Changing the curriculum – Commentary on the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review
The report affirms the value of existing subjects and their value in providing for a rich and balanced curriculum. Only minor amendments are recommended at subject level to support subjects to flourish.
To prepare young people for a changing world the report states that subject specific knowledge is the best investment. It does identify certain areas of applied knowledge and skills which require more attention. These are to be delivered mainly through existing curriculum subjects.
Financial Education
This should be started in Primary school. It is already present in Maths, although not always focused on, but financial education incorporates more applied concepts. These should be taught in citizenship with relevant mathematical concepts being first introduced in Maths
Digital literacy
This encompasses knowledge and behaviours to use technologies and computer systems safely, creatively and effectively. This is taught within the computing curriculum although there is scope to refine the curriculum to better reflect skills and knowledge used for everyday life. Other subjects e.g. geography make use of digital skills.
Media literacy
This concerns understanding and engaging critically with messages conveyed through different media channels. This covered in a number of subjects e.g. history and science. The review recommends that the role of media literacy should be strengthened in English and citizenship where it has direct coverage.
Climate education and sustainability
The report recommends that climate education is bolstered in the Science and Geography curricula and that sustainability is emphasised in the D&T curriculum. It should also have an emphasis in Citizenship,
Oracy
This incorporates speaking, listening, and communication. The report recommends that English should make speaking and listening requirements more prominent including greater prominence through Drama and that it should be given greater specificity in Citizenship. The report also recommends a new oracy framework to support practice and to complement existing frameworks in Reading and Writing.
Curriculum principles
The report recommends that the following principles should be adopted in drafting new programmes of study for the refreshed curriculum.
An entitlement
The national curriculum must be aspirational, engaging and demanding reflecting high expectations for all.
Knowledge rich
The national curriculum should maintain a knowledge-rich approach. This should provide them with a deep understanding of the subject matter and so access to ‘powerful knowledge’. Skills are seen as important but are situated within and accessed through the knowledge-rich curriculum.
Curriculum depth and mastery of core concepts.
Children and young people should develop a strong knowledge base revisiting prior knowledge where necessary and be given the space to deepen and extend their foundational knowledge.
Curriculum coherence
Necessary if the curriculum is to be effective and to support progression. Coherence is vertical through sequences designed to build on content and essential concepts, although the nature of these sequences will differ according to whether subjects are hierarchical or not. Coherence is also horizontal and links should be made across subjects to highlight where content in one area relies on another. This is particularly important in the delivery of cross-curricular themes and in the delivery of cross-disciplinary content in the primary phase.
Specificity
The programmes of study for current foundation subjects lack specificity. Greater specificity should not mean more content or more limited teacher autonomy but should mean specifying the essential substantive knowledge and skills to support conceptual mastery, continuity and coherence.
Professional autonomy
The report emphasises the importance of giving teachers the space to exercise their professional judgement. This sees teachers as curriculum makers ‘interpreting and transforming the content of the national curriculum. Teachers should be able choose and adapt and how they teach the curriculum to reflect their students’ lives and experiences.
Curriculum for all
All children and young people should feel included in and represented by the curriculum. Across the curriculum subject content should reflect a broader range of perspectives and experiences of our diverse society. This is sometimes more appropriately achieved through teacher selection of content than through centralised prescription.
National curriculum as a tool for teachers
and teacher understanding of previous and future learning the report recommends the development of the national curriculum as a digital product.
To support an inclusive curriculum a programme of work should be developed of evidence led guidance on curriculum and pedagogical adaptation, including exemplification for children and young people with SEND.
Curriculum recommendations by subject
Citizenship
Citizenship education helps young people to develop the necessary knowledge and skills to play a full and active role in society. Currently citizenship is a statutory foundation subject at Key Stages 3 and 4 but is not mandatory at Key Stages 1 and 2. The report recommends that the subject should also be statutory at Key Stages 1 and 2. The following topics should be prioritised in the statutory primary curriculum – Financial literacy: including the purpose of money, how to manage, spend and save money, the difference between needs and wants and to develop financial literacy skills. – Democracy and government: supporting democratic understanding and engagement, readiness for lowering voting age to 16. Content should be aligned with fundamental British values. – Law and rights: why laws are important, how they are made and consequences of not following them. Content should introduce fairness and equity, rights and responsibilities. – Media literacy: age-appropriate skills including research skills and evaluating information and news sources. Climate education: exploring age-appropriate issues including sustainable choices and habits and climate justice.
The secondary Programmes of Study should be aligned with the primary. All Programmes of Study should be improved by clarifying their purpose and improving their specificity and progression.
Geography
The review identified some limited areas for improvement to address findings that some Geography is overly dense and repetitive limiting opportunities for deeper understanding. The report also highlights the importance of pupils developing core geographical skills and opportunities for high quality fieldwork. Great care should be taken not to create access problems for disadvantaged in fieldwork and trips by making greater use of the locality. Gaps should also be addressed in the coverage of climate.
The report recommends – Refining content to avoid repetition, deepen understanding of concepts and making content relevant and inclusive. – Embedding disciplinary knowledge more explicitly at Key Stage 3 e.g. enquiry, spatial reasoning, human geography and the use of evidence. – Clarifying requirements for fieldwork. – Embedding climate change and sustainability more explicitly.
