Governor Services Local Conference 2014

1. Governor Services Local Conference 2014 Leading Governance Through Change

2. Policy Directions in the Curriculum and Assessment Understanding the changes needed to teaching, the curriculum and assessment in light of international comparisons.....

3. International Comparisons The key focus of concern in our performance relative to other countries is the underperformance of “the tail” The revisions to the National Curriculum and assessment arrangements must address this. Hence the work of the Expert Review Group

4. What Chances Boys?

5. Lesson 1 “A universal feature of high performing jurisdictions is a pervasive belief that all children can learn, and to high standards” In the UK and USA, the concept of learning being genetically predetermined is prevalent

6. What would Dave say? “Thanks Pete”

7. Understanding learning, standards, teaching and planning...

8. In a “making talent” school: • There is an understanding of how children learn that is used to plan sequences of lessons that will ensure pupils are on track. • There is an understanding of the standard expected, what this looks like “along the way” and what to do if pupils are not on track. • There is an understanding of how to motivate both pupils and teachers. • There is an understanding of the needs of the whole child.

9. Dimensions that contribute to “high expectations for all” • Presumption of capability for improvement • Maintenance of high expectations • A focused curriculum with appropriate depth • Tangible learning objectives • Constructive feedback for all pupils • Valuing of effort

10. Lesson 2 “An essential weakness in our system....(is) that too great a proportion of pupils fail to attain elements of curriculum that are vital for the next stage of their education” “Amongst the intenational systems ... we have examined, there are several that appear to focus on fewer things and in greater depth in primary education and pay particular attention to all pupils having an adequate understanding of these elements prior to moving on. We judged this approach to be a fundamental rather than surface element.”

11. Hence • The slimming down of content (fewer things in more depth) • The notion of freedom • The national curriculum is part of the school curriculum

12. So what do you do with your freedom? • It will not be enough to build a curriculum on the interests of pupils • It will not be enough to cut and paste the current curriculum into the new map • It will not be enough to just “manage” the curriculum

13. How do your aims drive high expectations for all? • How will your curriculum ensure that those pupils who have traditionally not performed well, do so? • How will you know whether these pupils are on track?

14. Lesson 3 “We have concerns about the ways in which levels are currently used to judge pupils’ progress, and their consequences. Indeed, we believe that this may actually inhibit the overall performance of the system and undermine learning”

15. Levels.... • The progress trap and constantly “emerging” • The role of differentiation • I am a level

16. Hence The removal of levels, to be replaced with an end of keystage standard equivalent to 4b in RWM combined A new floor standard of 85% (Although a progress measure will remain)

17. The challenge for the school system is to ensure that those children who have traditionally not performed well in our schools now do so. There is now curriculum reform, associated assessment reform, the notion of a key standard for all at the end of primary education and funding to ensure that they now do so. Governance is now central to ensuring that this happens, since the Government’s preferred intervention in schools that do not is to change the governance model.