We all know that, currently school curriculum leaves a lot to be desired with climate change and climate science. Especially within Primary school. In fact, Climate change, arguably the defining challenge of our pupils’ lives, does not appear by name in the KS1 or KS2 science programmes of study. The word ‘climate’ is absent from the statutory science content for primary schools entirely.

This does not mean primary teachers cannot or should not teach it. But we need to be creative about finding where it fits, and confident enough in the science to teach it well. This guide is for primary teachers who want to introduce climate science in an age-appropriate, accurate, and honest way, using the curriculum they already have.

The good news: the primary science curriculum is full of natural entry points. Weather and seasons, habitats and living things, materials and their properties, light and energy all connect directly to climate science. You do not need to add a climate change unit.

I should add that I have been advising, reading and working with schools for years now, and this advice was not created in a vacuum, there are loads of links and resources at the bottom of this page.

Climate Science: Why primary is the right place to start

Research consistently shows that attitudes to the environment are formed early. A child who has developed genuine curiosity about the natural world, who has observed weather patterns and wondered why they change, who has learned to care about habitats and the species that live in them, brings a completely different starting point to secondary climate education than one for whom nature is unfamiliar territory.

Primary climate education shoudln’t be about guilt, or catastrophe, or making seven-year-olds feel responsible for the actions of adults. It is about building the knowledge, the language, and the emotional connection to the natural world that supports later learning and engenders a sense of awe in our natural history.

Done well, it will also addresses one of the most persistent problems in climate education: eco-anxiety. Children who learn about climate change in the context of agency, e.g. what can be done, what they can do, what is already being done, are more resilient than those who encounter it only as an overwhelming crisis. Starting early, building slowly, and rooting the learning in hope and action rather than fear is one of the most important things primary schools can do.

The curriculum: where climate science in Primary already lives

• KS1: Seasonal changes (Science, Year 1)

This is the most direct primary curriculum hook. Pupils observe and describe weather patterns, including changes across four seasons. This is a natural starting point for talking about how our climate is changing — not by introducing the full science of global heating, but by building observation skills and the habit of noticing the weather.

• KS1: Animals including humans: Living things and their habitats

Habitats: what animals need to survive, how they are adapted to their environment, what happens when their environment changes. This all connects directly to the impacts of climate change on wildlife. Remember chanages in local species, the arrival of new butterflies, the shifting of flowering times, are more immediate and more interesting.

• KS2: Living things and their habitats (Year 4 and Year 6)

Classification, adaptation, and the impact of environmental change on living things are all statutory content at KS2. This is where the connection between habitat change and climate can be made explicitly, think about how species are responding to changing temperatures, why some are thriving and others struggling, what the loss of biodiversity means.

• KS2 Earth and space (Year 5)

The Earth’s position relative to the sun, the reasons for seasons, and the nature of the atmosphere — all of these are statutory KS2 science content that provide the physical science foundation for understanding climate. The greenhouse effect is not in the primary curriculum, but the conceptual groundwork is.

• KS2: Properties and changes of materials (Year 5)

Materials and their properties, including thermal conductivity: how things retain or release heat – connects to the greenhouse effect at a conceptual level without requiring full secondary-level science. This is a good place to begin building the vocabulary that pupils will need later.

Geography: Weather, climate, and human interaction

Geography at KS1 and KS2 includes weather and climate as statutory content. The distinction between weather (what is happening outside today) and climate (the long-term pattern of weather in a place) is one of the most important concepts in climate education and it belongs in primary geography as much as secondary.

Age-appropriate approaches by stage

• KS1 Ages 5–7

Key concepts: Weather and seasons; habitats and what living things need; the natural world as something to observe and care for.

Activity ideas: Daily weather observation logs; seasonal nature walks noting what changes and when; simple investigations into what plants and animals need to survive; grow-your-own projects linking food to seasons and soil.

Language to use: Weather, seasons, habitat, living things, change, grow, observe. Avoid ‘global warming’, ‘carbon emissions’, ‘climate crisis’ at this stage – the vocabulary is not yet grounded in the conceptual understanding needed to use it accurately.

• Lower KS2 Ages 7–9

Key concepts: Food chains and ecosystems; the interdependence of living things; how environments can change and what the effects are.

Activity ideas: Food web investigations showing how removing one species affects others; local habitat surveys comparing what pupils find now with records from ten or twenty years ago; simple energy audits of the classroom; visiting a local nature reserve or farm.

Language to use: Ecosystem, food chain, interdependence, habitat, adaptation, environment, change, conservation. Begin to introduce ‘climate’ as a word – distinct from ‘weather’ – at this stage.

• Upper KS2 Ages 9–11

Key concepts: The causes and effects of climate change at an age-appropriate level; renewable and non-renewable energy; biodiversity and its importance; what action looks like.

