This is a collection of research articles, case studies, webinars and other relevant resources to further develop your understanding of approaches that inform and/or promote pupil voice and agency. We have ensured that these are open access or available to members of The Chartered College of Teaching.
The resources collated here will not provide a recipe for what you should do. Some of the articles will also present opposing viewpoints, and ones which may contradict your own viewpoint or experience. They will provoke thought, debate and discussion. We encourage you to read and appraise the literature to make informed decisions based on your local context, professional experience and other available research evidence.
Resources from the Chartered College of Teaching
N.B. Please note that non-members can only access three articles per month. Join today to get full access to all resources provided on our platform.
This article explores some of the theory and research evidence around pupil agency and outlines a new line of research in this area.
This perspective article highlights the importance of children’s agency in education and explores how the pedagogies of Montessori, Reggio Emilia and Mantle of the Expert can promote this agency.
This case study outline’s one Trust’s approach to designing and implementing a curriculum that promotes pupil agency.
This case study outlines one secondary school’s journey in using pupil voice to inform and improve their teaching and learning strategy. Whilst this is a secondary school case study, there may be learnings for primary settings.
This article explores the relationship between pupil agency and sustainability education.
This article introduces a framework that can guide teachers in creating assessments that support the development of pupil agency in primary schools.
Other resources and articles freely available from other providers
This blog post provides further insight about the definition of ‘agency’ and what research should be done in this area.
In this video presentation, Dame Alison Peacock explores the importance of pupil voice and agency. Drawing on her experience of teaching, headship and involvement in various research projects, she outlines the ethic of Learning without Limits which is underpinned by trust, co-agency and inclusionAn approach where a school aims to ensure that all children are educated together, with support for those who require it to access the full curriculum and contribute to and participate in all aspects of school life.
This report, produced by the RSA, explores educators’ experiences of engaging with youth social action in practice. It also provides ten case studies from individual primary schools that are effectively facilitating youth social action projects.
This editorial highlights the importance of children’s voice and agency in a post-pandemic educational landscape.
This research articleconsiders children's agency within the framework of children's rights education. It starts by considering the ways in which agency is conceptualised within the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the implications for education.
This research articlereports on, and analyses, qualitative researchQualitative research usually emphasises words rather than quantification in the collection and analysis of data. involving children’s therapy in two primary school contexts in England. It aims to explore the potentials of how agency as a concept can contribute to a challenge to existing theory, research and ways of working concerning therapy in primary school contexts.
This research article draws attention to the experiences of mixed ethnicity children in primary school in the UK. It presents an initial discussion of how children's agency is both impacted and enhanced by their racialised position.
This research article reviews the literature to date around pupil voice and agency. It argues for a renewed appreciation of the importance of children’s agency, which could also play a significant positive role in our journey back from the effects of the pandemic.
This research article reports on the results of the critical discourse analysis examining how children’s agency is discussed in the National Curriculum for England.
This short video, produced by Helen Hamlyn Centre for Pedagogy (0-11 years), highlights the importance of children’s agency in education.
This ongoing research project is the first in-depth evaluation of the ways in which England’s National Curriculum requirements for primary schools can enable or constrain children’s agency.
This resource, produced by UNICEF, outlines what it means to be a Rights Respecting School and explains how school’s achieve this accreditation.
This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and impactful way.
Who is this webinar aimed at?
This webinar will be particularly valuable to primary teachers, those involved in curriculum design more broadly, and all educators who want to learn about a curriculum centred around promoting pupil voice and agency.
What does the webinar explore?
In this webinar, school leaders, expert practitioners and consultants - Alison Body, Karl Cross, Rachel Tomlinson and Emmanuel Awoyelu - share insights and experiences about implementing a curriculum that is informed by and/or promotes pupil voice and agency.
How could I use this webinar to support my team?
This webinar could be re-watched with your school leadership or teaching teams to develop a shared understanding of this approach. We have prepared some reflective questions that could be used to inform discussions and begin to consider what this might look like in your context.
The webinar has been edited split into the following sections:
0.15 - Dr. Alison Body, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy at the University of Kent, explores the value of promoting pupil voice and agency and shares some of the key findings of her research.
16.40 - Karl Cross, Learning Standards Lead at Barrowford Primary School, and Rachel Tomlinson, Headteacher of Barrowford Primary School, share their experience designing and implementing a curriculum that promotes pupil voice and agency.
31.57 - Emmanuel Awoyelu, Inclusion Specialist and Director of The Reach Out Project, explores what we mean by ‘pupil voice’ and ‘pupil agency’ and provides practical suggestions to effectively adopt this approach in your setting.
42.47 - A Q&A session to further explore the challenges, opportunities and practicalities of introducing and implementing a curriculum that promotes pupil voice and agency.
As you watch the webinar, you may wish to note down insights that build on your understanding of this work.
You may wish to consider:
What is your current understanding of ‘pupil voice’ and ‘pupil agency’ in your setting? Is there anything you would add or adapt about your definitions in light of the learning?
What principles and practices resonate with your current understanding and application of a curriculum centred around pupil agency?
How have the presentations shifted your current thinking around pupil voice and agency? How could this inform your approach going forward?
Why do you think a pupil voice and agency could be particularly important for the students in your context
What are the challenges of adopting this approach? How have the presenters attempted to overcome these?
What are your key takeaways from the webinar?
Are there any further questions you have about introducing, implementing or refining your current approach?
This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and impactful way.
Who is this webinar aimed at?
This webinar will be particularly valuable to primary teachers, those involved in curriculum design more broadly, and all educators who want to learn about climate change and sustainability education in practice.
What does the webinar explore?
In this webinar, expert practitioners and researchers - Professor Leigh Hoath, Heena Dave, Jenn Plews OBE and Emma Vyvyan - share insights and experiences of embedding climate change and sustainability education across the curriculum. At the end of their presentations, there is a Q&A session to learn about the why, how and what next in developing a climate and sustainability focussed primary curriculum.
How could I use this webinar to support my team?
