CONSULTATION
RESPONSE
Department for Education
National Curriculum Review – Call for Evidence
14 April 2011
1. The NASUWT welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the National
Curriculum Review – Call for Evidence.
2. The NASUWT is the largest teachers’ union in the UK representing teachers
and school leaders.
3. The NASUWT believes that the National Curriculum should set a universal
entitlement for all children and young people and that all schools, including
academies and free schools, should be required to follow the National
Curriculum.
GENERAL COMMENTS
NASUWT PRINCIPLES FOR THE CURRICULUM
4. The NASUWT has established eight principles upon which effective curricular
frameworks should be based. These principles guide the Union’s work to
promote and secure a curriculum that supports teachers and school leaders to
meet the needs and interests of all children and young people. They also
underpin the Union’s response to this Call for Evidence. The principles are set
and explained below:
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All pupils should have an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum.
5. The curriculum should recognise different forms of learning, including
academic and practical learning, and offer rich, engaging and relevant
experiences. This is critical to tackling disaffection and addressing poor pupil
behaviour. The curriculum should help learners to become confident and
successful and enable them to make a positive contribution to society.
6. Schools should offer a curriculum that secures breadth and balance and is
relevant to all pupils.
The curriculum should promote the values of equality, community cohesion,
social justice and international solidarity.
7. The curriculum should equip pupils with the knowledge and skills to challenge
discrimination and injustice. It should prepare them to live and participate in a
globalised world. This includes helping pupils to understand and appreciate
their own identities and those of others. The curriculum should provide
opportunities for pupils to engage critically with issues relating to equality and
justice and take part in activities that contribute to social cohesion.
There should be coherence and consistency between policies that relate to
the curriculum and other education policies
8. Policies relating to the curriculum must ‘fit’ with, and be supported by, other
education policies, including those relating to teachers’ professional autonomy,
teachers’ professional development and school accountability. The broader
education system must not undermine the principal aims and objectives of the
curriculum. In particular, a punitive, high-stakes accountability regime that
pressurises schools into narrowing the focus and range of pupils’ learning
experiences is not appropriate or acceptable.
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Curriculum policy and practice should respect and promote the notion of
teachers’ professional autonomy and judgement.
9. Teachers must be able to use their professional judgement to determine what
is most appropriate for the learners they teach. They should have the flexibility
to make appropriate decisions about what they teach and how they teach.
Leadership of the curriculum should build on the principle of collegiality,
with teachers working together to design the school’s curriculum.
10. Teachers should be actively engaged in the design and development of both
the national curriculum and, within that framework, their school’s curriculum. It
is essential that reforms encourage schools to adopt approaches to leadership
that engage all teachers and support collaboration and co-operative working.
As professionals, teachers and school leaders should have access to, and
undertake, regular curriculum-related professional development.
11. High-quality continuing professional development (CPD) is essential if
teachers and school leaders are to sustain and extend their professional
knowledge, skills and expertise. All teachers and school leaders must have
designated time to undertake CPD. CPD must be free, well-funded and
quality-assured robustly.
Practice should enable teachers and school leaders to focus on their core
responsibilities for teaching and leading and managing teaching and
learning.
12. High-quality curricular frameworks should allow teachers to focus on teaching
and learning. Teachers should be able to draw on the skills of others to
support pupils’ learning, including expertise from the local community. Tasks
that do not require the professional skills and expertise of a teacher should be
undertaken by appropriately trained and qualified members of the school
workforce.
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Practice should be efficient and avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and
workload.
13. The curriculum must be monitored rigorously for its impact on workload and
organisational bureaucracy. This needs to happen both at national and school
level. It should mean that problems are identified and addressed. Failure to do
this undermines the professionalism of teachers and school leaders.
THE NEED FOR A CURRICULUM REVIEW
14. The secondary national curriculum was introduced in 2008 and a revised
primary curriculum was due to be implemented from September 2011. Both
reviews involved extensive engagement with a wide range of stakeholders,
including teachers. Feedback from teachers and school leaders indicated that,
in general, they are happy with the existing curriculum. In particular, teachers
and school leaders report that the revised secondary curriculum gives them
greater freedom and has enabled them to design a school curriculum that
engages and inspires pupils and is helping them to raise standards.
