Solving the world?s problems is part of the curriculum at St Mary?s School, Cambridge, writes Matthew O?Reilly
The world has many problems. Some affect whole communities, countries, and even continents, such as war, famine, natural disasters or climate change. Others affect some individuals within different areas of the world, perhaps through prejudice,

the restricting of people?s freedoms, or genocide.
In the UK, we are fortunate to be rarely confronted by these issues. And that?s because the British values by which we are governed protect the rights of every person.
Education plays a vital role in this: individuals who fight for human rights in the political courts can only do so after learning about the law; scientists who develop cures for disease can only do so after studying science; and engineers who invent new processes to promote sustainability can only do so once they have a grounding in STEM.  I am passionate about instilling in our girls, from Reception through to Year Six, this mindset of exploring the relationship between their own lives, and the lives of others around the world. Through our Development Education programme, issues such as poverty and hunger, unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity, environmental degradation and diminishing resources are confronted and, importantly, the girls look at what can be done to improve it.
As part of the Junior School Creative Curriculum, which teaches each subject as part of a joined-up theme, pupils pu...