This webinar could be re-watched with your school leadership or teaching teams to develop a shared understanding of this approach. We have prepared some reflective questions that could be used to inform discussions and begin to consider what this might look like in your context.
The webinar has been edited split into the following sections:
0.15 - Heena Dave and Professor Leigh Hoath, Co-Founders of Climate Adapted Pathways for Education (CAPE), explain the importance of taking an evidence-informed approach to climate change education in primary schools. They also provide a useful framework to support with embedding a climate change and sustainability focus in the curriculum.
10.34 - Jenn Plews OBE, Trust Leader and CEO at Northern Star Academies Trust, shares her Trust's journey introducing and embedding a climate change and sustainability focus in their curriculum.
22.21 - Emma Vyvyan, Headteacher at Sky Primary School and Eden Project Nursery, shares her school’s journey developing a curriculum with a climate change and sustainability focus.
36.13 - A Q&A session to further explore the challenges, opportunities and practicalities of introducing and implementing climate change and sustainability education in primary schools.
As you watch the webinar, you may wish to note down insights that build on your understanding of this work.
You may wish to consider:
Why do you think climate education is/could be important for the students in your context?
How does your current vision and approach align with a) wider school priorities b) DfEDepartment for Education - a ministerial department responsible for children’s services and education in England Climate Sustainability and Climate strategy? c) UN’s Sustainable Development Goals? Could anything be refined?
What principles and practices outlined in the presentations resonate with your current understanding and application of climate education in your setting?
How have the presentations shifted your current thinking around climate change and sustainability education? How could this inform your approach going forward?
What might you use the framework offered by CAPE to inform your curriculum work in this area?
What are the challenges and complexities associated with this curriculum work? How have the presenters attempted to overcome these?
What steps might you take to develop climate literacy in your staff team? Are there any learnings from the presenters?
What steps might you take to foster ‘buy-in’ from other stakeholders (e.g. parents, governors, community leaders etc.)? Are there any learnings from the presenters?
Are there any further questions you have about introducing, implementing or refining your current approach to climate change and sustainability education?
Emma Vyvyan, Headteacher, Sky Primary and Eden Project Nursery, UK
Context
Sky Primary and Eden Project Nursery was part of the Department for Education’s Free School Programme and opened as part of Kernow Learning Trust from September 2022. We are a growing school, from Nursery to Year 6, adding a year group each year. From September 2024, we have Nursery to Year 2, with 90 children on roll. During spring 2025, we are due to move into our permanent school building, which is net carbon zero, with a large outdoor landscape. We have liaised with our children, families, Falmouth University architecture students and Mei Loci Landscape Architects to develop our biodiverse outdoor classroom.
Rationale
Geographically, we are placed in an area of Cornwall where families experience multiple sources of deprivation, so our education offer combines aspirational experiences and preparation for adulthood. Our ‘Learning Beyond the Classroom’ vision encompasses a nature-inspired, sustainability- and climate-wise curriculum, incorporating real life, relevant learning experiences and developing connections with our local/global places and community. We are uniquely partnered with the Eden Project and work together to develop learning in, for and about nature. Our school journey encompasses a sense of belonging, with a focus on wellbeing while capturing the children’s curiosity and motivating them with exciting learning opportunities.
As a school, we have a responsibility to ensure that our nature-inspired curriculum offers core subjects central to our learning, but also enables children to become empowered, solution-focused citizens for the future. We also aim to engage our families in changing habits, with a ‘small changes make a big difference’ approach collectively and collaboratively. The DfE’s (2023) climate change and sustainability strategy’s strategic aims have been considered in our planning specifically, building on a foundation of fundamental numeracy, literacy and broad academic knowledge:
‘Excellence in education and skills for a changing world: preparing all young people for a world impacted by climate change through learning and practical experiences… A better environment for future generations: enhancing biodiversity, improving air quality and increasing access to, and connection with, nature in and around education and care settings.’
Why implement a nature-inspired, sustainability- and climate-wise curriculum?
Climate change is possibly the single most important issue facing humanity (United Nations, 2024) and is widely understood to be threatening habitats, along with declining biodiversity (WWF, 2020; IPCC, 2022; UN, 2024). A recent Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change found that global warming is leading to irreversible destruction of many habitats, and that this will have serious adverse socioeconomic consequences for coming generations (Hoath and Dave, 2022).
We therefore strive to engage children in exceptional, purposeful learning and inspire them to make positive change for the future.
Our curriculum and pedagogical approach
As an overview, we aim to incorporate the Early Years framework and National Curriculum, encompassing the following:
Know more and remember more
Curriculum sequencing: Supporting acquisition of knowledge
Immersive and experience: Build on what children know; design learning, build connections
Creation of schemas: Interconnected networks of background knowledge.
Our values-based education recognises that all children are unique, and we are committed to the full inclusion of all children. Our approach incorporates access to a rich sensory environment (indoors and outdoors) with diverse opportunities. Our vision is that we have happy, healthy, successful learning with children having a deep understanding of what it means to live in harmony with their world and their role in achieving that. Our teaching and learning therefore incorporates:
Stress reduction: Time outdoors can provide a natural outlet for relaxation and emotional release
Physical activity: This can improve mood, boost self-esteem and enhance overall physical health
Connection to the environment: This can foster a sense of belonging, purpose and interconnectedness
Promotion of curiosity and exploration: This encourages and supports engagement at children’s own pace
Opportunities for social interaction: These include collaborative learning opportunities
Sense of achievement: This can be achieved through hands-on and meaningful activities, and experience of success.
We understand that the relationship between culture and climate is intricately connected, so we are empowered to positively influence habits, change and climate-wise knowledge. We have worked with Learning through Landscapes Climate 180 Schools Programme, The Harmony Project, Nature Premium Project and Climate Wise Schools Expert School Leadership Programme, to audit knowledge, skills and practice, build information networks and link with credible resources and organisations to train our staff in development and delivery of our curriculum. Our unique partnership with the Eden Project also enables ongoing exploration of innovative learning and sharing expertise to bring learning alive, not least with regular access to the biomes and outer estate as an outdoor classroom. This enables staff to utilise interests in real-life world issues, encourages enthusiasm and enables a sustained focus, while celebrating successes e.g. a plastic-free packed lunches community ethos. Our aim is to achieve Plastic Free Schools Award accreditation with Surfers Against Sewage, and to make wider links with other schools to create a network of ideas and connections between children across education.
