Where is risk education? Exploring risk education in secondary schools in England

Abstract

Risk researchers have asserted that risk education in secondary schools is minimal, if it exists at all. This study shows that some aspects of risk are taught as part of the National Curriculum in England. As risk science has developed, many of its proponents have recognised the importance of ensuring that all students in secondary schools are exposed to risk concepts and thinking. In the education field, risk education is seen as important but in competition with many other subject areas in the curriculum. This study uses text analysis and semi-structured expert inter-views with a sample of teachers and teacher-educators, and other experts in education to contrast official education policies with their experiences in the field. It identifies how risk education is conceptualised by this sample of educators and where in the curriculum risk concepts are principally taught. Assessment, legitimacy, and resources are barriers to wider adoption of risk education in secondary schools in England. It is essential that risk experts and education experts work together to further integrate risk education into the curriculum and teaching practice.