Eight primary schools across Plymouth and Torquay are set to benefit from the UK’s first Ocean Curriculum, which was developed by teachers working at Connect Academy Trust in collaboration with scientists at the Ocean Conservation Trust, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Marine Biological Association.
The programme of teaching offers a hands-on introduction to ocean science and is designed with modules catering for ages four to 11 so children of all ages will be spending up to six weeks exploring life in the ocean.
“The initial idea was to develop stronger links with our ocean experts in Plymouth, which it is Britain’s Ocean City after all”, explained Stuart Bellworthy, CEO of Connect Academy Trust.
“We want to help the children in our schools to have a deeper appreciation of the Ocean and for them to understand how looking after the Ocean supports the future of our planet, as well as what they can do to make a difference.’’
Work started on the curriculum in 2019, in response to rising concern amongst children and adults about climate change, over-fishing, and the abundance of plastics in the ocean.
Stuart added:
“All of our science partners have been incredibly supportive, and we could not have achieved this mammoth task without their expert input. Once we started talking to them, the concept evolved into an Ocean Curriculum covering the Seven Principles of Ocean Literacy. Most children love the sea and studying the ocean gives them a fascinating introduction to so many aspects of science, in a way that they can really relate to. So far, all the units of work we have trialled have been really popular.
“It’s rare for schools to write their own new curriculum like this. While schools do have some flexibility around how and what they teach, in practice many focus solely on the national curriculum and lack the resources to develop larger units of work outside of that.
“It’s one of the advantages of being an Academy Trust‚“ he added. “We have been able to pool resources and expertise across the five Plymouth schools in our Trust. Several teachers in our schools have a background in marine biology so that has helped enormously. Each of our schools has a nominated Ocean Champion amongst its staff who is responsible for developing material and introducing the units of work into their own school.”
In September, Connect Academy Trust took on three schools in Torbay, which will start teaching the Ocean curriculum in 2023.
At the end of October, the Trust held a training day for teachers, with workshops run by its ocean partners. Elaine Hayes, CEO of the new National Marine Park in Plymouth welcomed the teachers to the National Marine Aquarium and talked about the Marine Park and ocean conservation.
Elaine said:
“We need to think longer and harder about how we can embed ocean literacy into all aspects of school life. Through education we can help people make better choices about how they co-exist with nature now and in the future. Through this new curriculum, over 2,000 children will grow up knowing more about the ocean than previous generations. The teachers at Connect Academy Trust have my admiration for developing this important curriculum. We need a paradigm shift in thinking as we move forward.”
As a result of developing this curriculum, the Trust has been awarded Blue Ocean status, an EU initiative to bring the ocean into the classroom, the only UK education provider to hold this status.
The Trust aims to share its curriculum with other schools in the area and across the country, once it is fully up and running.
“We’re an ambitious Trust and are keen to work with other Trusts and schools to promote the Ocean curriculum. We’d also love to talk to any schools who might like to join our Trust,” added Stuart Bellworthy.
