The National Curriculum!

Everyone welcomes the Government’s ambition to reduce unnecessary prescription, bureaucracy and central control throughout the education system. That means taking a new approach to the curriculum.

We know that the National Curriculum has become over-prescriptive, has included material that is not essential, and has specified how to teach rather than what should be taught. Schools and teachers are taking greater control over what is taught and how it is taught, using their professional skills and experience to provide the best educational experience for all of their pupils. We need to build a curriculum framework which sets out the essential knowledge our children should acquire and leave teachers to decide how to teach this most effectively and to design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their young people. To bring the curriculum to life, teachers need the space to share their passion for learning, to create great learning that engages and inspires young people, who need the time and space to develop their ability to understand, retain and apply what they have learned.