Children at five primary schools in Plymouth have the distinction of being the recipients of the UK’s first curriculum based on Ocean conservation.
The five schools – all of which belong to the Connect Academy Trust – are Manadon Vale Primary School, Thornbury Primary School, Eggbuckland Vale Primary School, Widey Court Primary School and Leigham Primary School.
Staff at the five schools have been writing units of work for children aged from four to 11, working closely with marine scientists from the National Marine Aquarium, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Marine Biological Association to design material that covers the seven principles of Ocean Literacy.
Each school has a science lead and Ocean Champions responsible for putting teaching material together, working alongside two of the headteachers Claire Hardisty and Andrew Swainson, and supporting colleagues across the Trust.
Stuart Bellworthy, CEO of Connect Academy Trust, said:
“We are extremely fortunate to live in Plymouth, the Ocean City. We are even more fortunate to have enlisted the support of some of the most renowned marine institutes in the country to help us create this innovative curriculum.
“We are teaching children about the Ocean, how it works, what affects it and how to look after it, in ways that builds their curiosity and inspires them. Schools are able to build additional material into their teaching but it’s rare for schools to collaborate like this to write an entire curriculum on top of the national curriculum.’
The curriculum has been in development for the last two years although progress was severely slowed by the pandemic. This term, the schools have been trialling units of work across all five schools and across all the age groups.“
Stuart added:
“The children love learning about the Ocean and they will go into secondary school with considerably more knowledge than their peers about Ocean science, since it is not part of the national curriculum.
“We feel that children need to understand how to protect the Ocean because it’s the life blood of our planet. Without a thriving Ocean, we are all at risk.
“We teach them how life forms in the Ocean, the carbon cycle and about the diversity of marine life. It’s a really interesting subject with a lot of teaching potential for maths, science, geography and literacy.”
All the schools are currently organising tours for children starting school in September 2022. To find the school details and websites, go to www.connectacademytrust.co.uk
