1. Implementing the New National Curriculum in your School: Leading the Change
   
The presentation contains the following sections:
Headlines – The new curriculum
Subject specific headlines (the key changes in each subject)
Copyright statement:
This document should be used within the purchasing organisation only.
© Focus Education UK Ltd. 2014

2. the New National Curriculum
Implementing
the New National Curriculum
in your school:
Leading the change
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3. Contents 5 Big picture: Curriculum 16 Subject specific headlines
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4. Big picture: Curriculum
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5. The National Curriculum
What is the curriculum?
Educational visits, Church/Collective worship, Buddy system, Peformances, ESB(?), P4C(?), KS1 Science
Be clear about the place of the NC in your school.
Be proactive and decide what your curriculum is.
Whilst the NC is statutory, it is not the total offer.
This requires thought and commitment from the staff team to decide what is right for your children in your context.
The National Curriculum
‘The sum total of all learning and experiences
that influence development and progress.’
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6. Who does it apply to?
To be taught in all maintained schools from September 2014 (see timetable).
It provides the standard against which academies and free schools can benchmark their curricula, where they choose to develop their own.
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7. Key themes linked to implementation of the new National Curriculum
The combination of strong leadership and high quality teaching is critical to success.
Schools need to articulate and embed high expectations.
Schools should have the freedom to develop more innovative & effective approaches to learning.
Government want to embed a sense of ambition and love of learning for its own sake.
Schools need to be ambitious for all children; regardless of background.
The curriculum should maintain both breadth and balance.
Each school should develop its own curriculum to achieve the above aspirations.
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8. Timetable for the primary national curriculum changes: This year
Key stage
& year
Core subjects
(En, Ma, Sc)
Foundation subjects
NC Tests
KS1 Y1
Current NC
NC disapplied, so current or new NC can be taught
No changes – national tests & reporting arrangements will reflect current NC Y2
KS2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6
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9. Timetable for the primary national curriculum changes: 2014 – 2015
Key stage
& year
Core subjects
(En, Ma, Sc)
Foundation subjects
NC Tests
KS1 Y1
New NC
No changes – national tests & reporting arrangements will reflect current NC Y2
Current NC
KS2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6
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10. Timetable for the primary national curriculum changes: 2015 – 2016
Key stage
& year
Core subjects
(En, Ma, Sc)
Foundation subjects
NC Tests
KS1 Y1
New NC
National tests & reporting arrangements will reflect the new NC Y2
KS2 Y3 Y4 Y5 Y6
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11. What are the expectations and intentions?
Aims
to ensure that the new National Curriculum embodies rigour and high standards and creates coherence in what is taught in schools
to ensure that all children are taught the essential knowledge in the key subject disciplines
beyond that core, to allow teachers greater freedom to use their professionalism and expertise to help all children realise their potential.
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12. Why a National Curriculum?
Comparative data suggests that we are falling behind other nations with little improvement seen in our performance in mathematics, science and reading since 2007
One in five currently leaving schools without meeting the expected standards in English and maths
All high-performing systems strongly emphasise the fundamentals of core academic subjects and allocate them substantial time – yet in England we have been moving away from this approach
Our primary curriculum in mathematics and science focuses insufficiently on key elements of knowledge and is not demanding enough
England is among the countries with the lowest levels of participation for 16 to 18-year olds, with fewer than 20% of young people studying mathematics to 18
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13. What will it look like?
English, mathematics and science are the building blocks of education; improving our performance in these subjects will be essential
Curriculum reform alone is not enough. No education system can be better than the quality of its teachers. We need to improve the quality of teaching. We also need to press ahead with other reforms such as the pupil premium, the extension of free pre-school learning and the growth of academies and Free Schools
In mathematics there will be greater rigour. There will be a greater emphasis on arithmetic, and the promotion of efficient written methods of long multiplication and division. There will also be more demanding content in fractions, decimals and percentages
In science there is a stronger focus on the importance of scientific knowledge and language and a greater emphasis on the core scientific concepts underpinning pupils’ understanding. For the first time primary aged children will learn about evolution and inheritance.
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14. What will it look like?
The proposed English programmes of study will embody higher standards of literacy. Pupils will be expected to develop a stronger command of the written and spoken word. Through the strengthening of the teaching of phonics pupils will be helped to read fluently.
The study of languages to be compulsory in Key Stage 2
Replace the current ICT curriculum with a new computing curriculum with a much greater emphasis on computational thinking and practical programming skills
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15. Flexibility?
It is essential to distinguish between the statutory National Curriculum and the whole school curriculum. All schools must provide a curriculum that is broadly based, balanced and meets the needs of all pupils.
Maintained schools must follow the statutory National Curriculum and teach the subjects specified at the appropriate key stages. Academies and Free Schools have the freedom to depart from the National Curriculum. All schools must teach religious education at all key stages, and secondary schools must provide sex education.
There are detailed programmes to be followed in English, mathematics and science.