Key change elements are role-modelling and enabling everyone to take part in supporting climate change habits. Bandura’s social learning theory (1977) emphasises this, through imitating behaviours, attitudes, emotional investment and thinking of others. At Sky, we aim to model climate change habits through our everyday actions: our school ethos and values, sharing the passion for the outdoors, being curious and linking real life and relevant experiences wherever possible.
Our curriculum develops specific sustainability links through the Good Life Goals (see Figure 1) – these are a ‘child speak’ version of the Sustainable Development Goals (comprising 17 goals) adopted by the United Nations (2015), connected to our enquiry of learning focus for every half-term. This culminates in a Great Works event – these are half-termly class-focused activities based on curriculum learning, celebrating and showcasing children’s learning to the school and wider community. Our families are all invited, including governors, and on many occasions extended family and friends come along too. This provides the children with an opportunity to share their learning and build confidence and pride in all aspects and helps them to remember too.
Figure 1: The Good Life Goals
Our impact goes beyond academic outcomes, through our ‘Ways of Being’ (see Figure 2). These develop key skills, attitudes and behaviours, while mitigating/adapting to climate consciousness. This ethos also mirrors British Values and creates thoughtful habits and attitudes.
Figure 2: Ways of Being
We keep to facts, causes and impacts and encourage children to engage in potential solutions: presenting impartial views; presenting respected facts rather than ideological bias (DfE, 2022); and avoiding ‘greenwashing’ – a claim to protect the environment but not having tangible environmental benefits (Álvarez-García and Sureda-Negre, 2023).
We also engender a ‘construction of hope’ approach. We follow our Ways of Being as a community every day, but we are also committed to celebrating making a difference. This includes sharing the awe and wonder moments and sharing in our gratitude and next steps in staff meetings, ensuring that we are positively focused and are able to foster a solution-focused approach in action.
As we grow as a school, we are aware of the challenges of scaling up our curriculum approach to the end of Key Stage 1 across Key Stage 2 and will need to consider any barriers that this entails, including clarity of curriculum coverage and access to local places, using transport and budget planning accordingly. This includes access to transport, so we may have half a class off-site learning while half are on-site learning and swap accordingly and appropriately, thereby utilising our school minibus effectively. We will also ensure that we protect curriculum time and continue to focus on embedding our ethos.
Findings and implications
To enable us to check coverage, we are refining our knowledge, skills and understanding progression, mapped and linked to learning from Nursery to Year 6, providing coherence across year groups: clarity of learning goals, sequenced progression, depth of understanding (revisiting/reviewing learning), vertical alignment, consistency and equity, assessment and accountability. The added benefit is investment, understanding and engagement with staff, families and school improvement colleagues. Our thread of sustainability closely links with areas of climate-wise learning focus, through our School Values as shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: School Values
We observe that our families are engaged, and we see articulate, interested, passionate children. Bey et al. (2020) state that a collective operational climate literacy becomes a community that synthesises information, makes alternative choices and advocates positive actions, thus demonstrating ongoing commitment towards a healthy environment.
Constructive hope and small changes can make a big difference, forming the foundation of a coherent, robust curriculum – an accessible, inclusive and affordable school approach. Grissom et al. (2021) state that culture encompasses shared ethos, beliefs, values and expectations, which shape investment and actions.
Our recent school survey illustrated a positive connection and engagement with our growing curriculum and community (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: School survey results
Each half-term, we also collate the children’s views about their learning and publish them as a class blog – this serves as an assessment checkpoint, oracy focus and learning journal to share with families. Here, children evidence their connected learning and understanding through their responses and articulation of specific vocabulary. Early indications suggest that our curriculum is successful; however, we are always reviewing, adapting and adjusting, according to children’s needs and learning focus.
Using other metrics, our whole-school attendance is above national, at 97 per cent, and in our first phonics screening check, children achieved 94 percent, so they are competent beginner readers. We are yet to have a graded OfstedThe Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills – a non-ministerial department responsible for inspecting and regulating services that care for children and young people, and services providing education and skills inspection and haven’t yet experienced Year 4 multiplication checks or Year 6 SATs. Although we are in the early stages, we observe that our children are motivated and connected to their learning.
Recommendations
Going forward, we will continue to develop collaborations with the Chartered College of Teaching, and our curriculum development work with Reach2 Academy Trust, The Harmony Project, Carbon Literacy Project, Natural History Museum and its integrated resources and Climate Adapted Pathways in Education.
We also strive to develop school audit areas around energy, waste and growth, to demonstrate how our daily actions help to make small changes, and to connect to wider projects, making an even bigger difference.
Our Eden Project partnership is also instrumental in developing curriculum connection, staff knowledge and subject progression, as we progress up to Key Stage 2 and continue our creative approach towards learning that is real-life, relevant and nature-inspired, with a focus on preparation for adulthood and the challenges ahead.
Top tips for other leaders
Be brave and make connections with other schools who are being creative, so that you can also push out the classroom walls and learn beyond the classroom.
References
Álvarez-García O and Sureda-Negre J (2023) Greenwashing and education: An evidence-based approach. The Journal of Environmental Education 54(4): 265–277.
Bandura A (1977) Self-efficacy: Toward a unifying theory of behavioural change. Psychological Review 84(2): 191–215.
Bey G, McDougall C and Schoedinger S (2020) Report on the NOAA Office of Education environmental literacy program community resilience education theory of change. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Available at:www.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/legacy/document/2021/Feb/ELP_ToC_Report.pdf(accessed 16 August 2024).
IPCC (2022) Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability. Contribution of Working Group II to the Sixth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, M. Tignor, E.S. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Craig, S. Langsdorf, S. Löschke, V. Möller, A. Okem, B. Rama (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA.
