England: Eco Heroes in the national curriculum

Year 2 – Living things and their habitats: "identify and name a variety of plants and animals in their habitats, including microhabitats"

Code: Y2 Living things and their habitats

• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Find, observe and record at least 5 living things in the school grounds.
  • Sort living things into simple groups (plants, insects, other animals).

Year 2 – Animals, including humans: "describe the importance for humans of exercise, eating the right amounts of different types of food, and hygiene"

Code: Y2 Animals, including humans

• SDG 3

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 3 · Ages 6–10 Germ busters

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Show the correct steps of handwashing with soap and water.
  • Name 3 habits that help us stay healthy (washing hands, moving our bodies, sleeping well).

Year 2 – Plants: "find out and describe how plants need water, light and a suitable temperature to grow and stay healthy"

Code: Y2 Plants

• SDG 2

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 2 · Ages 6–10 From seed to plate

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Describe what a seed needs to grow (water, warmth, and light once it sprouts).

Geographical skills and fieldwork: "use simple fieldwork and observational skills to study the geography of their school and its grounds and the key human and physical features of its surrounding environment"

Code: KS1 Geographical skills and fieldwork

• SDG 11
• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Find, observe and record at least 5 living things in the school grounds.
• SDG 11 · Ages 6–10 My dream street

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Draw a simple map of a street with a key.

Human and physical geography: "identify seasonal and daily weather patterns in the United Kingdom and the location of hot and cold areas of the world in relation to the Equator and the North and South Poles"

Code: KS1 Human and physical geography

• SDG 13

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 13 · Ages 6–10 Weather and climate: Earth’s warm blanket

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the difference between weather (today) and climate (the usual weather over many years).

Year 4 – Living things and their habitats: "recognise that environments can change and that this can sometimes pose dangers to living things"

Code: Y4 Living things and their habitats

• SDG 14

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 14 · Ages 6–10 Ocean in a bottle

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Show with a model how pollution spreads through water.
  • Explain that most rubbish in the sea starts on land.

Year 4 – States of matter: "identify the part played by evaporation and condensation in the water cycle and associate the rate of evaporation with temperature"

Code: Y4 States of matter

• SDG 6

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 6 · Ages 6–10 Every drop counts

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Show that only a tiny part of the Earth’s water is fresh water we can use.

Human and physical geography: "human geography, including: types of settlement and land use, economic activity including trade links, and the distribution of natural resources including energy, food, minerals and water"

Code: KS2 Human and physical geography

• SDG 2
• SDG 6
• SDG 7

• Ages 11–13

• SDG 7 · Ages 11–13 Energy hunters: renewable and non-renewable

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Classify energy sources as renewable or non-renewable and explain the difference.
• SDG 2 · Ages 11–13 Food waste detectives

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why wasting food also wastes water, land, energy and work.
• SDG 6 · Ages 11–13 The water diary: how much do we really use?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Compare that use with the reality for people who must carry their water.

Human and physical geography: "physical geography, including: climate zones, biomes and vegetation belts, rivers, mountains, volcanoes and earthquakes, and the water cycle"

Code: KS2 Human and physical geography

• SDG 6
• SDG 13

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 13 · Ages 6–10 Weather and climate: Earth’s warm blanket

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the difference between weather (today) and climate (the usual weather over many years).
• SDG 6 · Ages 6–10 Every drop counts

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Show that only a tiny part of the Earth’s water is fresh water we can use.

Year 4 – Statistics: "interpret and present discrete and continuous data using appropriate graphical methods, including bar charts and time graphs"

Code: Y4 Statistics

• SDG 12
• SDG 15

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 12 · Ages 6–10 Bin detectives

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Sort clean classroom rubbish into reuse, recycle, compost and landfill.
• SDG 15 · Ages 6–10 Minibeast safari

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Sort living things into simple groups (plants, insects, other animals).

Cooking and nutrition: "understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed"

Code: KS2 Cooking and nutrition

• SDG 2

• Ages 6–10
• Ages 11–13

• SDG 2 · Ages 6–10 From seed to plate

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why farmers matter for feeding everyone.
• SDG 2 · Ages 11–13 Food waste detectives

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why wasting food also wastes water, land, energy and work.

