The Rebooting Education Report 2023 is here!
We’ve partnered with Cambridge University Press & Assessment, OCR and a coalition of partners to gather responses from 7,000 teachers and educators.
The Rebooting Education Report 2023 collates their thoughts, insights and experiences, informing how we can create a regenerative, transformative, green education system.
Serving as both a source of inspiration for current teachers, and a roadmap for the future of education in the UK, the report calls for values, sustainability and wellbeing to be placed firmly at the heart of our education system.
In September 2023 we worked with polling organisation Teacher Tapp to ask 6,804 teachers six core questions. The questions were:
- On a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is completely prepared & 5 is not at all prepared, how well is the current education system preparing pupils for their future?
- In the last year, which of these sustainability-related topics have you included in lessons?
- There should be more space in the curriculum to teach about issues like sustainability, global citizenship, social justice and peace. How far do you agree?
- Would you put yourself forward as a Sustainability Lead?
- Do you believe that the UK will be “a world leader in sustainable education by 2030”?
- When you think about the future of education, how do you feel?
In addition, we carried out a series of teacher focus groups (May and September) and a survey of 195 UK educators this August.
What did we learn?
According to the report, more than two-thirds of teachers in England are engaging their students in topics related to sustainability, and 15% of teachers would be willing to take on the role of Sustainability Lead in their schools - which is three times more teachers than required.
However, 85% of these teachers are not confident that the current education system is adequately preparing pupils for the future, and only 1% of teachers believe the UK will be “a world leader in sustainability and climate change education” by 2030 if we carry on as we are. With this in mind, 69% of teachers would like to see more room in the curriculum to teach about sustainability-related topics, including the environment, peace, and global citizenship.
“In my vision for the future, kids are allowed to learn what they are interested in, and what's unifying them is the values we promote,” said one primary school teacher from Greater London, “We will support them to also understand each other, and understand how to live in a social world.”
Praise for the Report
Satish Kumar, Founder of Schumacher College and Reboot the Future Ambassador, says “I would like to congratulate the team at Reboot the Future who have given us a profound insight in the thinking and concerns of teachers through this survey. It is imperative for the government in particular, and society in general, to pay close attention to the findings of this urgently needed research and make necessary changes so that we can learn to live in harmony with ourselves and with our beautiful planet Earth.”
Christine Özden, Global Director of Climate Education at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, said: “This compelling report gives us a powerful insight into how teachers in the UK are equipping students to thrive in a changing world, and teachers’ appetite to do more. Teachers need more help to make this happen.
What now?
Reboot the Future will be celebrating teachers’ alternative visions of education and championing pioneers in sustainability education over the next six months through our Rebooting Education campaign.
In addition we recognise that more work must be done to work together as a sector. That’s why we’re mapping education’s changemakers from teachers to trusts and charities to universities. If you would like to be involved in working together for a better education system then please sign-up below.
