Research Report: Cultivating a Green Curriculum

This report sets out how further education can build a green curriculum that prepares learners for a low-carbon future. It argues that sustainability should be embedded across curriculum design, teaching, assessment, staff development and college culture, rather than treated as an optional extra. The report highlights the importance of practical, interdisciplinary learning that connects subjects to real environmental challenges and local community needs. It introduces the PRACTICE framework as a structured way to turn ideas into action, helping colleges move from identifying issues to planning, testing and embedding sustainable change. It also emphasises the need for staff training, digital resources, ethical enquiry and strong internal networks to support consistent delivery. Using the S.T.A.R. framework to assess carbon, people, operations and reach, the report calls for sustainability to be measured, reviewed and improved over time. Its central message is clear: sustainable teaching must be deliberate, visible and part of whole-institution practice.

Audience: post-16 institutions, universities, schools

Length: 58 pages

Type: Research Report

A separate 3-page Executive Summary report is also included.