15. As there has been no formal evaluation of the impact of the existing secondary
national curriculum, this indicates that the current review is not responding to
evidence about particular issues with the existing curriculum, but that ideology
is the main driver for the reforms.
16. This curriculum review is taking place within a climate of austerity and public
sector cuts. There are significant costs, both nationally and for schools,
associated with any reform of the national curriculum. Schools have already
invested a significant amount of time and money to prepare for and implement
the secondary curriculum and the Rose Review primary curriculum. This
includes developing curriculum resources and undertaking CPD related to the
reforms. Many schools are cutting staff, including teaching staff, and cuts to
local authority services and national organisations such as the Qualifications
and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) mean that key sources of
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curriculum support for schools are disappearing. The NASUWT, therefore,
believes that a review of the curriculum is inappropriate at this point in time.
USING EVIDENCE, INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE, TO INFORM
THE CURRICULUM REVIEW AND TO SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF
BEST PRACTICE IN SCHOOLS
17. International evidence about effective practice can be useful to those making
policy decisions about the national curriculum. International evidence can also
help teachers and school leaders to improve practice in schools. However, it is
important to recognise the limitations and potential dangers of using
international evidence.
18. The Coalition Government makes repeated references to England’s
performance
in
the
Organisation
for
Economic
Co-operation
and
Development’s (OECD’s) Programme for International Student Assessment
(PISA) and suggests that the national curriculum needs to be improved
because England has fallen down the world rankings.1 The NASUWT contests
this analysis. England’s performance in PISA has not declined. Critically, PISA
assesses students’ performance in reading literacy, maths and science. As
such, it provides an indication of how one element of the education system is
performing, relative to other countries. It does not provide evidence about how
the whole education system is performing.
19. Further, judgements about performance depend on the assessment tool being
used. For example, in PISA, New Zealand performs significantly better than
England in reading literacy and maths. However, in the Trends in International
Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and Progress in International
Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) assessments, England’s performance in
reading literacy and maths is significantly better than that of New Zealand.2
1
For example, see the Foreword to The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010,
DfE, November 2010.
2 Sturman, Linda et al. (2008) England’s achievement in TIMSS 2007: National report for England;
and OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Results: What Students Know and Can Do:Student Performance in
Reading, Mathematics and Science (Volume 1).
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Therefore, questions need to be raised about what exactly is being assessed.
International data, especially PISA, is being used uncritically to support
ideologically driven educational reforms.
20. The Coalition Government states that evidence from PISA shows that ‘high
performing systems devolve as much power as possible to the frontline, while
retaining high levels of accountability’.3 However, PISA reports are much more
tentative in their analysis, pointing only to possible links between approaches
to autonomy and accountability. Further, ‘autonomy’ and ‘accountability’ can
be interpreted in many different ways. PISA reports do not address this
complexity. This highlights the importance of drawing on rich evidence about
effective practice, including qualitative evidence.
21. The NASUWT notes that the Department for Education (DfE) is undertaking a
more detailed analysis of the performance of education systems in a number
of countries. The Union is extremely concerned about the choice of
countries/administrations that are the focus of this detailed analysis. The four
countries/administrations
(Hong
Kong,
Singapore,
Alberta,
and
Massachusetts) are ones that the Secretary of State, Michael Gove, has cited
in various speeches and articles. Questions must be raised about the
objectivity of these choices and the extent to which they will provide a
comprehensive understanding of high-performing education systems. The
NASUWT believes that the choice of countries is highly selective. Put simply,
they appear to be education systems that promote the education ideologies
that the Coalition Government is seeking to introduce.
22. The NASUWT is extremely concerned about the emphasis being given within
the review to international evidence and the apparent disregard for evidence
about high-quality practice within England and across the UK. It is vital that the
curriculum review makes full use of national evidence about excellent practice
in schools.
3
Op cit.
