1. A summary of the key changes and implications for Governors
National Curriculum 2016
A summary of the key changes and implications for Governors

2. New Curriculum
. ‘It was the Government's intention that the National Curriculum be slimmed down so that it properly reflects the body of essential knowledge which all children should learn and does not absorb the overwhelming majority of teaching time in schools. Individual schools should have greater freedom to construct their own programmes of study in subjects outside the National Curriculum and develop approaches to learning and study which complement it.’
Remit for Review of the National Curriculum in England - DfE Website

3. Why the Government wanted to change the National Curriculum
First and foremost to raise standards
Research suggested that the UK was falling behind other jurisdictions, such as Finland, Hong Kong and Shanghai and that our ‘current’ curriculum was not supporting enough improvement.

4. The ‘New’ Curriculum
Launched September 2014 (except Y2 and Y6)
New NC programmes of study - challenging, slimmer, and focused on what the current government sees as the body of ‘essential knowledge’
Non-core subjects - programmes of study are radically slimmed down
More emphasis on core knowledge and the development and application of skills across the curriculum
The need to cover fewer things in greater depth and for pupils to show independence in application (mastery curriculum)
Preparing children to be ‘secondary ready’

5. What subjects make up the New Curriculum?
Schools must make provision for SMSC (Spiritual, Moral, Social and cultural) and Collective Worship.

7. What it looks like at Barrow Hall…

8. Assessment
May 2015: final KS1 & KS2 tests based on previous curriculum
May 2016: first new KS1 & KS2 tests – different format reflects increased expectations and mastery curriculum
No EYFS baseline measure
Progress measures from end KS1 only
Removal of levels/level descriptors
Introduction of new assessment criteria based on the achievement of end of year objectives (interim criteria for end KS1 & 2, only)

9. National standards only set for end of KS1 and end of KS2
Schools determine their own approach to formative assessment and progress tracking (2 year standardisation project)
A scaled score will be used to report and compare pupils attainment against the national cohort.
Floor standards based on threshold attainment and value-added progress measures.

10. Why has the government changed the assessment system?
….based on research, which has shown:
Many schools have under-developed formative assessment systems.
Assessment dominating curriculum thinking – teaching to the test.
Confusion for parents about what levels actually mean.
Schools putting assessment ahead of the curriculum… This needs to be the other way around.

14. Next steps..
To refine our internal assessment system to ensure that it enables us to track progress of pupils
To review the English and Maths curriculum for Sept 2016 and to define end of year expectations for year groups 1,3,4 and 5 to enable teachers to make accurate judgements against year group objectives, including term on term.
To consider how we validate and standardise these judgements at the end of the year in order to ensure accuracy (standardisation project)