A new GCSE in Natural History will empower students to protect the planet and understand their local environments, following a campaign led by OCR. 

The Department for Education (DfE) today (21 March) confirmed plans to move ahead with the new qualification in a Parliamentary Question. The qualification will be one of the first new GCSEs in more than a decade. 

OCR, the UK exam board of Cambridge University Press & Assessment, has coordinated the campaign for the new qualification and worked with experts to develop potential content, after the campaign was instigated by environmental campaigner Mary Colwell in 2011. The qualification has gained cross-party political support and endorsements from Bear Grylls, Chris Packham and Floella Benjamin, as well as institutions like the Eden Project and Natural History Museum. 

The GCSE in Natural History is intended to give all students – wherever they live – the time, skills, and knowledge to appreciate nature, as well as develop important practical skills in data analysis and observation. It is designed so it can be delivered as effectively in city centres as it can in the countryside. Students will develop a rigorous understanding of the natural world: from their own local wildlife, environment and ecosystem to critical global challenges such as climate change, biodiversity and sustainability.

The campaign has been part of a wider mission at Cambridge to redefine education about nature and the climate, making it an integrated part of every young person’s curriculum. It follows the recent launch by OCR of a new vocational qualification in sustainability. 

Jill Duffy, Chief Executive of OCR, said: “Natural History is for everyone. OCR’s Natural History GCSE will give young people the skills to understand and protect the nature on their doorstep and beyond, whether they live in urban, suburban, or rural environments. We will continue to offer ideas and help shape this vital new qualification. Through the partnerships we’ve formed with teachers and students, we are well prepared to deliver this exciting new GCSE.”

Cambridge and OCR will work with the Department for Education and the many stakeholders who have been involved in the qualification so far, to develop subject content. The DfE plans to finalise and consult on the proposed subject content after the curriculum and assessment review has concluded. 

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