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Policy coherence
23. The NASUWT acknowledges the need to ensure that there is coherence
between policies relating to the curriculum and other education policies. It is
essential that these other policies do not have unintended consequences for
the curriculum. However, there are major inconsistencies between the
Coalition Government’s education policies, and the NASUWT believes that this
will have a significant and adverse impact on the curriculum offer to pupils.
24. Questions must be raised about the Coalition Government’s policy on
academies and free schools. Academies and free schools will not be required
to follow the National Curriculum; the National Curriculum will simply act as a
benchmark. However, the Coalition Government says that it wants ‘the
National Curriculum to be a benchmark, not a straitjacket, a body of
knowledge against which achievement can be measured’.4 The terms of
reference for the curriculum review also state that the national curriculum is
intended to ensure ‘rigour and high standards and create coherence in what is
taught in schools’.5 Therefore, it is unclear why academies and free schools
are not required to follow the national curriculum.
25. Academies vary widely in their performance. For example, the National Audit
Office report of the National Academies Programme6 reveals that whilst some
academies were successful, this was not the case for all academies. Further,
the Coalition Government’s policy of ensuring that the ‘lowest performing
schools […] are considered for conversion to become Academies to effect
educational transformation’7 indicates that this variation in performance is
likely to continue. Academies are state-funded. The NASUWT believes that
academies should be subject to the same standards as other schools and
there are sound educational reasons for requiring academies and free schools
to follow the National Curriculum. Again, this inconsistency indicates that
4
DfE (November 2010), The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010, page 40,
paragraph 4.2.
5 Curriculum Review Terms of Reference.
6 National Audit Office (September 2010), The Academies Programme.
7 DFE (2010), The Importance of Teaching: The Schools White Paper 2010.
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decisions about educational reforms are being driven by ideology rather than
what is in the best interests of children and young people
26. The Coalition Government’s decision to amend the secondary school
performance tables so that a school’s performance is measured against the
percentage of pupils achieving 5 GCSE A*-C in the English Baccalaureate
subjects illustrates how accountability systems, in this case performance
tables, affect the curriculum. Feedback from teachers and other evidence
reveals how schools are responding to the change. ‘Schools are already
changing their curriculums and taking reactive decisions because of league
table pressures rather than a holistic view of their needs’.8 The message is
very clear: high-stakes accountability systems have a profound and adverse
impact on the curriculum and the qualifications offer.
27. International evidence also demonstrates how high-stakes accountability shifts
attention away from improving teaching and learning so that ‘the real school
mission may become a quest to outdo another school’. 9 The research
suggests that this is undermining the Singapore government’s aim to develop
a ‘21st century’ curriculum, an aim that is designed to provide opportunities for
students to take a more active role in their learning and develop creative and
entrepreneurial skills.
28. Punitive systems of accountability undermine teachers’ professional integrity
and limit their ability to operate as professionals. Emerging evidence from
NASUWT-commissioned research into teachers’ experiences of SEN and
inclusion, and other feedback from teachers, reveals that teachers and school
leaders are under substantial pressure to focus on inspection and
accountability priorities. The emphasis on these priorities is often so great that
they have little time to reflect critically on their wider practice. They also have
little time to undertake high-quality professional development.
‘The English bacc causes fury in schools’, education guardian in The Guardian, Tuesday 11
January 2011.
9 The evolution and nature of school accountability in the Singapore education system, in
Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability, Volume 22, pages 275-292, 19 August
2010. Published online by Springer (page 279).
8
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29. It would not be acceptable for the Curriculum Review to simply note the
consequences of conflicting policies. The Review must highlight the
inconsistencies and conflicts between policies related to the curriculum and
other education policies. It must make clear recommendations to address
these inconsistencies. The recommendations should include:

establishing
systems
of
accountability
that
are
supportive
and
developmental;

ensuring that all policies start from the principle that teachers are
professionals and must be trusted as professionals;

taking steps to encourage approaches to leadership, including leadership
of the curriculum, that empower teachers and facilitate collaboration and
co-operative ways of working; and

developing policies that will enable all teachers to access high-quality
ongoing professional development.