In other subjects and key stages we are aiming to give teachers more space and flexibility to design their lessons by focusing only on the essential knowledge to be taught in each subject.
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16. Subject specific headlines
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18. Overview Like the rest of the new curriculum, the programme of study for English is knowledge-based; this means its focus is on knowing facts rather than developing skills and understanding. It’s also characterised by an increased emphasis on the technical aspects of language and less emphasis on the creative aspects.
English is set out year-by-year in KS1 and two-yearly in KS2. Appendices give specific content to be covered in the areas of spelling and vocabulary, grammar and punctuation. These are set out yearly across both Key Stages. Within each Key Stage, schools are allowed to introduce the content earlier or later than described in the programme of study.
Spoken language Speaking and listening (now called Spoken language) has been slimmed down. The initial draft of the new English curriculum didn’t have a programme of study for spoken language. After widespread criticism, one was added to the final draft and published version. Unlike Reading and Writing, it isn’t age-differentiated; a single, brief programme of study covers the whole of the primary age range.
Drama has been reinstated as a statutory requirement after being relegated to non-statutory status in earlier versions of the draft programme of study.
Reading Reading is to be taught using phonic strategies only. There is no longer a requirement for pupils to build up a sight vocabulary of high frequency words, or to use syntax and context when reading for meaning.
Pupils across the primary age range are now required to learn a range of poetry by heart and perform it.
At KS1 pupils are expected to re-read books to develop fluency and confidence in word reading. Pupils in years 1 and 2 now need to be able to make inferences from their reading. (This was previously not covered until year 3).
Writing There are a significant number of new requirements in the area of writing. However, there are a couple of reasons why this may not be as challenging as it might first appear. Firstly, many of the new learning objectives cover activities that are already common practice in the classroom; they’re simply being stated explicitly for the first time. Secondly, the new curriculum is more specific about what pupils should learn in the areas of spelling, vocabulary, grammar and punctuation.
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19. Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
Spelling
In all year groups the new programme of study for spelling consists of learning the spelling rules given in the appendix, learning to spell the words in the word lists, and performing dictation. An additional requirement in Key Stage 2 is using dictionaries to check spellings and meanings, and in upper Key Stage 2 pupils are also expected to use thesauruses.
Handwriting
All references to creating and presenting texts using electronic tools such as word processing programs have been removed. The rest of the requirements are very similar to the old programme of study, but more detailed, especially in Key Stage 1.
Composition
There are more specific objectives to do with the various stages in the writing process. These include forming and articulating ideas and planning, drafting, evaluating and revising texts. None of these will be unfamiliar to teachers – in fact, they’ve always been part of good classroom practice, but most of them are newly specified in the curriculum.
In upper Key Stage 2, pupils are expected to summarise longer passages of text.
Vocabulary, grammar and punctuation
There is a very specific list of content to be taught in each year group, described in the appendices to the programme of study. Much of the new content, although newly specified in the curriculum, is not actually new to classroom practice. Here’s a list of the new content that’s most likely to be new in practice as well as in theory:
Year 1: Question marks and exclamation marks
Year 2: Adverbs, exclamations and commands, exclamation marks, present and past progressive (continuous) tenses, apostrophes of possession (singular only)
Year 3: The present perfect tense
Year 4: Fronted adverbials
Year 5: Parenthesis and commas for clarification
Year 6: Punctuation between independent clauses
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20. English – KS1 Only phonic reading strategies required
No specific mention of group work or drama strategies
References to ICT/typing removed
Learning of poetry (including reciting poetry) introduced
Specific spellings, e.g. days of the week
Joined writing expected in Year 2
Proof-reading of own writing
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21. English – KS2 Phonic decoding expected to be secure by Y3
No specific mention of group work, drama strategies or use of ICT
Learning of classic & modern poetry (including reciting poetry) introduced
Specific spelling rules to be taught
Précising and dictation
Greatly increased expectations in grammar and punctuation (detailed appendices)
Clearly defines editing and proof reading as two distinct processes and skills
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23. Aims of mathematics
Before looking in detail at the specifics in the mathematics curriculum, it is worth spending some time considering the three stated aims of mathematics.
These are the basis for all mathematics teaching. How do these stand up in your school?
