A GCSE in natural history has been given the go-ahead by the UK government, paving the way for children to “understand and protect the nature on their doorstep and beyond”.

The qualification, which is set to become one of the first new GCSEs to be introduced in over a decade, was confirmed in parliament last week (21 March), by education minister Catherine McKinnell. Nature lovers have been campaigning for it for more than a decade, but despite a curriculum being drawn up some time back, progress had slowed.

Environmentalist Mary Colwell spearheaded the drive, working on it since 2011. Speaking at a seminar in 2021, she said a 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 has 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.”

In an interview with the Guardian last week, following the announcement, Colwell added: “To start to create a society that knows and understands the natural world is the biggest step forward we can take. David Attenborough said we need to fall in love with the Earth again. This is one way of helping the next generation do that because it will show them the wonder of it.”

The course will be designed to be delivered “as effectively” in city centres as it can be in the countryside, said OCR – the UK exam board of Cambridge University Press & Assessment – which will assess the qualification.

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,” OCR added.

To start to create a society that knows and understands the natural world is the biggest step forward we can take

The government is set to consult on the GCSE’s subject content later this year. Colwell told the Guardian that criteria drafted under the previous UK government would need to be revised to ensure the GCSE gave young people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland fieldwork opportunities to learn about the wildlife in their local neighbourhoods.

The campaign for the qualification has been backed over the years by the likes of Bear Grylls, Chris Packham and Floella Benjamin, as well as institutions like the Eden Project and Natural History Museum.

The governmental review group is expected to publish a report on the proposed subject content in the autumn.

Main image: students examine the undergrowth in woodlands near Rothbury, Northumberland. Credit: SolStock