30. The NASUWT challenges the rationale for looking at the content of subjects
before establishing aims and objectives for the National Curriculum. Aims and
objectives define what is important and, so, the sorts of evidence that should
be looked at when developing the curriculum. They also help to establish the
overall shape of the curriculum, including the relationship between the National
Curriculum and the school curriculum.
31. The failure to establish a clear set of aims and objectives at the beginning of
the curriculum review process could lead to the development of a curriculum
that is disjointed, unbalanced and narrowly focused. It increases the risk that
some subjects will be content heavy, whilst others will contain much less
detail, something that could have unintended consequences. For example,
perceptions about the relative importance of different subjects could result in
pupils receiving a narrow and inappropriate curriculum offer.
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A BROAD AND BALANCED CURRICULUM
32. The NASUWT believes that the National Curriculum should set a national
entitlement for all pupils to receive a broad and balanced curriculum. It should
provide a framework within which teachers can work to shape the curriculum
so that it best meets pupils’ needs and interests. The National Curriculum
should recognise different forms of learning, including academic and practical
learning, and make reference to knowledge, skills and understanding.
33. Evidence shows how a broad and balanced curriculum can help to raise
pupils’ attainment, including their attainment in core subjects.10 For example,
successful schools report that achievement in a range of subjects across the
curriculum, including science, humanities and the arts, helps to improve pupils’
confidence and self-esteem and this enables pupils to tackle more challenging
work and develop a positive attitude towards school. The NASUWT
recommends that the National Curriculum acknowledges the importance of
pupils gaining this breadth and balance across a range of subjects, areas and
contexts.
34. A highly prescriptive and narrow National Curriculum, set within a high-stakes,
punitive system of accountability, will result in schools coming under
substantial pressure to focus on the narrow core. The NASUWT believes that
the National Curriculum framework must set broad aims and objectives for the
whole curriculum.
35. The Curriculum Review Terms of Reference state that a principal objective for
the Review is to ‘give teachers greater professional freedom over how they
organise and teach the curriculum’. The NASUWT welcomes this intention and
believes that it is important to understand what this means in practice.
10
Ofsted (October 2002), The curriculum in successful primary schools.
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36. An OECD study of effective learning environments11 identifies seven key
principles that are critical to creating an effective learning environment. The
learning environment:

recognises the learners as its core participants, encourages their active
engagement and develops in them an understanding of their own activity
as learners;

is founded on the social nature of learning and actively encourages wellorganised co-operative learning;

ensures that learning professionals are highly attuned to the learners’
motivations and recognises the key role of emotions in achievement;

is acutely sensitive to the individual differences among learners in it,
including their prior knowledge;

devises programmes that are challenging and demand hard work from all
without excessive overload;

operates with clarity of expectations and deploys assessment strategies
consistent with these expectations. There is strong emphasis on formative
feedback to support learning; and

strongly promotes ‘horizontal connectedness’ across areas of knowledge
and subjects, as well as to the community and the wider world.
37. The NASUWT believes that this Curriculum Review must take account of such
evidence. Whilst the National Curriculum should not set out how teachers
should teach, it must not undermine the critical elements of effective practice,
nor prevent teachers from working in ways that will enable pupils to achieve
their full potential.
38. Teachers should be able to use their professional judgement to determine how
they teach the National Curriculum as well as the wider school curriculum.
Evidence of innovative practice in successful schools12 shows that schools
design the curriculum in very different ways but that there are common
reasons for establishing the approach; namely, improving pupils’ motivation
11
Dumont, Hanna; Istance, David; and Benavides, Francisco (editors) (2010), The Nature of
Learning: Using Research to Inspire Practice, Centre for Educational Research and Innovation,
OECD: Paris.
12 Ofsted (October 2008),Curriculum Innovation in Schools.
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and engagement and raising their attainment. Innovative approaches to
practice included organising the curriculum around themes; flexible use of
curriculum time; introducing alternative curriculum pathways to meet the needs
and interests of all learners; and developing pupils’ learning skills. The schools
used these approaches to reinforce core subjects and, critically, to help pupils
to make links between subjects. The revised National Curriculum must enable
teachers to design the curriculum so that they can meet the needs of their
pupils.