Sustainability and climate change education: Selected reading
This is a collection of research articles, case studies, webinars and other relevant resources to further develop your understanding of sustainability and climate change education. We have ensured that these are open access or available to members of The Chartered College of Teaching.
The resources collated here will not provide a recipe for what you should do. Some of the articles will also present opposing viewpoints, and ones which may contradict your own viewpoint or experience. They will provoke thought, debate and discussion. We encourage you to read and appraise the literature to make informed decisions based on your local context, professional experience and other available research evidence.
Resources from the Chartered College of Teaching
N.B. Please note that non-members can only access three articles per month. Join today to get full access to all resources provided on our platform.
This article outlines one primary school’s journey implementing the Sustainable Development Goals through social action.
This article reports on a project that engaged primary school children in climate change education through various activities rooted in the practice of listening differently to different types of voice.
This case study introduces the Eco-Schools programme, a tried and tested, international, freely available and easily accessible framework that underpins education for sustainable development (ESD) and outlines how it has been implemented in different contexts.
This case study outlines primary school’s journey designing and implementing a curriculum that focuses on developing responsible global citizens .
This webinar, hosted by the Centre for Educational Neuroscience, explains the key dimensions of brain function that influence decision-making in the context of pro-environmental behaviour, and show how such an understanding may be beneficial to encouraging collective action to address climate change.
This webinar outlines one Multi-Academy Trust’s journey designing and implementing a climate and sustainability-centred curriculum.
This article explores the relationship between pupil agency and sustainability education.
Other resources and articles freely available from other providers
N.B. Many of the resources below are included in the Foundation of Education Development’s Climate Change and Sustainability toolkit. This toolkit aims to equip teachers, sustainability leads and their teams, with the tools, knowledge and confidence they need to deliver their Climate Action Plans, which need to be in place by 2025. Thanks to the Foundation of Education Development for sharing these resources with us.
Government guidance (and supporting resources to support action planning):
FED has developed a toolkit to equip teachers, sustainability leads and their teams, with the tools, knowledge and confidence they need to deliver their Climate Action Plans, which need to be in place by 2025.
Let's Go Zero is a national campaign uniting teachers, pupils, parents and their schools as they all work together to be zero carbon by 2030.
LocatED provides the Net Zero Accelerator, a service that supports educational bodies (including schools schools, multi-academy trusts, local authorities, and FE colleges) to decarbonise their estates.
The University of Reading has put together an ambitious Climate Education Action Plan. This is co-owned, co-led and contributed to by both organisations and young people. The aim is that this action plan will affect positive change in climate education for children and young people.
Research articles and evidence-based guidance reports:
This report, produced by Climate Adapted Pathways for Education (CAPE) and Leeds Trinity University, draws attention to the importance of developing collective expertise within schools about climate change education. The report highlights a number of promising case studies, aiming to support and encourage educators to design and implement effective climate change education in their own settings. CAPE also provides a number of other reports and articles about implementing effective climate change and sustainability education.
The Rebooting Education Report 2023 reveals the findings of a survey conducted with 7000 teachers on the state of sustainability and climate education in schools.
Teach the Future is a youth-led campaign to urgently repurpose the entire education system around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. Here, you can access a range of research reports that provide an overview of the current state of climate education in the UK
This research article seeks to propose learning objectives - the Head, Heart and Han model - that can be integrated across existing curricula to improve climate and sustainability education.
This research article outlined an alternative educational paradigm: one which helps sustain the ‘whole person’, communities, and the environment.
This research report, produced by the Cambridge Primary Review Trust, makes the case that all primary schools should include some degree of learning about global and sustainability issues within their curriculum.
This research article outlines an approach to education for sustainability based on play and science activities.
This research article outlines effective approaches to integrate mental health into climate change education to inspire climate action while safeguarding wellbeing.
This report, produced by the Education Commission, makes the case for cultivating green skills for a just transition to a sustainable economy.
This research article makes the case that transformative learning approaches are a way to create a space for climate change and sustainable education to happen.
This research article from The Lancet argues that early childhood is a key foundation for planting the seeds for lifelong sustainable habits.
The Harmony Projectworks with educators to put sustainability and nature at the heart of learning. They provide a wealth of high-quality resources to support teachers to develop a curriculum that is rooted in a deep understanding of, and connection to, the natural world.
UNESCO provides a range of useful guidance and resources, including curriculum development resources, to support teachers with developing a holistic, participatory and inclusive curriculum that promotes sustainable living. Their Greening the curriculum guidance may be a useful starting point.
This resource - Early Childhood Education for Sustainability - aims to support practitioners to embed the Sustainable Development Goals and STEM into pedagogical practice.
Resources supporting classroom and enrichment activities:
The Tree Council's mission is to inspire and empower schools, organisations, government, communities and individuals with the knowledge and tools to create positive, lasting change at a national and local level. In regards to children and young people, they run a series of initiatives for schools to be involved with, including the Young Tree Champions programme and even provide free packs of seeds to plant fruit trees and/or fruiting hedgerow!
There are a number of local and regional organisations seeking to promote a greener, healthier and more sustainable future through tree planting, tree care and maintenance and outdoor, nature-based education, including City of Trees (Greater Manchester), The Mersey Forest (Merseyside and North Chesire), National Forest (Midlands) and Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust.
Thought Box Education provides learning resources and teacher training online and in-person courses for Primary and Secondary are designed using the Triple WellBeing competencies framework to help strengthen personal, social and environmental wellbeing.
These resources, produced by the Ministry of Eco Education, weave together the best free resources and opportunities to help teachers to embed sustainability across every subject for every pupil.
One Health lessons provides lesson resources focused on developing understanding of the interconnection between public health and the health of animals, plants, and the environment.
This resource - Sustainability Matters in Early Childhood - aims to support practitioners, educators, childminders, parents/carers and students to take small green steps towards a better climate future globally.
Produced by Chester Zoo, this toolkit and these resource packages aim to support teachers to put conservation at the heart of pupils’ learning, by putting a focus on species, habitats, ecosystems and sustainable actions we can make for the benefit of wildlife.