"participate in discussions, presentations, performances, role play/improvisations and debates"; "articulate and justify answers, arguments and opinions"

Code: Spoken language Y1–6

• SDG 1
• SDG 5
• SDG 16

• Ages 6–10

• SDG 1 · Ages 6–10 What does everyone need?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Sort at least 8 picture cards into ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ and explain one choice.
• SDG 16 · Ages 6–10 Peacemakers

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Use ‘I feel… when… because…’ to describe a disagreement calmly.
  • Listen to another person’s point of view without interrupting.
• SDG 5 · Ages 6–10 Any toy, any job

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Spot a stereotype in a picture or story and say why it is unfair.

"the production of carbon dioxide by human activity and the impact on climate"; "Earth as a source of limited resources and the efficacy of recycling"

Code: KS3 Chemistry – Earth and atmosphere

• SDG 12
• SDG 13

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–16

• SDG 13 · Ages 11–13 The greenhouse effect and our carbon footprint

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the greenhouse effect and how burning fossil fuels strengthens it.
• SDG 12 · Ages 11–13 Fix it, don’t bin it

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why repairing and reusing products saves resources and money.
• SDG 12 · Ages 14–16 Cradle to grave: the life cycle of a product

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the principles of a circular economy (reduce, reuse, repair, recycle, redesign).

"the interdependence of organisms in an ecosystem, including food webs and insect pollinated crops"; "how organisms affect, and are affected by, their environment, including the accumulation of toxic materials"

Code: KS3 Biology – Relationships in an ecosystem

• SDG 14
• SDG 15

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–16

• SDG 15 · Ages 11–13 Pollinator power

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain what pollination is and why many food crops depend on animal pollinators.
  • Identify which foods in a meal rely partly on pollinators.
• SDG 15 · Ages 14–16 Pull one thread: food webs and extinction

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Model a food web and predict the effects of removing one species.
• SDG 14 · Ages 11–13 Plastic interceptors: a litter survey

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Carry out a safe litter survey and classify what is found.

"fuels and energy resources"; "domestic fuel bills, fuel use and costs"

Code: KS3 Physics – Energy

• SDG 7

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–16

• SDG 7 · Ages 11–13 Energy hunters: renewable and non-renewable

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Classify energy sources as renewable or non-renewable and explain the difference.
• SDG 7 · Ages 14–16 Planning the switch: the clean energy transition

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Use data to describe the global gap in electricity and clean cooking access.

"weather and climate, including the change in climate from the Ice Age to the present"; "understand how human and physical processes interact to influence and change landscapes, environments and the climate"

Code: KS3 Physical geography / Human and physical geography

• SDG 13

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–16

• SDG 13 · Ages 11–13 The greenhouse effect and our carbon footprint

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain the greenhouse effect and how burning fossil fuels strengthens it.
• SDG 13 · Ages 14–16 From evidence to action: making a climate campaign

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Interpret climate data (CO₂ concentration and temperature) and explain the link.

"human geography relating to: population and urbanisation; international development; economic activity in the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors; and the use of natural resources"

Code: KS3 Human and physical geography

• SDG 1
• SDG 4
• SDG 8
• SDG 11

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–16

• SDG 1 · Ages 14–16 What actually works against poverty?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how a cycle of poverty can pass from one generation to the next, using at least 3 linked causes.
• SDG 8 · Ages 11–13 What makes a job a good job?

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Interview or research a local job and evaluate it against a decent-work checklist.
• SDG 11 · Ages 14–16 Who is the city for? Auditing how people move

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how transport choices affect air quality, safety, cost and fairness.
• SDG 4 · Ages 14–16 In school but not learning? The global learning crisis

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Analyse what drives education gaps between regions (poverty, conflict, gender, teacher numbers).

Evaluate: "understand developments in design and technology, its impact on individuals, society and the environment, and the responsibilities of designers, engineers and technologists"

Code: KS3 D&T – Evaluate

• SDG 9
• SDG 12

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–16

• SDG 9 · Ages 11–13 Little inventors: designing a fix

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Evaluate an invention by who it helps and what it needs to work.
• SDG 9 · Ages 14–16 Mind the gap: the digital divide

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Design and evaluate a local infrastructure solution, including cost and maintenance.
• SDG 12 · Ages 14–16 Cradle to grave: the life cycle of a product

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Map the life cycle of a product from raw materials to disposal and identify its biggest impact point.

"the roles played by public institutions and voluntary groups in society, and the ways in which citizens work together to improve their communities, including opportunities to participate in school-based activities"

Code: KS3 Citizenship

• SDG 1
• SDG 11
• SDG 16

• Ages 11–13
• Ages 14–16

• SDG 1 · Ages 11–13 Poverty is more than money

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Identify 3 local services or places that help people who are struggling and describe what one of them does.
• SDG 16 · Ages 14–16 Trust and accountability: how fair decisions are made

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Analyse how decisions are made in a real system (school council, sports club, local council).
• SDG 11 · Ages 11–13 Green spots in grey places

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Plan and justify a small improvement to a school or local space.

"local, regional and international governance and the United Kingdom's relations with the rest of Europe, the Commonwealth, the United Nations and the wider world"; "human rights and international law"

Code: KS4 Citizenship

• SDG 10
• SDG 16
• SDG 17

• Ages 14–16

• SDG 17 · Ages 14–16 How the world fixed the ozone layer

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain how the Montreal Protocol (1987) brought countries, scientists and industry together to protect the ozone layer.
• SDG 16 · Ages 14–16 Trust and accountability: how fair decisions are made

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why transparency, accountability and participation build trust in institutions.
• SDG 10 · Ages 14–16 Different starts: understanding inequality

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Evaluate who benefits when an inequality stays hidden and how data can make it visible.

"the different ways in which a citizen can contribute to the improvement of their community, to include the opportunity to participate actively in community volunteering, as well as other forms of responsible activity"

Code: KS4 Citizenship

• SDG 11
• SDG 13
• SDG 17

• Ages 14–16

• SDG 13 · Ages 14–16 From evidence to action: making a climate campaign

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Design a campaign with a clear message, audience and one specific ask.
• SDG 11 · Ages 14–16 Who is the city for? Auditing how people move

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Propose 3 evidence-based improvements and identify who the current system serves worst.
• SDG 17 · Ages 14–16 How the world fixed the ozone layer

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Design a local partnership to solve a real problem, explaining what each partner gains.

"the importance of biodiversity"; "positive and negative human interactions with ecosystems"

Code: KS4 Biology – Ecosystems

• SDG 14
• SDG 15

• Ages 14–16

• SDG 15 · Ages 14–16 Pull one thread: food webs and extinction

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Model a food web and predict the effects of removing one species.
  • Explain the main drivers of biodiversity loss identified by IPBES.
• SDG 14 · Ages 14–16 Fish for the future: overfishing and the commons

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Evaluate a sustainable fishing policy and who bears the costs of overfishing.

"evidence, and uncertainties in evidence, for additional anthropogenic causes of climate change"; "potential effects of, and mitigation of, increased levels of carbon dioxide and methane on the Earth's climate"; "the Earth's water resources and obtaining potable water"

Code: KS4 Chemistry – Earth and atmospheric science

• SDG 6
• SDG 13

• Ages 14–16

• SDG 13 · Ages 14–16 From evidence to action: making a climate campaign

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Interpret climate data (CO₂ concentration and temperature) and explain the link.
• SDG 6 · Ages 14–16 Hidden water: virtual water and who goes without

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Analyse why water scarcity is often about access and management rather than total supply.

"renewable and non-renewable energy sources used on Earth, changes in how these are used"; "life cycle assessment and recycling to assess environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life"

Code: KS4 Physics – Energy; KS4 Chemistry – Chemical and allied industries

• SDG 7
• SDG 12

• Ages 14–16

• SDG 7 · Ages 14–16 Planning the switch: the clean energy transition

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Explain why the energy transition is a whole-system change, not a single switch.
• SDG 12 · Ages 14–16 Cradle to grave: the life cycle of a product

  Pupils will be able to:

  • Map the life cycle of a product from raw materials to disposal and identify its biggest impact point.