Activity ideas: The greenhouse effect as a simple physical model (a glass jar and a thermometer is enough); carbon footprint comparisons using simple data; design challenges for renewable energy; school biodiversity surveys linked to the National Education Nature Park; letters to local councillors or school governors about a sustainability issue.

Language to use: Climate, greenhouse effect, carbon dioxide, renewable energy, biodiversity, ecosystem, sustainability, carbon footprint, action. By Year 6 pupils are ready for ‘climate change’ as an explicit term with the science to back it up.

Getting the science right – what you need to know

You do not need a science degree to teach climate science in primary school. But you do need to be confident about the core facts — and honest with pupils about what you know and what you are still learning.

• The greenhouse effect- simply

The Earth is kept warm by its atmosphere – a layer of gases that traps some of the sun’s heat. Without this, the Earth would be too cold for life. Human activity – particularly burning fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas – is releasing extra greenhouse gases, mainly carbon dioxide. More heat is trapped. The Earth gets warmer. That warmth affects weather patterns, sea levels, ice, and habitats.

This explanation is accurate and age-appropriate for upper KS2. For KS1, focus on weather and seasons and leave the mechanism for later.

• Weather vs climate – the most important distinction

Weather is what is happening outside today. Climate is the long-term pattern of weather in a place- the average conditions over decades. A cold day in July does not disprove climate change. A pattern of increasingly warm summers, milder winters, and more intense rainfall events over thirty years is evidence of a changing climate. Teaching this distinction at primary level is one of the most valuable things you can do.

• What is already changing – UK examples

UK temperatures have already risen by about 1°C since pre-industrial times. Springs are arriving earlier , for example the average first flowering date for many plants has shifted by a week over the past fifty years. Some species, including certain butterflies and birds, are moving northward. Flooding events are becoming more frequent. These are observable, local, and appropriate for primary pupils to learn about.

• What can be done – always end here

Renewable energy is growing fast. The UK now generates over 40% of its electricity from renewable sources. Wildlife recovery projects are succeeding across the country. Energy use in homes is falling. Individual and collective action matters. Always end a climate science lesson with what is being done and what pupils can do – not because it minimises the challenge, but because agency is the antidote to anxiety.

• Managing anxiety – particularly in primary

Primary pupils are not too young to feel anxious about climate change. Many have already encountered alarming content – on social media, in the news, from older siblings or parents. Some will arrive at your lesson already frightened.

The most important thing is not to avoid the topic but to frame it carefully:

• Start with what is beautiful and worth caring about, not what is threatened
• Connect to local, visible, concrete examples rather than global catastrophe
• Build in agency at every stage- something they can do, something that is already being done
• Be honest about uncertainty
• Notice and respond to individual pupils who seem particularly distressed
• Involve parents where possible – a brief note home before a climate unit, or a take-home activity, helps parents continue the conversation in a supportive way

Good framing at primary: We are learning about the weather and the natural world — and how to look after it. There are some challenges, and there are also lots of people working on them, including us.

Practical starting points and free resources

National Education Nature Park

Free programme supporting schools to survey and improve biodiversity on their grounds. Perfect for KS2 habitat and living things units.

The Royal Meteorological Society — MetLink

Free weather and climate resources for primary and secondary teachers. Excellent for weather and seasons units.

RSPB — Wild Challenge and wildlife resources

Eco-Schools seven steps

A free framework that gives primary eco groups a structured approach to sustainability — maps well onto science and geography curriculum hooks.

notyetzero sustainability audit template

A free starting point for a whole-school environmental review

A note on the new curriculum

The DfE’s 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review included stronger climate and sustainability content at all key stages, including primary. The detail of how this will be reflected in revised programmes of study is still being developed, but the direction of travel is clear: climate science will have a more explicit home in the primary curriculum than it currently does.

Primary schools that are already building climate literacy, e.g. through their science, geography, and wider curriculum, will not be scrambling to catch up when the new specifications arrive. And so it makes sense to argue for more in your curriculum now

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notyetzero offers Carbon Literacy training, Climate Fresk, and curriculum support for primary and secondary schools. Get in touch.

Also in the notyetzero practical guide series

Beyond the Biscuit Tin: Getting the Most From Your School Eco Group

How to move your school eco group from token activity to genuine pupil leadership

So You’re the Sustainability Lead

A practical guide for whoever is responsible for making climate education happen in your school

When Climate Education Feels Political

How to navigate challenging conversations with parents and governors

References and further reading

DfE — Science programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2

DfE — Curriculum and Assessment Review working group report (2025)

Carbon Brief — The climate-change gaps in the UK school curriculum

EEF — Improving Primary Science guidance report (2025)

Royal Meteorological Society — MetLink: weather and climate resources for teachers

National Education Nature Park

RSPB — Education resources for primary schools

Eco-Schools UK — seven steps programme

A New Direction — Connecting to Climate Change: KS2 classroom resource

Waite, Roberts, Lambert & Morgan — The Sustainability and Climate Change Curriculum Outdoors: Key Stage 2 (Bloomsbury, 2024)