What needs to change in the UK education system to allow young people to adapt and thrive in a warming world? This is your monthly digest of evidence, expert opinion and stories from the classroom. I'm Josephine Lethbridge, a writer and environmental education campaigner managing the Climate Majority Project's Climate Courage campaign.

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Climate Courage campaign

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Is the government enabling young people to ‘adapt and thrive’, as they promise? Hardly.

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Our take on the UK government’s Curriculum & Assessment Review

Last week, the government’s ongoing Curriculum and Assessment Review released its interim report, offering insight into what the first major rethink of England’s national curriculum in more than a decade might look like.

The panel has committed to “develop a cutting-edge curriculum, equipping children and young people with the essential knowledge and skills which will enable them to adapt and thrive in the world and workplace of the future” (my emphasis).

The report recognises that young people need to be ready for “a rapidly changing world“ and that “rapid social, environmental and technological change necessitates that the curriculum keep pace”. These are promising signs. But when it comes to the climate crisis, the report barely scratches the surface.

Despite strong language around preparing students for the challenges of the 21st century, climate is mentioned just twice in 45 pages. There is no meaningful reflection on what it means to “adapt and thrive” in a world shaped by ecological breakdown – or how education might support students facing an increasingly uncertain future.

Many have voiced concern that the current curriculum is preparing students for a world that no longer exists. There’s no real indication that the current review is likely to sufficiently address this.

Some encouraging signs

• There’s promising recognition that students need to engage with both scientific and cultural knowledge to face global environmental and social challenges. This opens the door to education that acknowledges that cultural shifts are required.
• The report repeatedly emphasises the value of a “wide range of perspectives.” This could support a more plural and global approach to knowledge — one that moves beyond the narrow worldview that helped create today’s crises.
• There’s welcome acknowledgement that young people need applied knowledge, not just theory — practical life skills, space to explore careers, and more diverse learning experiences. Adaptation skills could be introduced as part of this vision.
• The report gestures towards social justice and “the full development” of young people. That could include space for emotional and inner development.

Bigger problems

Climate change isn't woven through

Young people’s futures will be shaped by climate disruption — but the language of the review suggests that it may remain a siloed concern. We need climate and sustainability embedded across all subjects, not confined to isolated science and geography lessons. Without connection to daily life or a sense of agency, climate education risks deepening anxiety. Groups such as Teach the Future and National Climate Education Action Plan have shown how full curriculum integration is both possible and urgent.

It misses the need to build emotional resilience

Adapting to a changing world isn’t only about tech skills. It’s about learning to manage fear, complexity and uncertainty. Without attention to these inner skills, education risks becoming part of the problem. Frightened people spread fear, make bad decisions, and cannot learn. Experienced organisations including the Climate Psychology Alliance, the Climate Cares Centre at Imperial College London and ThoughtBox are demonstrating how to help students process a scary reality with care, creativity, and courage.

Disconnected strategies

The DfE already has a Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which recognises the need for school decarbonisation, adaptation, nature connection, and curriculum support. But this review doesn’t reference it once. Nor is its “Young Futures Hubs” programme — designed to support youth wellbeing but with no focus on the realities of youth futures in a warming world. The government must join the dots and embed practical skills and opportunities for students to collaborate in the future-proofing of their schools and communities as core parts of their learning if it’s serious about future-facing education.

No systemic understanding of inequality

The report mentions social justice — but ignores how climate breakdown compounds inequality and socioeconomic stress. A curriculum for the future must be sensitive to these interconnections and prepare students to understand, navigate and challenge such systems.

A better way forward

The government says it wants students to “adapt and thrive.” That’s a great place to start.

What if that really meant something?

What if every student left school not only knowing the science of climate change, but understanding what it actually means for their careers and their future? What if they were given the space to confront difficult truths — and the skills to stay grounded and hopeful in the face of them? What if they were supported to help their schools adapt, build resilience, imagine just futures — and work together with their teachers and local communities to bring them to life? And what if the schools already doing just that were platformed and celebrated?

That’s what we at the Climate Courage campaign are calling for:

• Teach the truth – Embed climate adaptation in the curriculum
• Empower young people to act – Make every school a hub of local climate resilience
• Safeguard youth mental health – Equip schools to respond to climate distress
• Champion future-ready schools – Celebrate and scale what’s already working

What you can do!

We’re calling for an education system that takes the promise to enable young people to “adapt and thrive in a changing world” seriously. If you agree:

1. ​Share your story: we’re collecting testimonials that demonstrate why schools need to do more to support young people emotionally and practically in the face of the climate and nature crisis. Whether you're a teacher, student, mental health professional, or someone else who has seen first hand the effects of not taking this seriously, we’d love to hear from you.
2. Forward this newsletter on to someone working in education.
3. Talk to students, teachers or parents — ask them what “adapt and thrive” means to them. Then let us know what they say!

What we're reading

• Responses to the Curriculum and Assessment review’s interim report from Teach the Future and Global Action Plan.
• This new study, which finds that 10–12-year-olds feel more anxious and helpless about climate change than COVID-19.
• This manifesto on how we can confront education “in a time of complexity, chaos and collapse”.

I’ll be back in touch next month with a clear outline of what we’re calling for – and an opportunity for you to shape it.

In the meantime, feel free to respond to this email with any ideas, comments or questions. You may have noticed that we've changed our newsletter software: feedback on the new design is particularly appreciated!

Till then,
Josephine