Learning for sustainability: action plan 2023 to 2030

Introduction

Before setting out the more immediate context for this new plan, it is worth reflecting on the journey up to this point.

The initial development of Learning for Sustainability

The term "Learning for Sustainability", coined in Scotland, is now gaining traction in other countries as a cross-curricular approach which enables learners, educators, learning settings and their wider community to build a socially-just, sustainable and equitable society; and as an effective whole-setting approach which weaves together global citizenship, sustainable development and outdoor learning to create coherent, rewarding and transformative learning experiences.

Scotland embarked on our LfS journey in the early 2010s, with the publication of the LfS Report by the One Planet Schools Ministerial Working Group. We have achieved important milestones since those initial developments. The strategic vision for LfS was further developed through the "Vision 2030+" report, the concluding report of the LfS Implementation Group in 2016. These reports were instrumental in carving a place for LfS in Scotland's curriculum and in our education sector. They provided a set of strategic goals for LfS; goals which remain just as potent and relevant today. We then embedded LfS and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in the General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) Professional Standards. In 2019, we developed our first action plan to achieve the strategic vision of the 2030+ report. Also in 2019, Scotland's achievements in empowering young people to build a sustainable future were recognised by the World Future Council in its Future Policy Awards, a global 'Oscars for best policies'. In the 2020 PISA Global Competence Report, Scotland scored third highest amongst participating nations, behind Singapore and Canada.

The Vision 2030+ Goals for Learning for Sustainability

All learners should have an entitlement to learning for sustainability.

In line with the new General Teaching Council Professional Standards, every practitioner, school and education leader should demonstrate learning for sustainability in their practice.

Every setting should have a whole setting approach to learning for sustainability that is robust, demonstrable, evaluated, and supported by leadership at all levels.

All settings' buildings, grounds and policies should support learning for sustainability.

A strategic national approach to supporting learning for sustainability should be established.

The background to this strengthened plan

Scotland is now recognised as a leading nation in the way it has promoted a whole setting, school and community approach to LfS, and its ambition to embed LfS as an entitlement within our curriculum for all learners.

So why the need for a renewed action plan?

There are two key reasons: i) the rapidly evolving educational and global context and, ii) the voice of our educators and our children and young people who are demanding – rightly – that we increase momentum and raise our ambitions in educating them for the future.

The Scottish and global context

Education reform – The Muir Review recommended putting learners at the centre of the education system and referenced climate, children's rights, social justice and outdoor learning as key drivers for education. The commitment to create three new education agencies is an important reform. One of those new agencies will lead on the curriculum and therefore will likely drive the LfS agenda in terms of it being a curriculum entitlement. The National Discussion on Scottish Education has highlighted the importance of LfS and the Interim Report from the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment is looking to broaden the evidence collected during the senior phase. LfS is a key component of, and a means by which to unlock the benefits of, these important education reforms.

In addition, LfS is ever-present in a host of wider education improvement workstreams across Scottish educationsuch asthe Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Training Strategy; the Developing the Young Workforce reforms (where our transition to a low carbon economy will mean that in the future there will be more green jobs or jobs requiring green skills); the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), the development of an anti-racist curriculum and education system; the Commission for the Land-Based Learning Review; Community Learning and Development (CLD) (where communities need support to address multiple social justice themes and where provision of good quality CLD services can support people to take collective action); the expansion of early learning and childcare (where LfS themes on outdoor learning, children's rights, social justice, citizenship skills are core); further and higher education (where, in comparison to other UK nations, Scotland has a higher proportion of students engaged in courses linked to green skills and the climate emergency) and the Skills Delivery Review (where we are developing a clear purpose and set of principles for the post-school education, research and skills development ecosystem).

Global context – Our drive to net zero, which takes a central role in Scotland's economic strategy, requires rapid and disruptive change to the ways in which we live our lives and to our behaviours and actions. Scotland's National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET), Green Jobs in Scotland and our response to the climate change and nature crises will be strengthened significantly by the successful implementation of the LfS Action Plan. Our Biodiversity Strategy identifies the need to systematically mainstream biodiversity, to ensure it is understood and valued across the population and embedded in education curriculum. And Scotland's International Development Programme enhances the role of Scotland as a global citizen. LfS is the connection into all of these themes and it is the way that our curriculum connects to the wider world. It teaches future generations to value thoughtful and responsible behaviour, helping them to develop political literacy and equipping learners with the knowledge, skills and confidence to detect bias, make informed choices about the complex world around them and develop as global citizens.

The need for a strengthened plan to take us to our 2030 vision is clear. With important education reforms in train and in the wake of a global pandemic, climate and biodiversity emergencies and a plethora of other global challenges, the relevance of LfS to our education system could not be more stark to ensure we are educating our learners for the future.

The voice of children and young people and educators

Equally important in driving the need for a strengthened plan was the voice of children, young people and educators. The Scottish Government undertook an extensive 9 month long engagement process involving two significant research projects – one led by the Children's Parliament and one led by the University of Dundee – which asked learners and educators how they understood LfS and how it was working in their educational and community settings. The research told us that all participants were passionate about LfS and that large numbers see LfS as a strength in our curriculum. But the research also told us that the entitlement to LfS is not being experienced by all of our learners and that many wanted to see bold new actions to articulate the vision more clearly and to deliver the vision.

Key findings from the research which forms the basis for this plan

• There is excellent practice taking place and extraordinary educators leading their settings towards the step change that we need.
• Where LfS is embedded it has often been down to the passion of those individuals who are driving the change. They often experience challenges and barriers as they seek to effectively implement LfS as a cross-curricular theme.
• Learners asked for more opportunities to learn outdoors and be in nature and to be empowered to make actionable changes in their educational settings to fully embrace the ethos of LfS. They also wanted the adults in their lives to take a proactive approach to support them to make those changes.
• It was clear that educators were at different stages of their journey, with some utilising LfS principles in their work for many years and ready to take new next bold steps, while others were more uncertain about where to start.
• A key message from both educators and learners is that adults need to learn more about sustainability to be able to share this with learners.
• Professional learning needs to be better at building confidence and capacity.
• A focus on "LfS in practice" rather than the theory, is key.
• Policy makers, education bodies and relevant partners must ensure that there is support for all those progressing on this journey.

Further detail is in Annex A to this plan.