Implementing the National Curriculum 2014

1. Implementing the National Curriculum 2014 A summary of the audit for the governing body [school name] [date]

2. Key Dates • July 2013: new National Curriculum published • November 2013-March 2014: Audit • April 2014-May 2014: Strategic planning • June 2014: Implement action plan • September 2014: Deliver the new National Curriculum • May 2016: National Tests assess the new National Curriculum

3. Audit Process

4. Audit Results: The Whole Curriculum • The consensus was that our curriculum does go beyond the requirements of the current National Curriculum, but there is strong support (80%) for using the new freedoms and doing more to enrich children’s learning; to create a curriculum that reflects the distinctive character of the school.

5. Audit Results: The Whole Curriculum

6. Audit Results: Teaching and Learning • Subjects where teachers would most like to improve their subject knowledge and which they found most difficult to teach were science, design and technology and geography. The subject with the biggest scope for improving the level of pupils’ enjoyment was mathematics. • Key points for action are: • Subject leaders for science, design and technology and geography to offer workshops in planning and teaching these subjects and support teachers with translating the schemes of work into better learning experiences for pupils. • Subject leader for mathematics to offer to read teachers’ plans and observe lessons in order to make suggestions about how to make mathematics enjoyable.

7. Audit Results: Timetabling • There was a majority in favour of lengthening the morning session by shortening the lunch break to allow us to teach three subjects before lunchtime. It was also felt that assemblies would be better placed at the end of the day to avoid them running over into lesson time. • Key points for action are: • Shorten the lunch break by 15 minutes to allow three one hour lessons in the mornings. • Allow more extended periods of time for lessons in the afternoons where practical or investigative activities are involved. • Include short sessions of literacy on three afternoons a week at key stage 1. • Senior leadership to estimate the time available to teach beyond the National Curriculum requirements to give more emphasis to our priorities for curriculum enrichment.

8. Audit Results: Curriculum Planning • Small increases in curriculum time for English and mathematics to accommodate the additional demands of the new National Curriculum were widely seen as necessary. More time will be given to the creative arts. It was agreed that teachers’ planning, needs to be made less onerous to reduce workload. • Key points for action are: • Key stage teams will review the schemes of work for English and mathematics in the light of the new National Curriculum and identify how much extra time will be needed and where it will be used. • Subject leaders will review their schemes of work to assess where more emphasis can be given to literacy and numeracy and how much extra time it will require. • The senior leadership team will take an overview of the time allocations for all subjects, based on the schemes of work, and make adjustments in consultation with subject leaders to ensure a broad and balanced curriculum.

9. Next Steps • Monitor developments in assessment. • The team will create an action plan for the school based on the results of the audit. • The action plan will be presented to governors in May. • The team leading the implementation: Head: SLT: Governor: National Curriculum Champion: