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Written question asked by James McMurdock (Independent (affiliation)) on Wednesday, 24 June 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 June 2026. It was answered by Georgia Gould (Labour) on Friday, 3 July 2026 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Natural History: GCSE

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Department for Education's press release entitled New natural history GCSE to grow next generation of green careers, published on 12 June 2026, what assessment she has made of the extent to which the qualification complements existing GCSEs in geography and biology.

Answer

On 12 June, the department launched a public consultation on proposed subject content for a new natural history GCSE. We are seeking views on the proposed content, including our proposed fieldwork requirement of 20 hours.

Fieldwork is an essential element of the study of natural history and our intention is that it can be delivered flexibly, adapted to the diverse contexts in which schools operate. While schools may consider locations in their local areas and further afield, we also encourage schools to consider using school grounds for fieldwork study.

We have worked closely with subject experts and stakeholders to refine the subject content, which aims to complement the study of existing science GCSEs and GCSE geography. We will consider all consultation feedback carefully before finalising the subject content.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
13006
Session
2026-27
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
GCSE Natural history
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk