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<p>The government believes it is vital that young people are taught a broad and balanced
curriculum, including about plants and nature, biodiversity, and our impact on the
environment.</p><p>At COP26, the department announced its commitment to develop a
primary science model curriculum with a focus on nature. On 9 January, the department
published its ‘Plant biosecurity strategy for Great Britain (2023 to 2028)’, which
sets out a commitment to protecting plant biosecurity in Great Britain, including
raising awareness of the importance of healthy plants and trees.</p><p>These commitments
support the existing requirements in the national curriculum for science and geography,
that pupils are taught about plants through a range of topics including the requirements
of plants for life and growth, how they vary from plant to plant, how to identify
how plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways, and that adaptation
may lead to evolution. In secondary science, within biology, pupils study plants in
more depth including their importance in an ecosystem, positive and negative human
interactions with ecosystems and the importance of biodiversity more broadly.</p><p>In
geography pupils are taught about nature, including how systems interlink and how
we affect our surroundings, natural environments, as well as a deep understanding
of the Earth’s physical processes. A key aim of GCSE geography is to ensure young
people become environmentally informed. It requires pupils to understand the interactions
between people and environments, global ecosystems and biodiversity, and human interaction
with ecosystems and environments. Fieldwork also forms an important part of this GCSE.</p><p>The
department has also announced the development of a new GCSE in natural history, to
be taught from 2025, which will include opportunities for students to gain a deeper
knowledge of the natural world around them.</p>
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