39. The NASUWT is extremely concerned that steps are being taken that will force
teachers to adopt particular approaches to teaching. For example, references
have been made to ‘the importance of subjects’. Also, the proposal to
introduce a reading test for all six-year-olds will effectively require teachers to
use synthetic phonics to teach pupils to read. This undermines the Coalition
Government’s claim that it wants to leave decisions about teaching to the
professionals. The NASUWT believes that decisions about how things are
taught, including reading, should be made by teachers, and should be based
on meeting the best interests of learners. The plan to introduce a synthetic
phonics-based reading test for all six-year-olds undermines teachers’
professionalism and does not serve learners’ best interests. This should be
abandoned and teachers should determine whether they use synthetic phonics
or other methods to teach reading.
Embedding equality and inclusion through the content of the curriculum
40. The NASUWT welcomes the fact that the Expert Panel has been asked to
provide advice on how the content of the national curriculum can support the
embedding of equality and inclusion.
41. The Expert Panel must, therefore, recognise that removing the entitlement to a
broad and balanced curriculum from the National Curriculum framework is
likely to exacerbate inequalities within the education system. It could mean
that some children will have access to a broad, balanced and rich curriculum
offer, but that others will receive a very limited offer. The Coalition
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Government’s policies relating to free schools and academies increase the risk
that this will happen. For example, academies and free schools will not be
required to follow the National Curriculum. Further, whilst academies and free
schools may be required to provide a core curriculum without charge, some
may seek to charge pupils for additional learning, including broad and
enriching aspects of curriculum offer. Such an outcome would contravene the
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The NASUWT strongly
recommends that the Curriculum Review highlights this flaw and insists that all
schools be required to implement the National Curriculum.
42. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child sets out the right for
every child to receive an education on the basis of equal opportunity (Article
28).13 It also sets out the right for every child to receive an education that
develops the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to
their fullest potential; develops their respect for human rights, and fundamental
freedoms, the natural environment, their own cultural identity, language and
values, and those of others; and prepares them for responsible life in a free
society in a way that promotes peace, tolerance, equality and understanding
(Article 29). Further, it sets out the right for children to have their views and
opinions heard and, taking account of their age and maturity, to have a say in
what should happen to them (Article 12). It is essential that the National
Curriculum and wider education policy comply with the Convention. The
Convention principles should be embedded in the values, aims and objectives
for the National Curriculum.
43. Focusing on Article 29 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the
Child, the NASUWT believes that it is for schools to determine how they will
develop pupils’ respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms; their
cultural identity, language and values; those of others; and how they will
promote peace, tolerance, equality and understanding. What is taught and
how it is taught will be influenced by pupils’ backgrounds, needs and
experiences, as well as the community in which the school is located.
United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), Fact Sheet: A summary of the rights under the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, web link: www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf.
13
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However, it is vital that all schools understand that they have a responsibility to
address these issues. The NASUWT believes that the National Curriculum
framework should make this expectation clear. Further, steps should be taken
to identify how National Curriculum content might support schools to deliver
this work.
44. The Equality Act (2010) places a duty on schools and other public bodies to
eliminate discrimination, to promote equality and to foster good relations
between groups. Again, the curriculum is a key vehicle for enabling schools to
do this. The National Curriculum aims and objectives should include explicit
reference to the duty placed on schools. The aims and objectives should make
it clear that schools are expected to use the curriculum to challenge
discrimination, promote equality and foster good relations between groups.
45. The Terms of Reference for the Curriculum Review ask the Expert Panel to
advise on the extent to which the National Curriculum should be set out on a
year-by-year basis. The NASUWT believes that a year-on-year curriculum
poses some significant challenges in relation to equality and inclusion. In
particular, there are questions about whether the curriculum can be designed
and organised in a way that ensures that there is no adverse impact on
different groups of pupils, most notably pupils with SEN and disabilities, very
able children and children who have recently arrived in England. It is essential
that any proposal to develop a year-on-year curriculum does not proceed until
the likely impact on different groups of learners is examined and fully
understood. This needs to include an analysis of the impact of a year-on-year
curriculum on other areas of learning, including a child’s social and emotional
development. Further, a decision to introduce a year-on-year curriculum
should only be made if it is clear that the policy will not have an adverse
impact on particular groups of pupils. Critically, it is essential that the National
Curriculum engages all pupils and enables them to achieve their full potential.
46. Evidence from PISA indicates that schools and education systems that require
students who do not make adequate progress to repeat grades perform less
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well than other schools and education systems.14 PISA data points to
associations between factors, rather than interrogating the reasons for these
patterns. However, feedback from teachers indicates that they have very
serious concerns about a ‘repeat grade’ model. There are concerns that a
‘repeat grade’ model would have a very negative impact on pupils’ social and
emotional development and on their motivation and self-esteem. There are
also concerns that the model would increase the risk of poor behaviour. The
NASUWT would oppose any attempts to introduce a year-on-year curriculum
that requires pupils to repeat grades.
TEACHERS’
PROFESSINAL
DEVELOPMENT
AND
CURRICULUM
LEADERSHIP
47. Evidence from the OECD shows that high-performing education systems
attract, develop and retain highly skilled and high-quality teachers.15 The
evidence also indicates that attractive salaries and working conditions,
including a work-life balance, are important in making teaching attractive.
48. Every pupil should have access to highly skilled, high-quality teachers if they
are to achieve their full potential. The NASUWT believes that this will not be
achieved if there is any attempt to dismantle the nationally agreed pay and
conditions framework. Comparisons between the pay and working conditions
for teachers working in schools, where there is a framework, and those
working in colleges, where the framework was removed, highlight the
consequences of introducing a market model of pay and conditions. Whilst
college lecturers’ pay and conditions compared favourably with teachers’ pay
and conditions before incorporation, school teachers now enjoy higher rates of
pay, have greater work security and better working conditions than their peers
in colleges. Any moves to end nationally agreed pay and conditions are likely
to result in a decline in pay and conditions for teachers. Inevitably, this will
have an adverse impact on teacher morale, motivation and the quality of
14
OECD (2010), PISA 2009 Results: What Makes a School Successful? Resources, Policies and
Practice (Volume IV).
15 OECD (2011), Building a High-Quality Teaching Profession: Lessons from Around the World.
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teaching. If the Coalition Government is serious about recruiting and retaining
high-quality teachers, then it must retain the framework for nationally agreed
pay and conditions.
49. The OECD’s report on building a high-quality teaching profession16 recognises
the importance of pay, but says that other factors are also important in making
teaching an attractive profession. It says that teachers identify the quality of
their working relations with students and colleagues, the support offered by
school leaders, good working conditions, and opportunities to develop their
skills as being very important. The report also suggests that people who see
themselves as candidates for the professions are more likely to be attracted to
teaching if schools are organised in ways that treat teachers as professionals.
These are work environments that are not prescriptive and that do not use
bureaucratic management procedures to direct their work. The report goes on
to say that ‘the essence of professional work can be seen as the
acknowledgement that it is the professional, and not the supervisor, who has
the knowledge needed to make the important decisions as to what services
are needed and how they are to be provided’.17 Further, it says organisations
dominated by professionals are ‘those in which workers are consulted on all
matters of consequence […] and have considerable discretion with respect to
diagnosing […] needs and [how] to address those needs’. It is vital that these
other factors are both acknowledged and addressed through the curriculum
review. It is also important that the curriculum review identifies and flags up
how other education policies may make it difficult or even impossible to secure
such conditions. The NASUWT believes that the current system of inspection
and high-stakes testing, including the use of school performance tables, are
particularly problematic in this respect.
50. As professionals, it is crucial that teachers maintain, update and extend their
professional skills and knowledge. Therefore, the NASUWT recognises that
every teacher should undertake regular, high-quality CPD. Evidence shows
that high-performing education systems place great emphasis on ensuring that
16
17
OECD (2011), Ibid.
OECD (2011), Ibid, page 11.