Aims
Fluency
Reasoning
Problem solving
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24. Mathematics – KS1 Rounding to nearest 10 removed from KS1
Y1: No data handling required
Y1: Counting & writing numbers to 100
Y1: Write numbers words to 20
Y1: Number bonds to 20
Y2: Finding fractions of quantities
Y2: Adding two-digit numbers
Y2: Telling the time to nearest 5 minutes
Y2: Make comparisons using < > = symbols
Y2: Solve simple money problems using £/p
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25. Mathematics – Lower KS2 No ratio required in LKS2
Written division moved to UKS2
No calculator skills included
Carroll / Venn diagrams no longer required
Y3: Formal written methods for + & —
Y3: Compare, order & + & — easy fractions
Y3: Vocabulary of angles & lines
Y3: Time including 24h clock & Roman numerals
Y4: Recognise equivalent fractions/decimals
Y4: Solve fractions & decimals problems
Y4: Perimeter/area of compound shapes
Y4: Know multiplication tables to 12 x 12
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26. Mathematics – Upper KS2 No calculator skills included
No probability included
Data handling greatly reduced content
Y5: Use decimals to 3dp, including problems
Y5: Use standard multiplication & division methods
Y5: Add/subtract fractions with same denominator
Y5: Multiply fractions by whole numbers
Y6: Long division
Y6: Calculate decimal equivalent of fractions
Y6: Use formula for area & volume of shapes
Y6: Calculate area of triangles & parallelograms
Y6: Introductory algebra & equation-solving
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28. Biology Chemistry Physics Plants Animals, including humans
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Plants
Animals, including humans
Living things & habitats
Evolution & inheritance
Rocks
Everyday materials
Properties & changes of materials
States of matter
Light
Sound
Forces & magnets
Seasonal changes
Earth & space
Electricity
Yr 1 X
Yr 2
Yr 3
Yr 4
Yr 5
Yr 6
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29. Science – KS1
Some physics topics moved to KS2 only: Light & Dark; Sound; Forces; Electricity
Reduce requirement to know life processes
No requirement to make predictions or fair tests
Drugs as medicines removed
Care for animals/others/environment removed
Changing materials with heat moves to KS2
Y1: Naming of plants and animals added
Y1: Seasonable changes & weather added
Y2: Introduce simple food chains
Y2: Some study of movement on different surfaces
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30. Science – Lower KS2
Some movement between Y3 and Y4: Skeletons to Y3; Teeth & digestion to Y4
Some units delayed to upper KS2: Forces; separating mixtures; insulators; adaptation
Requirements reduced in electricity units
All KS1 content for sound & light moves to LKS2
Y3: Fossils and soils content added
Y3: Flowers as part of the plant life cycle
Y3: Light reflecting off surfaces
Y4: Introduce changes of state & water cycle
Y4: Common uses of electricity
Y4: Changing environments
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31. Science – Upper KS2
Some movement between Y5 and Y6: e.g. Health & Heart to Y6; Reversible changes to Y5
Some units introduced earlier in KS2: Water cycle; sound as vibrations to Y4
Micro-organisms no longer required
Y5: Life cycles of animals added
Y5: Reversible & irreversible changes
Y5: Planets, gravity and other forces added
Y6: Classification of plants and animals
Y6: New unit on evolution
Y6: Diet, exercise, drugs & lifestyle added
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32. Art
Greatly reduced detail in content, with much of the broader detail included in the aims.
Specific objectives include only 4 areas:
Use a range of materials (KS1)
Use drawing, paint & sculpture to share ideas
Develop techniques in colour, line, form, etc.
Learn about the work of artists, craft makers, architects and designers
Create & maintain sketch books (KS2)
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33. Computing
Significant change in focus from digital literacy and applications to control and programming
Introduction to creating programs in KS1 (e.g. roamer style sequences of instructions)
E-safety included in both key stages
Logical reasoning and problem-solving to identify flaws in instructions and correct them
Complex instruction systems and variables covered in KS2
Understand and use computer networks, including the internet (KS2)
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34. Design & technology
Broadly similar requirements at both Key Stages for main aspects, although slightly less specific detail:
Design
Make
Evaluate
Technical Knowledge
Statutory requirement to include cooking at both key stages
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35. Foreign languages Newly statutory at KS2
No requirement to study from approved languages (as was originally planned)
Can include classical languages
No mention of intercultural understanding in programme of study
Focus on four skills of Speaking, Listening, Reading and Writing
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36. Geography Reduced emphasis on investigative Geography
Increased focus on geographical knowledge
KS1: name continents and home countries
KS1: Compare local geography to UK & world
KS1: Introduce key geography vocabulary
KS2: locate world countries; UK cities & regions
KS2: Identify world feature, e.g. poles, tropics, etc.
KS2: Comparison study in Americas and Europe
KS2: Study climate, vegetation belts, land use, natural resources & trade links
KS2:Use compass points & 6-figure grid references
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37. History Reduced emphasis on sources & methodology
Relatively little change at KS1, with slight increase in national focus
Reduced emphasis on diversity & culture
Significant changes in KS2 breadth of study:
Victorians/Britain since 1930 & Tudors removed
Stone age added
Romans, Anglo-Saxons & Vikings all required
Slightly changes to ancient civilisation options
A non-European study must be included
One period of study that stretches past 1066
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38. Music Slimmed-down Programme of Study
KS1 focus on experimentation with voice and tuned and untuned instruments
Musical elements (pitch, tempo, etc.) renamed as “inter-related dimensions”
KS2: Introduce staff and other notation
KS2: Develop understanding of history of music
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39. Physical education Slimmed-down Programme of Study
KS1 focus on mastering basic skills and playing in team games
KS2 includes discrete skills and in contexts of team games and competition
Less focus on evaluation, focus moves to improving personal bests
Swimming remains statutory at either key stage
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