History
History requires more curriculum space to embed disciplinary skills such as how historians study the past and construct historical accounts and arguments and assess varying sources. Messages about what is and what is not statutory and where flexibility exists could be clearer. This should be achieved without moving away from previous reforms which were intended to reinforce chronological understanding and ensure that history teaching did not feel like a series of disjointed topics. Changes should not involve replacing existing content. History teaching covers an array of eras, contexts, including local history. and cultures but further guidance could be provided on using existing flexibility. GCSE History requires significant improvement because of content overload and the need to develop assessment objectives that better encourage the knowledge and application of disciplinary rigour and do not lead to a focus on rote learning’
The report recommends – Adjusting the Programmes of Study by – adjusting and amending disciplinary terms to improve understanding and use of disciplinary knowledge. – Clarify statutory and non-statutory content requirements to support understanding of existing optionality. – Support wider teaching of diversity including a wide range of sources and local history. – Review GCSE History – To ensure understanding of disciplinary knowledge and tackle overload. – Ensure assessment is aligned to the aims of GCSE.
Religious Education
RE provides space for pupils to learn about mutuality and reciprocity, develops their ability to understand one another and helps in the understanding of national and international events. RE is a basic, not national curriculum subject with a diverse context of stakeholders and without a national defined content or standard. SACRE’s are responsible for content but these vary in their ability to provide effective support. The report recommends that RE should become a national curriculum subject with a centrally determined curriculum although it recognises that the subject can be controversial and contentious so that achieving this will take time. The report considered the requirement to teach RE for 16 – 18-year-olds which is not consistent across different types of education establishments and so recommended that the requirement be removed from 6th forms.
The report recommends that its proposals should be taken forward in stages with first the establishment of a task and finish group made up of representatives from faith and secular groups and the wider teaching and education sector which will try to agree a draft RE curriculum. The DfE will consider the legislative framework and review the existing non-statutory guidance. If a draft curriculum is agreed it will be subject to a formal consultation period.
Accountability and performance measures
Changes are needed particularly at secondary level. The EBacc has limited student choice, led to students being entered for GCSE’s they are unlikely to get, does not increase the likelihood of students attending Russell group universities and targets for pupils taking the EBacc have not been met.
The review remains committed to Progress 8 although it lacks adequate contextualisation of progress. The report notes government commitment to develop digital benchmarking to enable schools to compare themselves with similar schools’
The report recommends- Removing the EBacc. – Retaining progress 8. – Continuing to develop initiatives related to similar schools.
Primary Assessment
Key Stage 1
The report considers that the primary assessment is broadly working well. At Key Stage 1 the Phonic Screening is effective although pre and non-verbal pupils cannot be assessed for further support. Optional end of key stage assessment is effective although research indicates take up is at 60%.
Key Stage 2
Y4 Multiplication tables Check and end of key stage assessment assessments work well for measuring progress and for accountability. However MTC is not always accessible for SEND pupils. The GPS test does not test the use of grammar in pupils own writing. The teacher assessed writing could be developed with the provision of an improved teacher assessment framework.
The report recommends – AT KS1 – Encouraging the use of optional KS1 assessments, – Support in assessing the progress of SEND pupils in the Phonics Screening Test, – At KS2 – Improve access for SEND pupils to the MTC, – Improve the teacher assessment framework for writing, – Review external moderation, – Amend GPS test to better assess composition and application of grammar and punctuation,
Secondary Assessment
Key Stage 3
KS 3 faces most challenges and the report identifies the need for diagnostic assessment in English and Maths during KS3 to identify gaps in progress.
Key Stage 4
External examinations through GCSEs is seen as a valued, trusted and fair form of assessment. The time spent on examinations is excessive. The volume and nature of the subject plays a role in the volume of assessment as does the assessment design. The proposes to reduce the volume of GCSE by 10% by using assessment levers and the principle of the volume of exam assessment should be placed at the heart of assessment design. Two assessment components should remain for each subject. Externally marked exams are the most reliable form of assessment and there should not be any expansion of coursework. To ensure that assessments are fit for purpose a subject by subject approach should be taken. Accessibility for pupils with SEND should be built into assessment and that different organisations with responsibilities for accessibility of qualifications work together to achieve this.
The report recommends – for KS3 -Introduce diagnostic assessment for English and Maths in Y8, – for KS4 – Reduce overall exam time by at least 10% – Introduce a design principle that considers the volume of assessment as a priority – Ensure that each subject retains at least two assessment components, – Non-exam assessment to be used only when it is the only valid way of assessing an element, – Ensure that what is assessed reflects what is most important for students to learn and do, – Explore how core aspects of subject content can be assessed including non-exam assessment whilst managing risk of AI, – Explore the potential for on-screen assessment, – Ensure that relevant organisations work together to consider how accessibility can be built in to new specifications.
Future Curriculum reviews
The report differentiates between periodic holistic reviews and reviews. Holistic reviews are best suited for striking a balance between volume of content and available time. They also need to strike a balance in their frequency. Reviews are light touch and intended for areas of the curriculum which need more regular updates. Reviews should have the aims of ensuring the NC remains uptodate, addressing any specific issues and ensuring that the volume of content remains appropriate. They should avoid adding content but focus on refreshing that which is outdated.
The report recommends; – holistic reviews are limited to one a decade, – A rolling programme of light touch reviews takes place,- Ensure that future reviews have clear objectives and are evidence led and undertake public consultation.