Animal welfare should be part of the curriculum, say teachers
A survey revealed the majority of teachers would educate children about animal welfare if they had time.
According to a new survey, the majority of UK teachers feel animal welfare should be part of the national curriculum.
The RSPCA surveyed nearly 800 teachers in England and Wales, 93 per cent of whom said they would teach animal welfare in the classroom if they had the time.
More than 95 per cent also believed teaching children about welfare would help make them more compassionate and socially aware.
Despite this, some teachers had concerns about how this would be incorporated into the curriculum, fearing it would place even more demands on overworked teachers.
Following this, the RSPCA has created more than 90 free lesson plans for teachers, linking in with the English and Welsh curricula.
According to the charity, many of the lesson plans overlap with subjects such as science, citizenship, literacy and numeracy.
"We urge the government to consider integrating animal welfare into our childrens' education as a matter of urgency," said Claire Morris, RSPCA's formal education manager.
"Skills such as empathy, compassion and social consciousness have value as a child goes through the education system as well as when they enter adulthood and the world of work,” she added.
Interestingly, the survey also showed that only 70 per cent of respondents knew what the five welfare needs were - despite the fact these represent a legal duty of care towards animals.
A strong majority (92 per cent) of teachers also expressed a preference for lessons specifically on the animal's role in the production of food and clothing. It was felt that young people expect increasingly higher ethical standards from companies.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
