Since July 2024, myself and other members of SOS-UK’s student staff team have been heading a student-led review process of the Subject Benchmark Statements published by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), suggesting small changes that can be made to ensure sustainable practice is baked into the teaching of these subjects. Subject Benchmark Statements describe the nature of degree courses within a specific area of study and list the standards expected of students graduating from these courses. 

On the 10th of April 2025, as part of a wider review cycle, the QAA published seven revised statements and one completely new statement all of which work to embed the cross-cutting themes of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD); Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI); Accessibility for disabled students; and Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Education into higher education. My colleagues and I responded to a consultation on each of these Statements in late 2024, and yesterday I attended the launch event as a panellist to speak about the importance of including students in the review and creation processes of such Statements and share my thoughts on the new Statements.

The difference between these new statements are their previous counterparts published in 2019 is night and day. In the 2025 editions, ESD, EDI and Accessibility all have their own sections explaining their importance in higher education and the wider world, and introducing how they can begin to be integrated into teaching and learning for the subject at hand. Each of these topics are also mentioned throughout the Statements, highlighting their links to sector specific knowledge, skills, and progression. Many reference the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and some even mention the Sustainable Development Competencies - cognitive, socio-emotional, and behavioural abilities which are key for achieving the SDGs.

However, there is still work to be done before we can say that sustainability has truly been embedded into the Benchmark Statements. In the newly released Statements, I find sustainability everywhere I would expect it to be if I were looking at a document that valued sustainable development but didn’t see it as a necessity and something that is tied to all aspects of social, environmental, and economic development. Again, this is a huge improvement, but they are still not yet the makings of a progressive higher education system which supports students to develop the skills they’ll need to recognise the scope of our global challenges and engineer effective, equitable solutions to these challenges. As a quick example, all of the new Subject Benchmark Statements contain a section on Monitoring and Reviewing degree courses, none of which mention ensuring the course remains up-to-date in regarding sustainable teaching practices, course content (subject specific or otherwise), or research.

Additionally, although sustainability, EDI, and accessibility are much better included throughout the Statements, their presence in the actual standards required of a student (section 4 of each Statement) is notably weaker. While the third section recommends content for degree courses within the sector, section 4 recommends what knowledge, understanding and skills a student needs to pass the degree course and what grade they can receive. For many providers (and prospective students), the proportion of students graduating is the most important metric, making this the most significant section for them. As a result, skills in sustainable practices, knowledge around how their subject can contribute to sustainable development, and an understanding of equality and diversity within the subject should feature heavily in these standards, as well as the context describing the sector and recommendations for teaching and learning.

My overall view on QAA’s recent publication is one I have heard echoed by a considerable number of sustainability advocates after similar conferences and events regarding a range of industries: progress is happening, but it is not fast enough. It’s clear that in each of the sectors whose Subject Benchmark Statement was published on the 10th of April there are many professionals pushing for sustainability to be treated as a central mission of education and be embedded into all degree courses, and as students - I heard from many during the conference - we now need the overseeing bodies to be bolder and move quicker in achieving this.