The world-famous Tate Modern art gallery in London is supporting Leeds Trinity University Primary Education Lecturers, Salik Miah and Bethany Drake, to equip children and young people with the skills to tackle climate change through newly developed art curriculum guidance that will be shared with teachers and schools across the UK. 

Compiled on behalf of Climate Adapted Pathways for Education (CAPE), a charity working to ensure that climate change education is available to all children, the art curriculum guidance aims to build a high-quality climate change-focused art curriculum that empowers young people to imagine and advocate for a more just future through creative expression. 

Tate Modern, which has worked with CAPE over the past year to explore what good climate education looks like, is supporting the work as part of its own efforts to highlight the role art and museums play in creating fundamental societal change. 

Once complete, the guidance will allow schools and teachers to weave climate change education into their current teaching activities amid a rise in eco-anxiety and the concept of climate justice among children and young people. It is anticipated to be ready by spring 2025. 

Salik, who is the Art Curriculum Lead for CAPE, and Bethany have over 18 years combined experience teaching art in primary education settings and hope to use their knowledge and expertise to create guidance grounded in a clear sense of purpose, coherence and progression. 

Salik Miah said: “Art is as a powerful subject for engaging with the ethical dimensions of climate change, allowing children and young people to connect with diverse perspectives. Art can also be a space to critique systems of power and inequality, challenge dominant narratives, highlight the disproportionate impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, and encourage new ways of thinking about fairness and responsibility. By encouraging creative expression, Bethany and I hope to empower children and young people to make their voices heard in the battle against climate change.” 

Bethany Drake said: “Climate change is high on government agenda and CAPE seeks to enable teachers to educate pupils while supporting them through what is often a particularly emotive issue. With this guidance, we hope to encourage school leaders to reflect on their current curriculum and use the guidance to make adaptations and developments. Climate action needs to be at the forefront of our children’s minds and the Arts provide a wide variety of opportunities to do this. The writing process has truly been a call to action for me on the part that schools and teachers can play in creating change for good.” 

The art curriculum guidance is the latest piece of collaborative work between CAPE and Tate Modern, following the recent launch of the Gathering Ground exhibition which explores threatened ecologies and highlights the connection between environmental and social justice. 

Professor Leigh Hoath, Co-Founder of CAPE and Deputy Dean of the School of Education at Leeds Trinity University, said: “We’re grateful to be working with Tate Modern, which is determined to effect and inspire change after it declared a climate and ecological emergency in 2019. Children and young people are becoming increasingly concerned about climate change and what it means for not only themselves, but for generations to come. Our work with Tate Modern will support our aim to provide those with growing concerns with the knowledge, skills and tools needed to safeguard our planet.” 

For more information the courses delivered by the School of Education at Leeds Trinity, visit the University website.