Steve Backshall is named in the debate around a new Natural History GCSE as BASC told the Government the course could help wildlife and outdoor recreation if its content is balanced well. The qualification is due to be offered to pupils aged 14 to 16 in England from September 2028, with at least 20 hours of fieldwork built into the course.
Dr Conor O'Gorman and Steve Backshall
Dr Conor O'Gorman said he wished the Natural History GCSE every success. “I would have loved that option as a teenager, to study something you are truly passionate about,” he said. His comments put the course in personal terms, while BASC linked it to the broader aim of giving young people stronger practical knowledge of the countryside.
The Department for Education said the qualification is designed to prepare students for green careers and to support progression to A-Level study, vocational pathways, employment and further environmental education. BASC identified it as a possible route into Level 3 Land and Wildlife Management courses, which places the GCSE inside a wider pathway rather than as a stand-alone school subject.
Curtis Mossop and fieldwork
Curtis Mossop, BASC’s head of training, education and outreach, said the GCSE has the potential to deliver significant benefits for wildlife and outdoor recreation by encouraging young people to develop a stronger connection with nature and practical knowledge of the countryside. He said BASC’s outreach programmes, including Let’s Learn Moor, show how hands-on experiences can introduce young people to upland habitats, wildlife and the gamekeepers who manage these landscapes.
Mossop also pointed to a practical route for delivery. He said shoots, gamekeepers and estates could open their doors to local schools and demonstrate how habitat management and predator control can help boost biodiversity. That approach would make the 20 hours of fieldwork more than a classroom add-on, because the course is expected to rely on direct contact with land and wildlife management in real settings.
Natural History GCSE content
BASC’s submission also warned that the final subject content has to hold a number of interests together. Mossop said the final content should promote responsible access to and enjoyment of the countryside, while recognising the need to balance recreation with wildlife conservation, land management, farming and other legitimate uses of the countryside. He said a well-balanced course could influence how future generations understand and value the UK’s land, water, wildlife and natural resources.
That leaves the Department for Education with the task of setting the final subject content through the consultation process. For pupils who may take the GCSE from September 2028, the practical question is whether the course ends up broad enough to cover nature, access and careers without narrowing the countryside to a single use.
