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Hills Road adds Level 3 Sustainability q...

Hills Road adds Level 3 Sustainability qualification to curriculum

Hills Road is delighted to welcome the OCR Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability to its curriculum offering, while celebrating a successful Enrichment pilot in 2025-26.

Published on 27/08/2026

Hills Road is delighted to be introducing the Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability as a new curriculum option for Year 12 students, while also celebrating the success of a pilot Enrichment programme in 2025–26.

From September 2026, students entering Year 12 will be able to apply to take the Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability as an alternative to the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ).

Equivalent in size to half an A level, the Certificate in Sustainability explores the environmental, economic and social dimensions of sustainability. Students investigate how organisations and industries are responding to sustainability challenges before applying their learning through their own research project.

The new offering builds on the success of the qualification’s first year at Hills Road, when it was delivered as an Enrichment activity. Results Day 2026 revealed that all 13 participating students achieved the Certificate, with two Distinctions, eight Merits and three Passes: a strong foundation for the expansion of its offering at the College.

The Enrichment pilot was led by Dr Chris Graham, Sustainability Lead at Hills Road, who also worked alongside OCR in the development of the Certificate and of its teaching resources. Dr Graham is now looking forward to leading provision of the qualification in a more formal capacity.

Students (L-R) Yingfei Luo, Alex Davis, Ethan Flynn, Fiona Price, Maitri Patel, Freya Rogers and Maryam Ali were among the participants in the programme. Shown here with Head of Sustainability, Chris Graham (third from left).

The course combines academic study with practical research, helping students develop skills including critical and systems thinking, data collection and analysis, problem-solving, communication and project planning. Students can investigate sustainability within an industry of their choice, exploring current challenges and practices before developing their own recommendations for improvement.

The new two-year delivery model means students starting the course this September will receive their results in 2028, giving them more time to develop their knowledge and complete their independent research.

Shown left: Chris Graham (third from left) pictured in 2025 with students who undertook a Sustainability Leadership programme

The expansion gives even more students the opportunity to gain a recognised qualification while exploring an area that is increasingly relevant across higher education and employment.

Congratulations to our pioneering first cohort, and to Chris for his work delivering and helping to shape this exciting new qualification.

About the Level 3 Certificate in Sustainability at Hills Road.

Find out more