Welcome to Green Space, a website designed to enable all PGCE trainees at Warwick, across all phases, to address climate change and sustainability in their teaching. Climate change is the social issue of our time, one that affects us all globally, with potentially most impact upon the lives of children. It is our responsibility as teachers (whichever phase or subject) to develop “climate literacy”, model positive action and enable our pupils to move from eco-anxiety to eco engagement.

The first Green Space Day took place online in March 2022 and this participatory conference is now established as an annual feature of the PGCE programme for Early Years, Primary and Secondary trainees. These days provide opportunities to hear from and engage with expert practitioners, discuss issues with peers and explore a range of current resources. This website, set up partly to support these online events, is structured around six different thematic “zones” and we have archived the presentations from Green Space 2022, along with relevant resources, in these zones. The next Green Space Day is on 24 April 2023 and this website will be developed to support this event, whilst serving as a resource for you and your colleagues to use at any time.

If you are a Green Space Alumni currently in your first year of teaching, or a current PGCE trainee, I warmly invite you to become involved in helping to shape the next Green Space Day, so please email me for details of how you can share your work or get involved.

Jake Lever

Assistant Professor (Subject Lead for Art and Design – Secondary PGCE)

Email: J dot R dot Lever at warwick dot ac dot uk

• Introduction 2022Link opens in a new window
• Introduction 2022 recordingLink opens in a new window
• Transcript of recording of Introduction 2022Link opens in a new window

Each of the zones contains information about the speaker for that topic and resources for you to consider and use.

The arts zone provides examples of how the arts can help us engage imaginatively with the issue of climate justice, and how arts practice can become a form of “beautiful protest.”

The children + young people zone includes a range of resources focussing upon the perspectives of children and young people. It includes reflections upon how to address eco-anxiety and how to develop children’s agency and positive engagement.

The curriculum zone offers a range of curriculum resources designed to enable teachers across all subjects and phases to address aspects of climate justice and sustainability.

The Government + UN zone contains recent policy documents from the UK Government and the United Nations in relation to climate education, and responses to them.

The science zone contains resources designed to introduce you to the basic facts of climate change according to climate scientists.

The sustainability zone offers resources around the wider field of sustainability, with frameworks and strategies for developing sustainable schools, and sustainable lives.

We would really like to keep in touch with trainees who intend to develop teaching around climate change and sustainability, across phases and subjects. To do this, please click on the Green Space Alumni image above and complete the form on the page.