Co-authored by Leeds Trinity University Primary Education experts Salik Miah and Bethany Cafferkey with the support of Tate Modern and Northern Star Academies Trust, the guidance responds to a national need for climate-informed curricula and teaching. 

This need is highlighted in the UK Government’s latest Curriculum and Assessment Review, where climate change is mentioned 62 times, while by comparison, reading is mentioned 50 times and writing only 35 times.  

The Primary Art guidance was designed to support teachers and subject leads in adapting the curriculum to help pupils across year groups one to six better understand the climate crisis, and the emotions it brings up, through art.  

“Art is inherently linked to emotion, and an important part of climate change education is to allow pupils to reflect on their feelings about the environment,” Bethany Cafferkey said. “We can’t shy away from the fact that climate change can bring up overwhelming emotions, and we can use art to create the safe space for children to express themselves and come up with solutions and collective actions.”   

Creating the same emotional safety for teachers, rooted in current and cohesive knowledge about climate change, is crucial in supporting children, according to Salik Miah: “If teachers don't have the opportunity to understand the complexities behind climate change and self-regulate their emotions, then they won’t be able to support children appropriately.  

“As climate change increasingly shapes the world children are growing up in, they are expressing more curiosity and concern about the issue. This guide aims to help teachers build the knowledge and confidence required to engage in open, honest, and meaningful conversations with their pupils.” 

The guidance was developed for Climate Adapted Pathways for Education (CAPE), a charity working to equip teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to empower all children to understand and respond to climate change.  

It was published alongside two other guides for science and geography, and edited by the co-founders of CAPE, Leigh Hoath, Professor of Science Education at Leeds Trinity University, and Heena Dave. The guidance follows CAPE’s evidence-based curriculum framework, which rests on three principles: knowledge, collective action and self-regulation. 

Professor Hoath said: “Children don't just need to learn about the climate crisis — they need structured, age-appropriate tools to think about it, to talk about it, and to emotionally process it.   

“These guides support teachers and school leaders in establishing high-quality climate change education. They are ambitious but cherish the value of those subjects in themselves as well as then considering coherent and sequenced climate change knowledge across the primary age phase.” 

Bethany Cafferkey added: “The guidance gives clear indication of what teachers can do to support their pupils while providing high-quality learning experiences that don't dilute the art content in the curriculum.  

“This ensures they develop the knowledge and skills to not only address climate change but become change makers; taking collective action within their local area and beyond.” 

The guides have been rolled out to schools across the country, and their impact will be assessed at different stages, to ensure further development needs are identified and addressed as they arise.