Students at Arbor School
“ SUSTAINABILITY EDUCATION DOES NOT REPLACE STRONG ACADEMICS – IT ENHANCES THEM. STUDENTS WHO LEARN THROUGH INQUIRY, SYSTEMS THINKING AND REAL-WORLD APPLICATION OFTEN PRODUCE EXCEPTIONAL ACADEMIC OUTCOMES BECAUSE THEY UNDERSTAND THE PURPOSE BEHIND THEIR LEARNING.”
SUSTAINABILITY IN BRITISH CURRICULUM CONTEXT In many international schools, sustainability appears in pockets: a recycling drive here, an eco-club there. But a genuinely forward-thinking approach is using it as a lens through which students learn – not a standalone initiative. This is where the British curriculum offers strength.
Its emphasis on enquiry, academic challenge and interdisciplinary opportunities
creates space for
sustainability to be woven through science, humanities, maths, the arts and even physical education. Sustainability becomes a way of thinking: students
explore climate systems in geography while analysing energy data in mathematics; examine the ethics of consumption in English literature or through drama-based role play; and use fieldwork, lab investigations and outdoor learning to understand environmental systems first-hand. This integration of knowledge mirrors the complexity
of the real world – preparing students to connect ideas, challenge assumptions and propose solutions.
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CASE STUDY: ECOLOGICAL & ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AT ARBOR SCHOOL DUBAI At Arbor School, where I serve as Principal, sustainability is embedded into every stage of the British curriculum. Our approach blends academic rigour with real-world environmental inquiry through both an ecocentric and technocentric lens. It extends from the way teachers plan lessons, to the design of our living campus, to the opportunities students are given to take action. In Primary, ecological inquiry begins with sensory
exploration and curiosity. Young children learn through play, outdoor discovery and hands-on experiences in our biodomes and gardens. They begin to understand the natural world not as an abstract concept, but as something they can see, touch and care for. At Key Stage 3, the curriculum becomes increasingly
conceptual. Students follow a British model of discrete subjects – English, maths, science, humanities, the arts – but teachers look for ways to connect content through an ecological lens. A unit on urban architecture in Year 7 as an example might link physics, mathematics, geography and drama, encouraging students to see the interconnectedness of systems. At Key Stages 4 and 5, sustainability shifts from
exploration to advocacy. Every student completes the additional Global Perspectives GCSE, which deepens analytical thinking on global issues. They also undertake Arbor’s own Global Impact Certificate and may extend this into an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) focused on sustainability, innovation, or social impact. These pathways give students tangible credentials that strengthen university applications and build confidence in addressing large-scale challenges. This model recently earned Arbor the World’s
Best School Prize for Environmental Action 2025, recognising not just our facilities or curriculum, but the way students engage with sustainability as thinkers, researchers, collaborators and advocates.
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