The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has welcomed plans for a new GCSE in Natural History, and called for the UK’s world-class food production standards to be included.
Secretary of State for Education, Nadim Zahawi MP announced the new GCSE, which is expected to enter the National Curriculum in 2025.
It is part of the Department for Education’s sustainability and climate change strategy, which was launched on 21 April.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education stated that this new course will help “young people develop excellent knowledge of STEM, and practical opportunities to improve biodiversity and climate resilience”.
In light of this, the CLA has written to the Secretary of State to highlight the importance of land management in the UK when considering the development of the syllabus for the new learning course.
CLA President, Mark Tufnell, said: “The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) welcomes the idea of teaching young people about environmental and sustainability issues in a more structured way.
“We hope that, in designing the course, the Department for Education will consider giving students an understanding of the UK’s world class food production standards. British landowners and farmers are among the most progressive stewards of the natural environment found anywhere in the world.”
Mr Tufnell urged policymakers to involve the sector in consultations. He added: “We hope therefore that land managers with appropriate expertise will be involved in the formulation of the curriculum. The CLA, which represents around 28,000 land managers in England and Wales, would welcome the opportunity to work with the Government in the development of this exciting new initiative.”
In the South East the CLA represents thousands of farmers, landowners and rural businesses in Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and the Isle of Wight.
For more information about the CLA and its work, visit https://www.cla.org.uk/in-your-area/south-east/ and follow @CLASouthEast on Twitter.