These slides are QCA’s thinking as of July This will change!!!

PCR slide set version 2b Independent primary curriculum review July 2008 National Advisers and Inspectors Group for Science 2

Draft Content Background to the review Independent review of the primary curriculum - led by Sir Jim Rose QCA is working with Sir Jim to: gather evidence engage stakeholders carry out development work on curriculum design and content and the place of personal development manage national consultation

Draft Content What are we trying to achieve? A flexible, coherent primary curriculum that inspires commitment to learning and improves standards by: reducing prescription and increasing flexibility so that schools have more opportunity to tailor teaching and learning enabling schools to strengthen their focus on developing essential reading, writing and numeracy skills across the curriculum providing an entitlement for all pupils to experience a broad and balanced curriculum enabling a greater emphasis on development of the whole child focusing on improving progression and smoothing transition. The challenge and the opportunity

Draft Content What are people telling us? A revised curriculum needs to: - help children to develop the core skills of literacy, numeracy and ICT - provide a better balance between knowledge and understanding and the development of skills and attitudes - make personal development integral throughout - promote the skills of independence, creativity and enterprise - encourage compelling learning experiences through relevant and meaningful content - allow for flexibility and local ownership.

Draft Content What are people telling us so far? Much confusion national curriculum, schemes of work and national strategy materials time allocations opportunities to shape a range of learning experiences how everything fits together eg ECM not an added extra

Draft Content Curriculum design matters The curriculum as experienced by children The National Curriculum The curriculum as supported by guidance, Strategies, SOW, Inspection frameworks, publishers The curriculum as designed by schools

Draft Content Timeline Gather evidence Identify essential elements of a national curriculum Scope overall curriculum design options Identify essential learning and progression statements Agree presentation of material Informal consultation Formal national consultation Revised primary curriculum sent to schools First teaching Jan – June 2008 July - Dec 2008 Early Late 2009

Draft Content Gathering evidence

Draft Content Evidence has included: international reports on motivation, transition, models and skills views of hundreds of headteachers and teachers insights from visits to hundreds of schools outcomes from seminars with key stakeholders including system leaders, unions, parents work with our partner researchers at CUREE systematic literature reviews of key reports responses from thousands of primary children regular QCA monitoring over the last ten years with more than 1000 schools

Draft Content Implications from this evidence… The implications from the evidence summarised so far suggest that there are, at least, twelve characteristics of an effective curriculum

Draft Content The curriculum: 1.is underpinned by a set of aims and design principles 2.is presented to encourage schools to challenge, inspire, engage and motivate all learners 3.promotes coherent personal development, skills and attitudes to learning 4.articulates the essential knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and attributes that we want our children to acquire - brought together into more coherent areas of learning and subjects

Draft Content The curriculum: 5.is articulated in the form of a common national framework to promote flexibility and personalisation 6.is articulated to comprise the entire planned learning experience to which children are exposed 7.promotes and supports a wide repertoire of teaching and learning approaches and encourages schools to match their different strategies to contexts and needs 8.makes clear its expectations for progression in learning and how these expectations relate to national standards and desired outcomes

Draft Content The curriculum: 9.is built on a good understanding of existing knowledge of child development 10.is underpinned by an approach to assessment which is integral to teaching and learning, offers children useful feedback on their progress and engages them actively in the learning process 11.promotes evaluation at all levels, building up from assessment for learning in its widest sense through teacher reflection on practice, through schools to national level evaluations such as Ofsted reports 12.is planned based on clear education outcomes

Draft Content Approaches to curriculum design

Draft Content Approaches to curriculum design Curriculum design frameworks can be broadly categorised as: Subject based England, Norway, Slovenia Areas of learning IB, Scotland, NI, Queensland, NZ Skills based RSA, Opening Minds, Enquiring minds Theme based

Draft Content Curriculum design criteria Will this design help more schools to: 1.design engaging, challenging and inspiring learning experiences to meet their pupils’ individual needs and raise standards? 2.strengthen the focus on numeracy, reading, writing, speaking and listening? 3.ensure learners have access to a broad and balanced curriculum, including languages? 4.put personal development at the heart of the curriculum? 5.design a curriculum that supports learners’ transition into and out of primary education Is this design likely to inspire and galvanise the school workforce? Will this design be accessible for parents?

Draft Content Subject based The curriculum would continue to be set out according to subject disciplines. These subjects could include any or all of the subjects in the current primary national curriculum and potentially introduce others such as languages or citizenship.

Draft Content Areas of learning based Areas of learning bring together existing subjects in terms of the type of thinking and learning they involve. Elements of some subjects would appear in more than one area. English, Languages, ICT A&D, D&T

Draft Content Skills based The programmes of study could be set out by skills and illustrate contexts for developing each skills. Progress could be specified in terms of the development of skills and their application in an extended range of contexts.

Draft Content Theme based Essential learning set out as a series of themes encompassing a range of subject content and skills. Each theme could have a clear focus on specific skills and identify particular opportunities for personal development. If themes were sequential, they could set out a structure for progress.

Draft Content Pros and cons of using each design to structure the curriculum at national level 1.Engaging learningexperiences 2. Strengthen literacy andnumeracy 3. Introduce range of subjectdisciplines 4. Put personal developmentat the heart 5. Support transition 6. Inspire and galvaniseschool workforce 7. Promote publicunderstanding Subject based Areas of learning based Skills based Theme based EY KS3 EY KS3 EY KS3 EY KS3

Draft Content Approaches to curriculum design Subject based England, Norway, Slovenia Areas of learning IB, Scotland, NI, Queensland, NZ Theme based The challenge and opportunity is to create a design that draws on the best of each approach. Skills based RSA, Opening Minds, Enquiring minds

Draft Content Challenging false polarities It is possible to have: skills and knowledge not skills or knowledge direct focused teaching and child led exploration good standards of attainment and well-rounded learners a focus on literacy and numeracy and a broad and balanced curriculum. opportunities for the power and passion of specialist teaching and thematic teaching that makes connections between subjects time to develop some skills regularly and often and time for deep immersive learning over extended periods of time learning that introduces children to the big ideas and events from the past that have shaped the world and connects learning to the contemporary issues of our times, such as sustainability

Draft Content Essential components of a national curriculum Clear aims that highlight the importance and value of the primary phase of education Areas of learning / subjects that set out the essential ‘cultures’ that need to be passed on to our children Skills that help children to access learning, such as literacy, numeracy and the use of ICT Aspects of personal development that identify the skills, attitudes and attributes that children need to develop to become successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens Desired outcomes and standards that set out expectations Principles to inform curriculum design at school level

Draft Content Putting it all together (1)

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Draft Content What next? Helping to develop the detail…..

Draft Content Get involved Our children deserve a curriculum that will engage, challenge and inspire We are working with the school workforce and our education partners to develop a curriculum that does this This is your opportunity to help put the learner at the heart of the curriculum Get involved:

Draft Content Personal development (Skills, attitudes and attributes) Areas of Learning / subjects Skills Principles of Curriculum Design Aims for Primary Education The School Curriculum Successful learners, who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve. Confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives. Responsible citizens who can make a positive contribution to society. Communication, language and literacy Mathematics, problem solving and reasoning Scientific and technological learning Human and social understanding Expressive arts and culture Physical development Personal development Learning behaviours Emotional behaviours Social behaviours Reading Writing Speaking and listening ICT Secures the fundamentals in literacy and numeracy Provides opportunities for depth and breadth Secures personal development Considers the entire planned learning experience In tune with child development The National Curriculum Essential components National expectations Desired outcomes