More than two in three teachers have not received enough training to educate students on climate change, a survey suggests.

Campaign group Teach the Future, which commissioned the research, is calling for climate change education to be covered across the whole curriculum.

A survey of more than 7,600 teachers across the UK suggests that 70% of teachers do not feel they have received adequate training to educate students on climate change, its implications for the environment and societies around the world, and how these implications can be addressed.

The findings come after pupils across the UK took part in a series of school strikes before the coronavirus pandemic, which were led by climate activist Greta Thunberg, to raise awareness of climate change.

Another poll for the report, of more than 500 teachers, found that 41% of teachers say climate change is rarely or never mentioned in school.

The poll suggests that nearly two in three teachers say climate change is taught in science lessons or geography, while fewer than a fifth (17%) say it is mentioned in other core subjects.

And yet more than nine in 10 (92 per cent) of teachers said they have concerns about climate change, with a fifth reporting that they are “very concerned”.

Youth-led campaign group Teach the Future is calling for all students to be taught about the impact of climate change and how it can be addressed.

Dr Meryl Batchelder, a science teacher at Corbridge Middle School, said: “It is critical that climate change is a common thread through the curriculum. Not just in science and geography but in food science, RE, maths, English and art.

“Therefore, climate education for teachers is essential, so they have the confidence to broach the subject accurately, avoid the pitfalls and support their students sensitively.”

Dorothy Joddrell, a student campaigner at Teach the Future, said: “The purpose of education is to prepare young people for the future – at the moment it’s failing to do so.

“Our lives will be significantly affected by climate change, and our education should therefore prepare us to adapt to the climate crisis, empower us to contribute to its solutions and enable us to achieve climate justice.

“To ensure all students can benefit from climate education, the Government needs to make it a key part of the whole curriculum, not brush most of it aside to an optional subject.”

Teacher Tapp questioned 7,682 teachers across the UK in February. Opinium questioned 503 teachers across the UK between October and November last year.