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all teachers have access to high-quality CPD.18 Crucially, this includes
ensuring that all teachers have the time to undertake CPD and ensuring that
working environments support professional practice by encouraging teachers
to work with each other to share knowledge and expertise. For example, in
Singapore, teachers have an entitlement of 100 hours free professional
development per year; in Shanghai China, every teacher is required to
undertake 240 hours CPD within 5 years; and in Finland, teachers are given
time to undertake practical research throughout their careers.
51. The NASUWT is extremely concerned that in England many teachers do not
have access to high-quality CPD. Also, heavy workload and lack of designated
time for professional development means that it is very difficult for many
teachers to undertake CPD and, more generally, reflect critically on their
practice. Further, some teachers may be expected to undertake CPD in their
own time, something that raises major equality issues for some groups of
teachers, including those with caring responsibilities. These issues must be
addressed and steps should be taken to ensure that all schools enable all
teachers to undertake regular high-quality CPD within designated working time
and at no personal cost. The NASUWT believes that this should be formalised
through discussions about individual teachers’ professional development
needs. Further, the Union believes that this should form part of a nationally
agreed framework for recognising teachers’ professionalism and part of the
teachers’ contractual entitlement.
52. The NASUWT is aware that some schools have adopted innovative
approaches to organising the curriculum that create time and space for
teachers to undertake CPD. The NASUWT would be keen to work with the DfE
to identify and promote approaches to curriculum practice that provide pupils
with engaging, high-quality learning experiences, and opportunities for all
teachers to undertake high-quality professional development.
53. Supportive, collaborative working relationships are vital to ensuring that
curriculum is both designed and implemented effectively. This is closely linked
18
OECD (2011), Ibid.
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to the issue of leadership, as Ofsted’s report of the curriculum in successful
primary schools illustrates.
19
Involving all staff in discussions and decision
making was seen to be critical, because it helped to create a sense of team
work, secured staff commitment to implementing decisions, and helped to
ensure a consistent approach across the school. However, collaboration and
co-operation are not simply about what goes on within schools, they are also
about the relationships between schools. The NASUWT is alarmed that
current education reforms are removing many of the frameworks that have
enabled schools to work collaboratively. For example, local authority advisory
services have been slashed and the QCDA is closing. Further, many of the
Coalition Government’s education policies encourage schools to compete with
each other, rather than work co-operatively. It is essential that steps are taken
nationally to encourage and enable teachers and schools to work
collaboratively and co-operatively. The NASUWT also recommends that the
DfE uses curriculum dissemination events, including events involving unions,
to highlight the characteristics of effective leadership practice.
54. Closely allied to the previous point, the NASUWT believes that the
Government must engage in active and meaningful dialogue with the
NASUWT and other teacher unions on matters relating to the development of
education policy and teachers’ professional practice. Evidence shows that
some high-performing systems have established very effective working
relations with their teachers’ unions. For example, the OECD report on building
a high-quality teaching profession20 provides examples of the governments in
Ontario, Canada, Finland, Norway, and Montgomery County in the USA
working closely with the teacher unions to develop and implement education
reforms.
55. There are many benefits for governments working closely with unions. For
example, unions offer access to large numbers of teachers and so provide a
valuable means for getting feedback on policies and proposals. Unions are
well placed to help governments test out proposals. They are also well placed
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20
Ofsted (October 2002), op cit.
OECD (2011), op cit.
NASUWT
The largest teachers’ union in the UK
18
to support and encourage collaborative working and the development of
innovative practice in ways that do not exploit teachers. Critically, unions can
play a crucial role in helping to promote teachers’ professionalism and
securing the conditions that enable teachers to flourish as professionals.
Under the previous government, social partnership played a key role in raising
standards in schools. The NASUWT would be keen to explore how it might
work with the DfE to support the development of effective curriculum practice
in schools.
Chris Keates
General Secretary
For further information on the Union’s response, contact Sonja Hall, Principal
Official (Education).
NASUWT
Hillscourt Education Centre
Rose Hill
Rednal
Birmingham
B45 8RS
0121 453 6150
www.nasuwt.org.uk
nasuwt@mail.nasuwt.org.uk
NASUWT
The largest teachers’ union in the UK
19