Action group calls for Market Drayton schools to focus on climate crisis
A climate action group in North Shropshire has urged school officials to ensure that young people are taught about the climate emergency and ecological crisis.
Market Drayton Climate Action group has been in contact with the headteachers and chair of governors of the four schools in Market Drayton, to urge them to implement a climate focus to their curriculum.
The group has also been in touch with the chief executive officer and chair of board of trustees of the two multi-academy trusts which operate in the town.
It comes as the group is supporting Teach the Future– a youth-led campaign to bring both urgency and conviction to Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi's pledge at Cop 26 “to put climate change at the heart of education”.
The newly-formed climate action group has endorsed three key demands of Teach the Future, which it hopes will be implemented by school officials for students in Market Drayton.
A spokesperson for the group said: "We hope that all those responsible for teaching our children and young people, and running their schools, take seriously the issues we raise.
"We very much look forward to hearing from them in due course about actions they have taken to deal with the climate emergency their pupils and students, and all of us, are facing, and will be pleased to support their efforts."
The three key demands of Teach the Future, supported by the group are:
That students and pupils are taught about the climate emergency and ecological crisis
That vocational courses help develop the workforce needed to achieve our carbon-zero ambitions
That education buildings are retrofitted to achieve zero carbon for energy.
The Department for Education's Sustainability and Climate Change strategy is due to be published in a month, which the community group has said will be a step in the right direction.
The group's proposed changes in schools, include giving a senior team member and lead teacher responsibility for climate education and sustainability, and to ensure that human-caused climate change is covered in sufficient depth in subject areas.
It has also encouraged schools to provide opportunities for all pupils to be actively involved in carbon-reduction projects at school, provide continuing professional development on climate and nature education for staff and to make significant reductions in carbon emissions at school, working to zero carbon for energy use by 2030.
The group have recognised that funding will be necessary for the implementation of some of the changes but has urged school officials to press ahead, given the urgency of the climate emergency.
