NFU submits response to the Natural History GCSE consultation
The NFU has submitted its response to the government’s consultation on the draft subject content for a new Natural History GCSE.
Summary
- 4 September 2026: Consultation closes.
- 3 September 2026: NFU submits a response to the consultation.
- 12 June 2026: The Department of Education launches a consultation on the draft content of the GCSE.
- 21 March 2025: Government confirms development of the qualification.
- 21 April 2022: Government announces plans to develop a new Natural History GCSE.
The Department for Education launched a consultation on the draft subject content for a new GCSE in Natural History.
The qualification presents a significant opportunity for farming and the wider agri-food sector.
The new GCSE is intended to develop students’ understanding of UK wildlife, habitats, environmental change and conservation through classroom learning and a minimum of 20 hours of fieldwork.
The qualification will not be mandatory, and schools may choose to offer the subject as part of their curriculum dependant on staffing availability and pupil interest.
The NFU have now submitted a response. You can keep track of the NFU’s progress on this consultation on this page.
Consultation closes
The Department of Education consultation has now closed.
NFU submits a consultation response
The NFU has submitted its response to the Department of Education's consultation on the new GCSE, supporting its introduction and realising its potential to strengthen young people's understanding of the countryside and the important role of farmers and land managers.
The draft content includes farmland as one of only six mandatory habitat categories within the specification which the NFU has welcomed, adding a call for farming to be represented as an integral part of the UK's natural environment throughout the qualification.
As part of the response, the NFU stressed that students should understand the role farmers play in managing landscapes, supporting biodiversity and producing food.
The NFU also encouraged the use of farms as fieldwork locations to give students real-world examples of environmental management and food production in practice.
A reflection of the new curriculum for Wales, the NFU supported an approach where learning is linked to the local area, as well as highlighting the importance of equitable access to fieldwork opportunities for those in urban areas or disadvantaged backgrounds.
The NFU emphasised the importance of teaching the full relationship between farming and the environment, recognising both environmental challenges and the positive contribution farmers make to biodiversity, climate resilience, water management and nature recovery.
Consultation launches
The Department of Education launches a public consultation on the draft subject content for the new GCSE.
Read: GOV.UK | GCSE natural history proposed subject content
Government confirms development of the qualification
The government confirms development of the qualification following the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
Read: GOV.UK | Natural History GCSE: Question for Department for Education
Government announces plans to develop Natural History GCSE
The government announces plans to develop a new Natural History GCSE as part of its strategy for sustainability and climate change within the education and children’s services systems.
This comes after naturalist Mary Colwell launched a campaign for the new GCSE in 2011.
OCR will lead on subject development work.
For more information, visit: GOV.UK | Sustainability and climate change strategy