The WWF provides a range of free, curriculum-linked resources for the classroom to help pupils explore the issues of climate change.
Teach the Future is a youth-led campaign to urgently repurpose the entire education system around the climate emergency and ecological crisis. They provide a range of climate actions for you and your students to get involved with.
The Met Office provides a range of curriculum-related resources to support children and young people to understand the wide-reaching impacts of weather and climate change locally and globally.
Nature Scot, Scotland’s Nature Agency, provides a range of citizen science activities for you and your students to get involved with. For more information about citizen science, take a look at this BBC article.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) provides a range of activities and initiatives for you and your students to get involved with. In particular, you may wish to get involved with the Big Schools Birdwatch. It is the largest citizen science project for schools. It involves counting the number of birds in your school grounds. It only takes an hour, so one lesson or lunchtime is ideal.
Video content:
This event, hosted by the Edge Foundation, brought together school and student leaders to think expansively about what a better, more sustainable future for their schools might look like.
The National Association for Primary Education has produced two comprehensive videos about sustainability education. Part 1 provides some context for this approach, whilst Part 2 explores the implications for classroom practice.
This webinar, hosted by the Earth Charter International, reflects on pedagogical approaches that could support education for sustainable development.
ELLEN PARKER, ASSISTANT HEADTEACHER, STOKE PRIMARY SCHOOL, UK
Introduction
The transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to Key Stage 1 (KS1) marks a significant juncture in a child’s educational journey, characterised by a noticeable shift from a play-based, explorative curriculum to a more instruction-based approach. This transition raises pertinent questions about the suitability of current practices and their impact on the holistic development of children within education.
This concern was particularly relevant for our school, an inner-city, two-form-entry primary school serving a diverse pupil population. The IDSR (2022) identifies the school characteristics as:
percentage of FSM6 (free school meals within the last six years) within the highest quintile
percentage of pupils receiving SEND (special educational needs and disability) support within the second-highest quintile
percentage of pupils identified as EAL (English as an additional language) within the highest quintile
percentage of stability within the lowest quintile
the school’s location indicator for deprivation within quintile 4.
This leads to key challenges, such as persistent absence and low school readiness in terms of executive functions and self-regulation. When looking at transition and continuity from Reception, we observed previous cohorts struggle with the demands of a formal Year 1, such as increased curriculum expectations and prolonged periods at desks, resulting in a passive approach to their learning and reduced learning time due to its discrete nature. To maximise outcomes for our Year 1 learners, we understood that our approach needed to evolve by building upon the principles and practice of the Early Years.
Research indicates that our ‘most vulnerable pupils are at risk when play is absent from... learning’ (Allee-Herndon et al., 2019), as play provides opportunities for executive function development (Eberhart et al., 2023). Executive functions – for example, cognitive flexibility and self-regulation – are considered more reliable indicators of academic success than areas such as early literacy (McClelland et al., 2014). Moreover, studies have highlighted correlations between poverty and lower executive function (Blair and Raver, 2015), emphasising the importance of addressing this disparity. However, it should be recognised that the benefits of play-based learning extend beyond our most vulnerable learners. Developmental characteristics are not unique to specific year groups; children enter our classrooms with diverse starting points and their own early experiences. Play understands this and allows for a more inclusive and developmentally sensitive approach to education (Fisher, 2020), recognising and responding to the individual needs and strengths of each child, regardless of background or circumstance. To reduce play to a ‘prop’ ignores its potential to harness engagement and contribute to the learning of all children (Howe, 2016). Contextually, it is noteworthy that Wales extends its Foundation Stage to age seven and Scotland to age eight, underscoring the value attributed to Early Years education.
Pedagogical approach
With a school ethos that recognises strong early learning as a vital foundation for long-term success, our methodology needed to provide the best educational experience for our youngest learners. Crucial to this was the role of play in both academic and personal development. Barriers to learning and the challenges these posed to teachers were mapped, supporting the transition to a continuous provision methodology and play-based approach to learning, motivated by our passion to:
facilitate contextual learning
bring the essence of childhood to the classroom
maximise learning outcomes
ensure that transition to formal learning is not a reward for success in a continuous provision model
empower teachers.
Firstly, extensive prior planning and CPD (continued professional development) took place for the Year 1 team, enabling a shared vision to form. This training highlighted the vital role that the environment plays in unlocking effective learning, a key question being: ‘Whatwill the classroom look like?’ Drawing insights from literature, such as Can I Go and Play Now? (Bottrill, 2022), we identified and mapped key areas within the environment – for example, the outdoors, construction and craft – and defined the roles of adults within this approach. Alongside this, the desired learning system was matched to Year 1 National Curriculum objectives, and exploration of how these could be covered in the context of a play-based approach began. At this point, concerns started to arise:
How could certain objectives be achieved?
Would this approach allow enough time to cover everything?
What would evidence look like?
To address these apprehensions, strong leadership, coupled with open communication between all stakeholders, was key. Firstly, a ‘through the eyes of the child’ framework was co-constructed, identifying core areas of learning throughout the curriculum that would guide planning and enable children to develop a broad set of skills ahead of Year 2. Shared planning time with core subject leaders was fundamental to ensuring quality objectives through the provision, complemented by development of a timetable allocating discrete teaching time for core and foundation subjects. It is important to note that these teaching moments were focused and short, followed by child-led exploration. When evidencing learning, emphasis was placed on the quality of teacher knowledge rather than collecting evidence for its own sake. Each child had a learning journal, where evidence was collated from various sources, including work produced from adult-led and provision moments, photos and QR codes.
The benefits of play-based learning were celebrated, but the possible limitations need to be a key feature of review. As McLane (2003) suggests, we must recognise the potential of play without romanticising it. While play offers invaluable opportunities for holistic development and exploration, it cannot fully address certain areas of learning. Fisher (2010) underscores this point, highlighting that play is not inherently suited to teach skills such as handwriting, phonics or specific factual knowledge, and that we should consider what play can teach and what it can consolidate.
