New Natural History GCSE Focus on planet protection | GCSEs

A new natural history GCSE will be launched next week, focusing on how students can save the planet.

Eligibility will be available from September 2025 and is expected to be announced by Education Secretary Nadeem Jahavi on Thursday.

The Department for Education says this qualification will help students “gain a deeper knowledge of the natural world around them” about living things and their environment, as well as environmental and sustainability issues.

“Students will also develop conservation skills for future careers, from understanding how to conserve local wildlife to conducting the necessary fieldwork for species identification,” the DFE said.

Students have already learned about environmental problems through the study of geography and habitat urbanization in science, but the government says the new course will “go further” to teach them about the history of species and the impact of human activity on the natural environment.

Jahui, who is expected to announce the new GCSE on April 21 when he launches DfE’s sustainability and climate change strategy, said: “Sustainability and climate change are the biggest challenges facing mankind.”

“None of us can doubt how critical they have become. The new natural history will give GCSE young people the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding and understanding of this amazing planet, its environment and how to preserve it. ”

The new GCSE is one of the first to be launched since the qualification reform in 2017.

“The government will work closely with a range of independent experts and stakeholder organizations, including the Cambridge OCR, the Board of Examiners and OfQual to develop detailed content for the GCSE,” DfE said.

DfE added that sustainability and climate change strategies would be designed to help “create excellent opportunities for young people to have excellent knowledge about stem and improve biodiversity and climate resilience”.