Fungi conspicuously missing from our National Curriculum

[David Humphries]

Doing the rounds at various forums is the bizarre news that mycology is not covered 'at all' in our childrens education

 

The animal and plant kingdoms are well covered in Biology, but the fungal kingdom (including yeasts and lichens) has absolutely no platform in our schools

 

If you deem this as something worth addressing (like I do) have a look at this Department of Education website link and help the British Mycological Society respond to government.

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-curriculum-review-new-programmes-of-study-and-attainment-targets-from-september-2014

 

Frustratingly, this is an issue that has been ongoing for a few years now and those that are well placed to support the concern, have struggled to get the point across.

 

Lets try and get this one through

 

Thanks

 

 

David

[sloth]

Good post, just seen this on uktc and was wondering if cut and paste would be a copyright issue? Their suggested response to q4 is a good'un, is it allowed to put it here?

[David Humphries]

Good post, just seen this on uktc and was wondering if cut and paste would be a copyright issue? Their suggested response to q4 is a good'un, is it allowed to put it here?

 

Don't particularly see an issue with it Kevin

 

I was emailed direct as a member of the BMS and believe the more people have access to the issue the better

 

 

 

.

[sloth]

I agree. I tried to find it on their site, expecting to find a mention along with their suggested response, to save copying from uktc, but found nothing

[sloth]

The below taken from uktc:

 

 

In the latest National Curriculum document for England there is no

mention at all of fungi, whilst plants and animals are each mentioned

over sixty times.

 

Over the last couple of days the BMS Fungal Education and Outreach Committee (FEO) have drafted suggested amendments to the document that would facilitate the inclusion of fungi in the Primary School Curriculum. This has now been sent along with a letter from the President, both by email and by post to the Department of Education.

 

We would now like to ask the BMS membership (and others!) to help

address this important omission.

 

The FEO have drafted a response that individuals may use if they wish or they may wish to write their own message of support. Please find this attached.

 

Responding to the document is very straight forward.

Log onto the Department of Education website: (URL below)

 

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-curriculum-review-new-programmes-of-study-and-attainment-targets-from-september-2014

 

There you can either ‘Respond online’ or download and fill in a RESPONSE FORM

 

Go to Q4, tick yes, where in the 'comments' section you can copy the paragraph below or voice your own concern

 

Response to Q4:

 

It is disturbing that there is no mention at all of fungi in this document. The words "animal"and "plant" each occurs more than sixty

times implying that the biology to be taught in schools does not extend much beyond animals and plants. This is a factually misleading view of the life on the planet and catastrophic from the point of view of advancement of biological, ecological, nutritional and industrial sciences. It indicates that the government is fully prepared to

overlook, in school-leavers; knowledge of the existence of yeast, mycorrhizas and lichens, the role of fungi in nutrient recycling and in

the pharmaceutical and food industries, or as agents of disease.It is a great omission not to mention the Fungal Kingdom which is arguably the largest kingdom of organisms on the planet with over 1.5 million species estimated including both filamentous and yeast growth forms. Life on Earth would not exist without fungi. Teaching biology without mentioning fungi is like trying to teach someone to read with only two thirds of the alphabet.It is paramount that this omission is averted in the English Education System.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

 

Response to Q4:

 

It is disturbing that there is no mention at all of fungi in this document. The words "animal"and "plant" each occurs more than sixty

times implying that the biology to be taught in schools does not extend much beyond animals and plants. This is a factually misleading view of the life on the planet and catastrophic from the point of view of advancement of biological, ecological, nutritional and industrial sciences. It indicates that the government is fully prepared to

overlook, in school-leavers; knowledge of the existence of yeast, mycorrhizas and lichens, the role of fungi in nutrient recycling and in

the pharmaceutical and food industries, or as agents of disease.It is a great omission not to mention the Fungal Kingdom which is arguably the largest kingdom of organisms on the planet with over 1.5 million species estimated including both filamentous and yeast growth forms. Life on Earth would not exist without fungi. Teaching biology without mentioning fungi is like trying to teach someone to read with only two thirds of the alphabet.It is paramount that this omission is averted in the English Education System.

 

Indeed, very well put.

 

One of the key things in the admission for membership to the BMS is a set of codes you agree to, one of those is that as a member "you will at every opportunity promote and encourage the education and publicising of the kingdom of fungi" or words to that effect, have taken that very seriously for some time.

 

The fact that the few top mycologists ( around 8 taxonomists in the U.k) around were reaching "an age" with few coming up through the ranks was of great concern to the society.

 

I have since discovering fungi been stunned at the sheer lack of education, and information available on the subject, though it is becoming exponentially better.

 

One only has to look around now to see just how widely loved and appreciated the fungi are now, folk seem fascinated when presented with the subject now, lets hope in another decade they are not feared anylonger.

 

Its becoming very cool o be a mycologist!