cover particular curricular requirements including rich tasks and cross-curricular topics.
Extra curricular activities such as Fair Trade, Justice and Peace, community involvement programmes, international links, etc also offer evidence of a school’s commitment to SDE.
An audit of the whole-school curriculum linked to pupil numbers in subjects should provide evidence of a surprising number of young people whose curriculum already covers a wide range of elements within SDE.
Cross-curricular themes are explored in more detail in Secondary Appendix 3, and all can be seen to fit comfortably within the four shared UK priorities for Sustainable Development.
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