Education & Animal Welfare

Education & Animal Welfare

RSPCA Cymru has long campaigned for greater awareness of the importance of animal welfare within Wales' educational environment and curriculumEducation is central to our mission of preventing animal cruelty and the RSPCA already makes resources available to practitioners that bring the topic of animal welfare to life in the classroom.

We believe that education is the best means of prevention and that by instilling kindness and compassion in our young people, we can help create a society in Wales that is not only kind and compassionate to themselves and their peers, but also to animals and all sentient beings.

With the New Curriculum for Wales being rolled out in September 2021, the RSPCA are confident there will be increased opportunities for young people in Wales to learn how to become kinder and more compassionate to animals and the natural world.

In the absence of mandating animal welfare as a compulsory subject on the curriculum, amending Areas of Learning and Experience to specifically reference animals and sentient beings will play a key role in highlighting to schools the role animal welfare has in equipping young people for life, teaching, among other things, compassion, empathy and social responsibility. Animal welfare can also act as a topical conduit to other areas of study, such as citizenship, philosophy and law.

We're eager for decision makers in Wales to join the RSPCA on this journey and support the development of a future society that is truly kind to animals. In 2018, RSPCA prosecutions in Wales hit a five-year high, demonstrating the need for action in this area, but we believe that, through positive change to the school curriculum and support of RSPCA projects, the future can be more positive for both people and animals.

For more information about our education resources and offering please visit our education site here: https://education.rspca.org.uk/