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Chris Graham Collaborates with OCR on Ne...

Chris Graham Collaborates with OCR on New Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability

Head of Sustainability at Hills Road, Chris Graham, has been working with exams board OCR on a new Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability.

Published on 06/03/2026

Chris Graham, Head of Sustainability at Hills Road Sixth Form College, has played a central role in the development and national rollout of OCR’s new Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability - a qualification equivalent in size to half an A Level.

Introduced for the first time this academic year, the course is vocational in structure and fully funded in the same way as A Levels. Students taking the course at Hills Road recently sat its examined component in January and are now undertaking the non-examined assessment element.

Working with OCR

Chris [shown left] developed and wrote the teaching materials for the examined component of the new qualification, commissioned by OCR.

Presentations, detailed teacher notes - which include guidance to support lesson planning - and a scheme of work authored by Chris are hosted on the exam board’s Teach Cambridge platform and available to approved centres delivering OCR qualifications.

“The materials are there to support teachers nationally in delivering the course with confidence and consistency,” Chris explains.

The Triangle in Cambridge. Picture: Keith Heppell. Copyright: Iliffe Media Ltd

Cambridge-based collaboration

Chris' involvement began through earlier sustainability work within the education sector.

Following conversations with OCR’s climate education team and participation in an early consultation event, he became part of wider discussions shaping the qualification. After OCR developed the core specification, Chris was brought in to refine elements of the course and lead the creation of national teaching resources.

The collaboration included regular in-person development meetings at OCR's Cambridge base, the Triangle, working alongside colleagues based in Coventry.

[Shown right: The Triangle building, (C) Iliffe Media Ltd]

Opening doors

For Chris, the importance of the qualification extends beyond curriculum development, reflecting a broader shift in how sustainability is understood in education.

“Sustainability isn’t just a branch of environmental science,” he says. “It’s political, economic and social. It cuts across disciplines. Whether students go on to study economics, sociology, geography, business or the sciences, this gives them a framework for understanding how systems connect.”

A formal, nationally recognised qualification also sends a clear signal to universities and employers. “It shows that students are engaging with one of the defining issues of our time. That can only open doors.”

Spreading the word

Chris continues to support other centres delivering the qualification and co-ordinates an informal working group of teachers who meet online to discuss interpretation of the specification, coursework expectations and emerging best practice.

“Having a network where teachers can share approaches and learn from one another is invaluable,” he notes.

While the first cohort is completing the course this year - at Hills Road Sixth Form College and a small number of other centres nationwide - Chris hopes its reach will expand, noting that the course specification includes a wide range of topics that “everyone should know about”.

[image left: Chris teaching a Biology class]

“The more young people who understand how environmental, social and political systems interact, the better equipped we are to respond to the challenges ahead.”
Chris Graham

Chris welcomes questions from any education providers interested in offering the Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability and has recently been speaking with schools across the country.

“I definitely support OCR’s intention to have more and more schools offering this,” he says. “The more young people who understand how environmental, social and political systems interact, the better equipped we are to respond to the challenges ahead.”

Find out more about Sustainability at Hills Road on the College website.