A blog providing ideas and resources for those teachers hoping to / preparing to teach the new GCSE Specification, first announced in April 2022, for potential first teaching from 2027, depending on a number of factors.
A new BBC series which started this evening focusses on the wildlife that can be found in people's gardens, although frankly the first episode featured a completely unrealistic garden...
There's an interactive tool as well, made with the Open University, which you can use to uncover the secret wildlife in your own garden.
Here are the details from the film maker:
In 2020, during a lock down that marked us all, I discovered The Lost words book. This illustrated object simply celebrated words that qualified the nature around me in northern Europe. These words were blue bell, fox, badger, willow, conker, magpie, raven...Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are important for marine conservation. There are few of them.
If you want to find them, check out the map here.
Find out more about marine protected areas with this infographic by @FishOceansCAN⬇️
— UN Biodiversity (@UNBiodiversity) March 7, 2024
🐠#Biodiversity pic.twitter.com/K27lAV5JPL
I posted about these some years ago, but there is now a range of new visualisations available.
Visit the site and every few seconds you are treated to a new one...
How to identify beetles?
ID guides for major species which may be mentioned in the specification will be important. Some teachers who are teaching the new specifications may not be
It is one of the largest conservation organisations in the country, and has many members. They have also been particularly critical in the last six months of changes in government policy around planning, which was a rare foray into this sort of campaigning work.
They also have a role in education, and could well provide a useful option for schools needing local fieldwork opportunities, or training, or perhaps to provide a role for certain students.
There may well be some ornithological experts amongst the student body of any school - although the Merlin ID app is a useful alternative to actually recognising bird song.
RSPB reserves welcome visitors of course, and they also have an Educational
RSPB members can access reserves and car parks. It is a good value membership given the number of reserves that can be visited.
Many countries feature wildlife on bank notes as part of the nation's heritage and culture.
Now we may get more wildlife on our bank notes.
This suggestion has not gone down well with the Daily Telegraph.
What is your local river? Can you get out to it to do fieldwork easily?
What fieldwork would be appropriate for the GCSE Natural History?
One river that I have completed fieldwork on most recently is the River Glaven.
This is a fairly short river which flows through North Norfolk.
Rising from tiny chalk headwaters in lower Bodham and Baconsthorpe, the River Glaven flows for approximately 17 km. Its main course begins just below Selbrigg Pond, where three tributaries combine at the outfall. From there, the river winds through wooded hills of glacial debris, traverses lush countryside, and meanders through picturesque flint villages, before meeting the sea behind Blakeney Point.
This was on the local news magazine programme tonight.
John Clare was a poet who was influenced by nature and the outside world.
The artist in residence Kathryn Parsons was interviewed.
One possible additional focus for teachers is to mention or highlight some of the specific days during the year which are linked to specific species of wildlife.
Here's one for you:
Use the Amphibian Ark website, which has a range of resources.
The Vingen Quarry in Norway has a range of threatened rock art.
This Guardian article from 2024 explores the reason why such sites should be protected.
Rock art falls into the category of "representations of the natural world".
When the specification is (finally) released, along with SAMs and other support materials and guidance there will be a year or so to prepare teachers to teach the new specification.
This will require them to upskill themselves (and I include myself in that).
Official and 'unofficial' support and textbooks and other material will start to appear, and the various organisations who have been involved so far will no doubt have their own idea.
There are already some organisations offering free online training - here are a few examples from November 2023 for example, from different organisations... they will of course be offering many more in the years to come...
On 16th Nov at 1:45pm, tune into our next STEM Live lesson, 'How to Classify a Sea Monster', brought to you by @LinneanSociety.
— STEMLiveLessons (@STEMLiveLessons) October 24, 2023
Here you'll learn how to study life in the wild, name living organisms and even draw imaginary creatures!
Sign up here: https://t.co/QgnSkAKaDv pic.twitter.com/5wqw1qw48q
Ever wondered what life is like on a historic estate? Join us @unisouthampton to hear from the team at Beaulieu Estate.
— Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) (@RGS_IBG) October 26, 2023
📍Southampton, 8 November 👉 https://t.co/W5TjyAusuK pic.twitter.com/GV4iIph7tI
What do you think will be the most useful types of support that teachers and schools that decide to offer the new specification will need to be provided with - whether by the awarding body or external bodies including publishers, subject associations, charities etc.
Horizon was Barry Lopez' penultimate book, and a substantial piece of work which showed his particular love of the world, and his way of describing it.
There is a review of the book here, by Robert MacFarlane.
MacFarlane met Barry a number of times, and has written about this, and there are videos available on YouTube of them discussing Barry's life and work.
Horizon remains one of the finest descriptions of the slow change that has taken place within the life times of those of us over the age of 50. Communicating the likely changes that will take place in the next 50 years while remaining positive is the difficult thing...
Make sure that you take part in this huge citizen science event. Just give up an hour of your weekend to sit there with a cup of tea and see which birds land in your garden.
At the time of posting around 400 000 people / families have registered to take part.
Come and join us!
It's one of the best books I read last year.
The indigenous populations would never use the term 'Sahara', as they refer to smaller sub-regions with which they are familiar. They will generally have quite specialist knowledge of particular areas and the routes between trading posts.
They used words that described the empty, dangerous, inhospitable nature of the region, some of which were then appropriated for the actual place names for desert areas
There is also plenty of insight. Jay Owens' book 'Dust' has previously explored the many geographical aspects that can be obtained from exploring the desert sands.
A large part of the desert is made of hamada or desert pavement, or stony ground, and sand dunes are relatively rare.
The Natural History of deserts will not be a main area of the GCSE Natural History, which will focus particularly on UK based ecosystems and nature, but the way that nature can survive and people can thrive in such challenging environments is worth exploring.
The other aspect of the book is that the desert hasn't always been a desert - it used to be woodland, but climate change resulted in a change in the landscape of the whole region.
This book has been really fascinating and increased my knowledge of deserts a great deal. It is the additional human context which has made all the difference, and the way that it is put together is authentic and authoritative.
There is plenty on the desert as it is today, and its challenges.
My copy was published by Profile Books in 2025.
Hardback, 374pp
ISBN: 987-1-788166454
An audiobook preview is here. Those with Spotify Premium can listen to the book too.
A framework for nature I came across via a map activity shared by Bob Lang.
It's an evidence-based guideline for how to integrate nature into cities so people actually benefit from trees and green spaces.A new BBC series which started this evening focusses on the wildlife that can be found in people's gardens, although frankly the first ...
