Next week will see the launch of a new GCSE in natural history, focusing on how students can help protect the planet.
The qualification will be available starting in September 2025. It is expected that Nadhim Zahawi (education secretary) will announce it on Thursday.
According to the Department for Education, the qualification would enable pupils to learn about organisms, their environments, and environmental and sustainability issues in order to gain a deeper understanding the natural world around.
The DfE stated that pupils will also learn skills to be able to work in conservation in the future, including how to conserve wildlife and conducting fieldwork to identify species.
The government stated that the new course would teach pupils more about the history and evolution and the effects of human activity on natural environment.
Zahawi is expected to announce the new GCSE at the DfEs sustainability strategy and climate change strategy launch on 21 April. He said: Sustainability and climate are the greatest challenges facing mankind.
We can all be certain of how important they are. The new natural history GCSE will give young people the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding and knowledge of this amazing planet, its environment, and how to conserve it.
The new GCSE is the first to be launched following the reform of the qualification in 2017.
According to the DfE, the government will work closely alongside independent experts and a variety of stakeholder organizations, including exam boards such as Cambridge OCR and Ofqual, in order to develop the detailed content for GCSE.
DfE stated that the sustainability strategy and climate change strategy will help young people to acquire excellent Stem knowledge and to find practical opportunities to improve biodiversity, climate resilience, and other aspects of sustainability.