Since the realisation of the world’s politicians towards the end of the last century of a need to implement measures to protect our planet from human activity, sustainability has become of increasing relevance today. As a major shift in human behaviour and mindset from that inherited from previous generations who had little concern about such issues, it is essential that children learn about sustainability at school.
The importance of sustainability should however not only be learnt but also developed subconsciously to become a part of a normal healthy lifestyle and one that will be naturally passed onto future generations.
Whilst there has been a reluctance for sustainability and environmental education to be included in the majority of national school curriculums with it only usually being touched upon as part of science and geography or through participation of the Eco-School programme, there have recently been changes in some countries where it has become a discreet subject and where in the UK, the government has launched a sustainability and climate change strategy including a new natural history GCSE qualification in September 2025.
There is also a growing number of pioneering and innovative schools throughout the world that champion sustainability as part of its core curriculum. The Green School in Bali is perhaps the most well known, constructed in bamboo and with classrooms that allow students to daily connect with the natural environment. Students work closely with the local and wider community on sustainable issues with many having becoming leading green-entrepreneurs and change-makers of the future.
A new international school is planned to open on the Costa del Sol which has been similarly inspired by sustainability and one that will re-imagine education for the 21st Century. Mont21 school will provide a programme that uniquely combines Montessori pedagogy with the British National Curriculum/IB, sustainability, real-life learning and entrepreneurship.
The new campus, planned to open 2023/24 and located close to Estepona, has been innovatively designed to enable students to naturally absorb and embrace sustainability during the school day whether they choose to work within the flexible learning environment, outside in the courtyard gardens or in the heart of the school. There will be organic vegetable plots, a yoga studio to promote mental health and wellbeing as well as the usual sport, learning and extra-curricular facilities. This will be a learning community that will fully prepare children for the future.
To find out more or to request a prospectus, visit www.mont21.org
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