Findings and implications
The adoption of a play-based approach in Year 1 has led to a wealth of findings and implications, despite being in the early stages of implementation. This case study represents just one school’s experience, and therefore has its limitations. However, it may be useful for practitioners working across the Early Years and Key Stage 1, along with senior leaders, in respect to reflecting on their pedagogical standpoint regarding play and the benefits that this brings to developing the whole child as an individual and as a learner.
Throughout the year, continuous reflection on our practice allowed us to refine, improve and challenge our thinking in real time. This exposed how, despite a strong rationale, there were challenges identified that needed to be addressed:
the shift in thinking to planning through a play-based approach
challenging more confident learners
ensuring that independent learning activities were open-ended.
In response, we implemented strategies aimed at providing children with both focus and agency within the provision, designed in collaboration with wider leaders. This involved providing topic-related activities while also allowing the children to pursue their own ideas on how to complete these. The process of evidence collection has sought to dispel the notion of daily book work, emphasising the importance of varied evidence collection from the provision instead. Despite these challenges, the benefits of the play-based approach were evident in the enriched learning experiences and increased engagement for all children, balanced by a reduction in behaviour-related challenges and leading to strong outcomes for the cohort.
Anecdotal evidence has been abundant from both staff and children, providing valuable insights into the impact of this approach on learning outcomes and overall practice.
The most prevalent impacts on learning have been:
a significant increase in time spent applying new skills
continuous support and challenge tailored to each child’s individual starting point
a notable rise in learning talk among the cohort
enhanced insights into each child as a learner and the skills that they can use
application of skills and knowledge across various contexts.
A significant finding is the notable increase in children’s motivation to write. By engaging in play-based learning experiences and fostering emotional connections with their learning, children have demonstrated increased motivation and enthusiasm to write. This contrasts with the previous formal approach, where writing was met with reluctance and disinterest.
Importantly, our journey highlighted that the challenge in Year 1 did not stem from what was being taught, but how it was being taught. By reviewing pedagogy rather than curriculum, we created an environment where children actively engaged in self-directed learning, confidently extending themselves and collaborating with peers.
Recommendations
For practitioners embarking on the journey of adopting a similar approach – embrace the journey!
To ensure the success of a play-based approach, consider the following:
Develop a deep understanding of and belief in the effectiveness of play
Commit to ongoing reflection and refinement
Be willing to shift your mindset.
In practical terms, when beginning the development of this approach, consider:
Connect with schools in your locality or beyond that have already implemented play-based learning models beyond the Early Years
Take time to assess your current learning environment and craft a clear vision
Dedicate time to developing your curriculum and defining the roles of adults within the provision.
Finally, I would encourage practitioners to approach this with courage and resilience. While the transition to a play-based approach may provoke apprehension and uncertainty, due to perceptions and stereotypes, it is essential to remember that this decision is rooted in what is best for our youngest learners.
References
Allee-Herndon KA, Dillman Taylor D and Roberts SK (2019) Putting play in its place: Presenting a continuum to decrease mental health referrals and increase purposeful play in classrooms. International Journal of Play 8(2): 186–203.
Blair C and Raver CC (2015) School readiness and self-regulation: A developmental psychobiological approach. Annual Review of Psychology 66(1): 711–731.
Bottrill G (2022) Can I Go and Play Now? Rethinking the Early Years. London: SAGE Publications.
Eberhart J, Paes TM, Ellefson MR et al. (2023) Executive functions and play. Trends in Neuroscience and Education 30: 10198.
Fisher J (2010) Moving on to Key Stage 1: Improving Transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage. London: Open University Press.
Fisher J (2020) Moving on to Key Stage 1: Improving Transition into Primary School. London: Open University Press.
Howe S (2016) What play means to US: Exploring children’s perspectives on play in an English year 1 classroom. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal 24(5): 748–759.
IDSR (2022), Gov.UK Inspection Data Summary Report, 19 October 2022 (accessed 21 March 2024)
McClelland MM, Cameron CE, Duncan R et al. (2014) Predictors of early growth in academic achievement: The head-toes-knees-shoulders task. Frontiers in Psychology 5: 599.
McLane J (2003) Thinking about play in the early childhood classroom. Erikson Institute. Available at: www.erikson.edu/wp-content/uploads/OP_mclane.pdf (accessed 21 March 2024).
This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking the Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and impactful way.
Who is this webinar aimed at?
This webinar will be particularly valuable to primary teachers, those involved in curriculum design more broadly, and all educators who want to learn about play-based curricula in practice.
What does the webinar explore?
In this webinar, school leaders, expert practitioners and consultants - Ellen Parker, Jo Gray and Kath Bransby - share insights and experiences about implementing a play-based curriculum.
How could I use this webinar to support my team?
This webinar could be re-watched with your school leadership or teaching teams to develop a shared understanding of this approach. We have prepared some reflective questions that could be used to inform discussions and begin to consider what this might look like in your context.
The webinar has been edited split into the following sections:
0.17 - Kath Barnsby, Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood at Sheffield Hallam University, explores the evidence-base underpinning a play-based approach. She also offers four conditions that promote play in early childhood.
11.13 - Jo Gray, Head of Education at Once Education, explores the value of play-based learning. She also outlines the barriers and challenges of adopting this approach and suggests potential ways these can be overcome.
24.41 - Ellen Parker, Assistant Headteacher at Stoke Primary School in Coventry, shares her school’s journey designing and implementing a play-centred curriculum.
40. 21 - A Q&A session to further explore the challenges, opportunities and practicalities of introducing and implementing a play-based curriculum in primary schools.
As you watch the webinar, you may wish to note down insights that build on your understanding of this work.
You may wish to consider:
What principles and practices resonate with your current understanding and application of a play-based curriculum?
How have the presentations shifted your current thinking around play-based and education? How could this inform your approach going forward?
Consider the four conditions to promote play - time, space, independence, permission to take risks - introduced by Kath Barnsby in the first presentation. To what extent does your school provide these?
Why do you think a play-based curriculum could be important for the students in your context?
What are the challenges of adopting this approach? How have the presenters attempted to overcome these
What are your key takeaways from the webinar?
