§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will publish guidance to advise schools of good practice in teaching about the care of the environment;
(2) if he will encourage all schools to appoint a co-ordinator for environmental education;
(3) what plans he has for schools to have a policy for environmental education guaranteeing provision and continuity between different subject areas of the curriculum;
(4) what plans he has for providing guidance to schools on delivering environmental education on biodiversity and sustainable development.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsEvery maintained school is responsible for providing a curriculum which must satisfy the statutory requirements of the national curriculum. Guidance on environmental education as part of the national curriculum has been provided to schools in Wales by the Curriculum Council for Wales. The council has also published an advisory paper and in-service training materials to support schools' delivery of environmental education.
§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to increase the provision of initial and in-service education for teachers in environmental education.
§ Sir Win RobertsWe have no plans to increase such provision. Schools are free to include reference to the importance of developing pupils' awareness of the environment in the statement of the school's ethos and values included in their prospectuses, if they so wish. Environmental education is addressed through the statutory subjects of the national curriculum: schools themselves are responsible for how environmental education is delivered.
The Government already provide specific grant to support expenditure on the national curriculum which is 758W devolved mainly to schools to spend on books and equipment or training. It is for schools and LEAs to decide what priority to give to particular subject areas and to make detailed plans in the light of their own staff development needs.
We seek to ensure, through our criteria for the approval of initial teacher training, that courses give a thorough preparation for teaching the national curriculum. The detailed content of courses is a matter for ITT providers and not Government.
§ Mr. Win GriffithsTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to implement the recommendations for environmental education in further and higher education of the report of the Toyne committee.
§ Sir Wyn RobertsThe Toyne report contained a specific recommendation that each further and higher education institution should adopt a policy for the development of environmental education. A copy of the report was sent to all FHE institutions in Wales in February 1993. It is for individual institutions to judge how to take this recommendation forward.