The Primary Curriculum

1. The Primary Curriculum Professional Practice Year 1 (KP)

2. Learning Intentions (next 2 LL): • To explore the context of schooling in Britain. • Briefly to review the history of curriculum change in England. • To explore the current National Curriculum and proposed new curriculum. • To introduce the Every Child Matters agenda and current initiatives in education.

3. What is A Curriculum? • Work with the person next to you to a make a mind map of what you understand makes up a “curriculum”. • The Subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college [Oxford English Dictionary] • The reality is much broader than this simple definition

4. openscotland.gov.uk

5. Curriculum Types • Official or formal curriculum • Hidden or latent curriculum • Observed curriculum • Experienced curriculum (after Pollard and Tann, 2004).

6. The official (formal) curriculum : The National Curriculum • The National Curriculum is merely one particular construct of a curriculum – includes EYFS. • It is determined by central government • Schools had a curriculum before the national curriculum • It only applies to state schools in England and Wales • Supported by published Schemes of Work and National Literacy and Numeracy strategies.

7. The hidden curriculum From Hughes, P. (2008) Principles of Primary Education Abingdon: Routledge

8. The observed curriculum • What actually takes place in the classroom – the lessons and activities you see. • May be different to the intended official curriculum as teachers respond to children’s learning needs • Needs careful and developed skills of observation.

9. The experienced curriculum • That which is directly experienced by the children. • What the children “take away” from the lesson. • Not easy to monitor.

10. The National Curriculum & EYFS: Aims and Values [p10-12]http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/key-stages-1-and-2/index.aspxhttp://www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/eyfs/ • The School Curriculum should aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and achieve. • The School Curriculum should aim to promote pupil’s spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.

11. 3 core English Mathematics Science 7 Foundation Design and Technology Information and Communication Technology History Geography Art and Design Music Physical Education And from 2010 (2011)…? Another? The National Curriculum Subjects – can you name them?

12. Other Requirements [p 19 – 20] • Religious Education Education Act 1996 – Schools must provide religious education for all pupils, although parents can withdraw their children. The school must take account of the locally agreed syllabus. It is therefore a Christian expectation. • Sex Education Primary Schools must make their policy on Sex Education available to parents. Parents have the right of withdrawal.

13. Non-Statutory Guidelines [p136-149] • Citizenship? • Personal, Social and Health Education? • Modern Foreign Language ?

14. Learning across the National Curriculum (p 19 – 23) • SMSC – spiritual, moral, social, cultural • Financial capability • Enterprise Education • Sustainable Development

15. Key Skills [p20-22]Embedded in the National Curriculum • Communication • Application of Number • Information Technology • Working with Others • Improving Own Learning and Performance • Problem Solving • Thinking Skills [5] • Information processing • Reasoning • Enquiry • Creative thinking • Evaluation

16. 3 Principles of Inclusion [p30-37] • Setting Suitable Learning Challenges • Responding to Pupil’s Diverse Needs • Overcoming Potential Barriers to Learning and Assessment for Individuals and Groups of Pupils

17. The Wider Curriculum • All the learning which a child does in any aspect of his or her school life Dean J [2001] • 3 Central Aspects • The Taught curriculum – intentional or deliberate in classroom or elsewhere, traditional view • The Institutional curriculum – the culture, values, codes and behaviour. The ethos. • The Hidden curriculum – that which the school cannot see or control e.g. children’s perceptions of what they do may not be what is intended. Do they have strategies [such as working slowly to avoid answering] or do girls feel inferior to boys. If discussed these things may no longer remain hidden but become part of the institutional curriculum

18. Structure of the National Curriculum

19. Programmes of Study (PoS) • Set out the content pupils should be taught in each subject at each Key Stage. • Provide the basis for planning schemes of work.

20. Attainment Targets and Level Descriptors • Set out expectations of the knowledge, skills and understanding which pupils of different abilities are expected to have achieved within the context of end of the different key stages.

21. Expectations of the National Curriculum • Range of levels within which the majority of pupils are expected to work KEY STAGE 1: Levels 1-3 Infant KEY STAGE 2: Levels 2-5 Junior • Expected attainment by the majority of pupils at the end of the key stage KEY STAGE 1: Level 2 Age 7 KEY STAGE 2: Level 4 Age 11

22. Across the Curriculum [p38-40] • Use of Language Writing, Speaking, Listening, Reading • Use of ICT • Health and Safety

23. Every Child Matters: Change for Children – The context • Being healthy: enjoying good physical and mental health and living a healthy lifestyle • Staying safe: being protected from harm and neglect • Enjoying and achieving: getting the most out of life and developing the skills for adulthood • Making a positive contribution: being involved with the community and society and not engaging in anti-social or offending behaviour • Economic well-being: not being prevented by economic disadvantage from achieving their full potential in life

24. Themes of ECM • Every service, every professional, every community, every family must take responsibility for the protection of children; • Every organisation must have a positive vision of young people and high expectations for all of them, whoever they are, and wherever they live. • Early Intervention and Effective Provision • Improving Information Sharing Between Agencies • Developing a Common Assessment Framework (CAF) across services • Introducing a named ‘ Lead Professional’ • Developing wraparound care multi-disciplinary service delivery • Safeguarding Children partnership arrangements • Common occupational standards for all agencies working with children • Integrated Inspection Framework for Children’s Services

25. Times of Change – The review of the Primary Curriculum • The independent review of the primary curriculum – Sir Jim Rose http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/primarycurriculumreview/ • The Primary Review – Cambridge University and the Esme Foundation http://www.primaryreview.org.uk/

26. Executive summary – Independent Review (published 9/12/08)

27. Some of the 20 recommendations

28. The New Primary Curriculum: • http://www.qcda.gov.uk/resources/curriculum_reform/index.html http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/new-primary-curriculum/index.aspx • http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/new-primary-curriculum/About-the-new-primary-curriculum/index.aspx • http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/new-primary-curriculum/curriculum-tools/a-short-guide-to-the-new-primary-curriculum/index.aspx