Are there any further questions you have about introducing, implementing or refining your current approach?
This is a collection of research articles, case studies, webinars and other relevant resources to further develop your understanding of a play-base approach. We have ensured that these are open access or available to members of The Chartered College of Teaching.
The resources collated here will not provide a recipe for what you should do. Some of the articles will also present opposing viewpoints, and ones which may contradict your own viewpoint or experience. They will provoke thought, debate and discussion. We encourage you to read and appraise the literature to make informed decisions based on your local context, professional experience and other available research evidence.
Resources from the Chartered College of Teaching
N.B. Please note that non-members can only access three articles per month. Join today to get full access to all resources provided on our platform.
This short article provides a brief overview of what is meant by a ‘play-based curriculum’ and briefly outlines the implications of this approach for practitioners.
This research article summarises the findings of a study conducted with Year 1 pupils across nine primary schools, examining the impact of play-based pedagogies.
This research article summarises the findings of a study conducted with six rural primary schools. This study is underpinned by the belief that arts partnership programmes may offer benefits and positive impacts for students involved, yet it focuses on the teacher’s function within such partnerships, exploring the notion that the approach of the teacher is as essential to the effectiveness of the project as the arts professionals are themselves.
This article explores how pretend play can be integrated in the classroom for four-to-five-year-olds with English as an additional language (EAL), through the design of a pretend play intervention which is based on storybook reading and subsequent role-playing and incorporates explicit phonological awareness and vocabulary instruction.
This article explores the evidence-base underpinning a play-based approach at Key Stage 1, examining the benefits and potential barriers of adopting this approach.
This article explores the role of parents and carers in facilitating play. It provides a range of practical recommendations to help encourage parents and carers to engage in play with their child/children.
This perspective article explores the false dichotomy between a play-based approach and the pressure to cover the curriculum and secure academic outcomes.
This perspective article makes the case for using guided play to develop Early Years maths skills, providing practical recommendations for teachers.
This perspective article explores the value of play-based approaches in successful transition from Early Years to Year 1.
This video interview with Dr Sara Baker, Professor of Developmental Psychology and Education, University of Cambridge, explains the important role of play in early child development.
This video resource, provided by the Youth Sport Trust, explains the important role of play in preparing a child for school.
This classroom practice video shows practitioners supporting young children’s learning at Sheringham Nursery School and Children’s Centre in east London. More specifically, it demonstrates how guided play can support the development of communication skills.
This research article summarises the findings of a study conducted with 15 Early Years teachers teaching in 14 inner city schools in England. The aim of the study was to capture teachers’ perspectives as they reflect on their pedagogies of mathematical play.
This research article summarises the findings of a study conducted with 70 Year 2 classes and their teachers from 70 primary schools in and around London. The aim of the study was to capture teachers’ experiences of using a play-based intervention to support Year 2 children’s understanding of grammar.
This research article outlines the findings of a study seeking to understand teachers’ perceptions of risky play in early childhood education.
Other resources and articles freely available from other providers
Research articles and evidence-based guidance reports:
This discussion paper, produced by the International Play Association (IPA), highlights the critical role of play to children’s well-being, development and survival and reflects upon the impact of environmental conditions on the realisation of the right to play in children’s everyday lives.
This report, produced by Play Scotland, explores the best available research evidence about the impact of play-based initiatives.
This research article explores the disconnect between policy, research and practice around play-based approaches and proposes a useful framework to address some of these challenges.
This report, produced by the Lego Foundation, demonstrates how learning through play builds lifelong learners and supports children’s overall development. It also explores the obstacles that Early Years practitioners may face when making a case for play-based methods, and, finally, proposes a systems perspective in advocating for child-centred pedagogy and playful programmes. Similarly, this evidence review summarises current evidence on the role and importance of children’s learning through play.
This research article outlines the findings of a study that explored the relationship between outdoor environments and children’s play.
This research article outlines the findings of a study that explored the relationship between indoor environments and children’s play.
This research article outlines the findings of a study that examined the impact of extending play-based pedagogies into Year 1 in an English primary school, particularly for those who did not achieve ‘Good Level of Development’
This research article examines the theory, practice and evidence of a play-based curriculum.
Resources supporting curriculum development and lesson planning:
The Institute of Imagination provides resources and training for educators seeking to foster creativity through play and stimulating pupils’ imaginations. You may also wish to read their Impact report to further understand the impact of this work.
Sign up to Play England and receive access to a range of publications and resources to design and implement play-based approaches, both in indoor and outdoor spaces.
Place-based education, also referred to as area-based education, is an umbrella term for pedagogical practices that prioritise experiential, community-based and contextual/ecological learning to cultivate greater connectivity to local contexts, cultures and environments. The purpose behind a place-based approach is to increase children and young people’s understanding of the place they live and embed schools more deeply within their communities. For example, students might learn about their city through visits to local museums (history), walking tours (geography) and school-based workshops from local entrepreneurs (business and enterprise).
According to the RSA (2012) an place-based approach to curriculum should ideally be:
about a place: using local resources to build learning
by a place: designed by schools and local partners
for a place: meeting the needs of the children and the local community.
Place-based education is often associated with environmental education, project-based learning, problem-based learning and experiential learning; but what differentiates true place-based education is ‘its explicit focus on both human and natural environments and its concern with equity and social justice issues, as well as the environment’ (Smith, 2017). As far back as 1897, John Dewey linked the purpose of education with the wider societal benefits. He said ‘education is a process of living, and not a preparation for future living (p. 78). This was in reaction to schools focussing on developing compliant workers when instead he felt that schools should be focussed upon raising citizens who can serve their communities, care for their land and run their governments. This is still echoed today in the UN publication of sustainable development goals (2015), which highlights the need to move beyond ‘compliance’, instead focusing on engagement and empowerment of communities.
