Northern Ireland green lights climate change qualification

This will be an available GCSE and AS-Level course for students from September

Northern Irish GCSE and AS-Level pupils will now be able to study a new qualification from this September, focusing on climate change and environment.

The Department for Education has given the green light for the ‘Reducing Carbon Footprints Through Environmental Action’ course to go through.

It will be equivalent to a GCSE but will only be based on coursework, not exams.

This follows England announcing a ‘Natural History’ GCSE earlier this year, which also focuses on climate change and how to protect the Earth.

Understanding carbon’s role in propagating climate change, the importance of single-use plastic reduction and the basis of climate campaigns are all key subjects in this new Northern Irish qualification.

Currently, three or four schools in the country have included it as an option for students – however, many have already submitted their GCSE choices for next year and therefore miss out on the chance to take it.

There are reports that plans are in place to create a similar A-Level if the AS-Level version is a success.

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