We were approached by naturalist Mary Colwell, who spearheaded the campaign to address the gap in natural history content in education. Since then, we've worked closely with Mary, supporter organisations, teachers, students, naturalists, conservationists and many others with an interest in nature and natural history to address this gap in education.
Consultation
In 2020, Cambridge OCR organised a consultation to help shape early thinking about what a GCSE in Natural History might look like. The consultation was open to everyone and its aim was to seek views on the purpose of Natural History, what Natural History is and explore the key themes the qualification would need, such as conservation, the early world, and the study of flora and fauna. The consultation also sought thoughts on the practicalities and the importance of observing nature in real situations outside the classroom.
We had a huge response to the consultation, with over 2,000 responses, including over 200 responses from young people. You can download a comprehensive report and infographic which summarises the consultation key findings.
Cambridge OCR proposal
We submitted our proposal to develop a GCSE in Natural History to the Department for Education (DfE) on 23 October 2020. Our proposal was based on findings from the consultation.
2021 seminar
At a Cambridge University Press & Assessment Network seminar in 2021 - 'Exploring nature in education: Developing a Natural History GCSE' - Mary Colwell discussed the lack of understanding of nature and its impact and the important role education can play in overcoming them:
“GCSE in Natural History would reconnect our young people with the natural world around them. Not just because it’s fascinating, not just because it’s got benefits for mental health, but because we’ll need these young people to create a world we can all live in, a vibrant and healthy planet.” - Mary Colwell
She was joined by Tim Oates CBE, who discussed the process of developing a proposal for a new qualification. You can watch the seminar in full here.
Higher Education and institutional letter of support
In December 2021, a letter of support organised by Mary Colwell, Professor Yadvinda Malhi and Professor Phil Manning was sent to the Department of Education in support of the Cambridge OCR Natural History proposal on behalf of 17 different universities with 22 different departments/schools represented. Read the letter here.
Department for Education response
In 2022, under the previous government, the Department for Education (DfE) announced its commitment to developing a Natural History GCSE as part of its Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy.
Following the election, the DfE reaffirmed its intention to proceed with the new qualification in response to a Parliamentary Question in March 2025. They plan to finalise and consult on the proposed subject content once the Curriculum and Assessment Review concludes in autumn 2025.
We are working closely with the department and continue to engage with stakeholders in readiness for the subject content consultation.