Adopting a place-based approach can ‘increase engagement, learning outcomes and community involvement’ (Vander Ark et al., 2020, p. 2). It can also be attributed to ‘a greater attachment to local community and context whilst allowing students to become proactive investigators of the multiple environments, cultural, ecological, social, political, economic, in which they both learn and live’ (Yemini et al., 2022, p. 1). Indeed, Connolly (1999) researched the impact of curricular choices on under-represented groups, namely the LGBQT community, and found that when curriculum raises awareness and demonstrates to members of that community their importance in society - indeed, the curriculum has the ‘potential to create academic environments that are safe and inclusive for all students’ (p. 126).
References
Connolly M (1999) Issues for lesbian, gay, and bi- sexual students in traditional college classrooms. In: V Wall and N Evans (Eds.) Toward acceptance: Sexual orientation issues on campus, pp. 109- 130. Lanham: University Press of America.
Dewey J (1897) My pedagogic creed. The School Journal 54: 77-80.
Egan-Simon D (n.d.) Curriculum design: Area-based curriculum., Chartered College of Teaching. Available at: https://my.chartered.college/research-hub/curriculum-design-area-based-curriculum/ (accessed 1 May 2023).
Royal Society of Arts (RSA) (2012) Thinking about an Area Based Curriculum: A guide for practitioners. London: RSA. Smith G (2017) Place Based Education. Available at: https://oxfordre.com/education/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190264093.001.0001/acrefore-9780190264093-e-95;jsessionid=8A3FEFDFC56A3F71E23209E14496A421 (accessed 16 August 2023).
United Nations (UN) (2015) ‘17 Sustainable Development Goals’, United Nations. Available at: https://sdgs.un.org/goals (accessed on 1st May 2023).
Vanker Ark T, Liebtag E and McClennen N (2020) The Power of Place: Authentic Learning Through Place-Based Education. Virginia: ASCD Books. Wiliam D (2018) Creating the schools our children need. Florida: Learning Sciences International.
Yemini M, Engel L and Simon B (2023) Place based education - a systematic review of literature. Educational Review. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/epdf/10.1080/00131911.2023.2177260?needAccess=true&role=button (accessed 16 August 2023).
Tools and resources
As part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, we have created a number of bespoke resources to develop your understanding of a place-based curriculum. These resources are designed to explore the research evidence underpinning this approach, understand what this could look like in practice and make informed decisions about whether this might be appropriate for your school and students.
This review summarises some of the research evidence around place-based education, specifically exploring the impact and implications for primary school practice.
Siobhan Dell of Brocklewood Primary School has written a case study to share their journey in designing and implementing a place-based curriculum in their school. This case study could be used to understand the process further but is not intended to be replicated as we strongly believe that all schools should be delivering for their community and circumstances.
We hosted a webinar with experts and practitioners - Julia Hancock, Jayne Rochford-Smith, Kirsty Cooper, Emma Littlewood and Siobhan Dell - to share their experiences of implementing place-based curricula in their primary settings. This recording could be re-watched with your school leadership or teaching teams to begin to explore the purpose and application of a place-based, community curriculum. To support with this, we have prepared a range of reflective questions to facilitate discussion and consider actions forward.
Use this evaluation tool
We have created an evaluation tool to be used with your school leadership teams to develop understanding of where your current curriculum is in terms of introducing and embedding a place-based focus to your curriculum. The aim of using this tool is to celebrate and acknowledge the work you are already doing but also to refine actions going forward.
This tool could help with reviewing the curriculum at a whole school level, ensuring that expectations of experiences within the curriculum are relevant and catered for effectively. It could also support teacher development in the planning and application of the delivery methods- the importance of leaders understanding this.
This tool is intended to be used alongside the Rethinking Curriculum Evaluation Framework to be launched in December 2024. Click here for further information.
Use this document to explore how this approach aligns with the National Curriculum
As part of this project, schools asked for a tool to map how specific curriculum approaches aligned with the current National Curriculum. We invite you to use this document to further develop and refine your curriculum vision.
We have created a list of further reading and resources to deepen your understanding of developing a place-based curriculum. These include academic research, case studies and webinars. We have ensured that all resources are open access or available to members of The Chartered College of Teaching. Please click the link below to continue your learning:
This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in a sustainable, creative and impactful way.
Who is this webinar aimed at?
This webinar will be particularly valuable to primary teachers, those involved in curriculum design more broadly, and all educators who want to learn about place-based curriculums in practice.
What does the webinar explore?
In this webinar, school leaders, expert practitioners and consultants - Julia Hancock, Jayne Rochford-Smith, Kirsty Cooper, Emma Littlewood and Siobhan Dell - share insights and experiences about implementing a place-based curriculum.
How could I use this webinar to support my team?
This webinar could be re-watched with your school leadership or teaching teams to develop a shared understanding of this approach. We have prepared some reflective questions that could be used to inform discussions and begin to consider what this might look like in your context.
The webinar has been edited split into the following sections:
0.15 - Julia Hancock, Curriculum Development Specialist and former Headteacher, explains the importance of community-based learning, the key principles that underpin effective practice and provides a range of questions and practical strategies to begin shaping your own approach of oracy.
11.09 - Jayne Rochford-Smith, Primary Curriculum Consultant and former Headteacher, shares her previous school’s approach to embedding community-based learning across the curriculum.
22.55- Kirsty Cooper, Headteacher of Grayrigg CE Primary School, and Emma Littlewood, Belonging Lead at Grayrigg CE Primary School, share their journey designing and implementing a place-based curriculum in their setting.
33.28 - Siobhan Dell, Assistant Headteacher at Brocklewood Primary School, shares her school’s journey designing and implementing a place-based curriculum.
Reflective questions
As you watch the webinar, you may wish to note down insights that build on your understanding of this work.
You may wish to consider:
What principles and practices resonate with your current understanding and application of a place-based curriculum?
How have the presentations shifted your current thinking around place-based and community-centred education? How could this inform your approach going forward?
Why do you think a place-based curriculum could be important for the students in your context?
What opportunities could your setting and community bring to the curriculum?
What are the challenges of adopting this approach? How have the presenters attempted to overcome these?
What are your key takeaways from the webinar?
Are there any further questions you have about introducing, implementing or refining your current approach?
