9. How is the Welsh Government ensuring schools teach children about the importance of nature and biodiversity? OQ58396

Learning on the environment is mandatory in the Curriculum for Wales. The statements of what matters for the humanities and the science and technology areas of learning and experience include explicit references to the environment, to ensure that learners engage with the importance of nature and biodiversity.  

Thank you for the answer, Minister. According to research by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, only one in five children has a connection to nature, and time spent playing outdoors has halved in just one generation. Exploring the natural environment is incredibly beneficial for young children, particularly for their sensory and emotional development. It's important that these experiences occur at primary school age, because if a child does not connect with nature before the age of 12, they are less likely to as an adult.

If we are to tackle the nature crisis we face, we also need to make sure that our future generation of leaders understand the importance of preserving our biodiversity for the ecosystems and careful balance of life. Minister, what funding does the Welsh Government have in place to support schools to connect children with nature? Thank you.

Well, as a former young ornithologist myself, I pay close attention to what the RSPB tells us in terms of the connection of young people with nature. I'm sure that most of us will recognise, from our own experience, just how important and enjoyable that is at a young age. There are two principal programmes that we fund and continue to support in the space of environmental education in schools. Eco-Schools is one, and the Size of Wales is another. We can use both those programmes to go beyond the classroom, if you like, and for young people to be able to engage with their broader environment, but also to have a sense of agency in terms of how they relate themselves to nature and to biodiversity. Between them, those programmes are funded by around £0.5 million a year over the last three years. That enables schools to engage with those programmes at no cost. In my own experience—and I'm sure hers will be from her region as well—when you speak to schools, both of those programmes are very valued, and most heads and most teaching staff see a real opportunity with the new curriculum to be able to make a real step forward in how those programmes play a part in the broader curriculum in schools as well. 

Rhianon Passmore is not here to ask question 10 [OQ58413].