New Opportunities
The new Secondary Curriculum: A curriculum for the future
Develop a modern, world-class curriculum
that will inspire and challenge all learners
and prepare them for the future
Three questions driving curriculum design,
development and implementation
• WHAT are we trying to achieve?
• HOW do we organise learning?
• HOW well are we achieving our aims?
Why change?
Forces for change in society
• Changes in society and the nature of work.
• The impact of technology.
• New understandings about the nature of
learning.
• Increased global dimension to life, learning
and work
• The public policy agenda - personalisation,
ECM, sustainability, social cohesion,
enterprise.
Some curriculum concerns…
HMI Curriculum Matters 1985:
"There is so much knowledge that is potentially useful or of intrinsic
interest that syllabuses are often over laden with factual content built
up by unregulated accumulation or tradition. In view of this… schools
need to be highly selective when deciding what is taught."
QCA Monitoring 2005:
"There is still a perception that the curriculum is overloaded...
delegates continued to regard the curriculum as too full. In practice
many find it difficult to incorporate newer ideas, including citizenship.
The constraining factors include content overload, staffing problems and
the perceived narrowness of the standards agenda..."
Headteachers say that a curriculum fit for the future should
increase the focus on…
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competencies and skills
personal development - as the cornerstone of successful learning
flexibility and local ownership – more freedom to innovate.
using knowledge actively.. as a cornerstone for creativity and
knowledge creation through ‘communities of learning’.
• cross curriculum themes such enterprise and employability, global
dimension, and media literacy which are directly linked to wider aims.
• a range of learning approaches e.g specialist teaching, crossdisciplinary problem based learning, independent study and coaching.
• more attention to AfL - minimise the negative consequences of the
WYTIWYG.
What did employers say?
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The basic skills are essential… but we also need
young employees who:
can take responsibility and show initiative
have good interpersonal skills.. can work in teams
are flexible and adaptable
have ability to solve problems and generate new
ideas
have a good mix of qualifications, practical skills
and personal qualities
The education system should do more to market the benefits of
learning to young people and develop a genuine customer service
ethos.
What do young people think?
• enjoy active lessons where they get involved – a wider
repertoire of approaches
We like to create, make, do, find out. We dislike “endless writing”.
There’s “not enough use of technology”
• think teachers who make sure they understand and give useful
feedback and praise make a difference.
“We need to know what a good one looks like.”
• welcome a challenge and not too much repetition.
“Definitely not too easy but not too hard”
• recognise the importance of respect. They value an orderly,
attractive school environment and the chance to work and
socialise with friends.
“We don’t like “bad attitudes” in teachers or other pupils, dislike sarcasm
and shouting, want more consistency across classes”
• want more choice, more practical life skills, more relevance
and coherence.
Task 1:
What are we trying to achieve?
What will success look like?
In your groups describe the
characteristics of a
successful learner and
confident individual.
Futures agenda
Current concerns
Impact of technology
More space for personalisation –
challenge and support –
improved standards
New understanding
about learning
Less prescription – more
innovation
Globalisation
Greater engagement and
participation
Changes in society
Public policy
Securing essentials skills –
including wider skills for life and
work – personal development
The new secondary curriculum
An opportunity for renewal
Coherence… for the learner
Personal
Development
Subjects
Skills and
dimensions
So what’s changed?
• An increased focus on whole curriculum design underpinned by Aims
• Increased flexibility – less prescription but focus on key concepts and
processes in subjects.
• More room for personalisation and locally determined curriculum
• More emphasis on skills –functional and wider skills for learning and life
• More emphasis on personal development and ECM
• More opportunities for coherence and relevance - linking learning to life
outside school, making connections between subjects, cross-curricular
themes and dimensions
• A real opportunity for renewal and re-invigoration (BSF, Diplomas)
The Aims
The curriculum aims to enable all young
people to become:
• successful learners who enjoy learning, make
progress and achieve
• confident individuals who are able to live
safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
• responsible citizens who make a positive
contribution to society
New subject programmes of study
Rethinking
subjects
An increased focus on Skills
A new framework for Personal, learning and thinking skills
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Independent enquirers
Creative thinkers
Reflective learners
Team workers
Self-managers
Effective participators
Functional skills
English, Mathematics and ICT
In POS
Embedded in GCSE and Diploma
Stand-alone qualifications
An increased focus on personal development
The new Aims and the PLT skills framework emphasise the
importance of personal development and ECM in the curriculum.
New non-statutory programmes of study for
• personal wellbeing
• economic wellbeing
draw together, in a coherent way, requirements for personal, social
and health education, sex education, the social and emotional
aspects of learning, careers education, enterprise, financial capability
and work-related learning.
Cross-curriculum dimensions
The non-statutory cross curricular dimensions reflect the
major ideas and challenges that face society and have
significance for individuals. They can provide powerful
unifying themes that give learning relevance and help young
people make sense of the world.
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Identity and cultural diversity
Healthy lifestyles
Community participation
Enterprise
Sustainable futures and the global dimension
Technology and the media
Bringing it all together in a well designed curriculum
The curriculum, which is the entire planned learning
experience…
1. What are
we trying to
achieve?
2. How do
we organise
learning?
…has clear aims and purposes
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…is organised in a way that is likely to achieve the
aims
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3. How well
are we
achieving our
aims?
reflecting learners needs
local priorities
national priorities
Orchestrates time, staffing, space, approaches to
teaching, learning and assessment to best effect
Makes links across subjects, skills and cross-curricular
dimensions
…is evaluated and developed in response to
changing needs
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is self-evolving and improving
Increased flexibility, coherence and personalisation
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locally determined curriculum within a quality national framework
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more space for more personalised learning and assessment to better meet
individual needs
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More opportunity to extend, enrich and challenge
More opportunity to support and focused intervention – especially around
skills for life and work
opportunities to increase engagement and motivation by designing relevant
and compelling learning experiences – a focus on impact not coverage
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Making connections between subjects, skills and cross curricular dimensions
can create coherence for learners
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new pathways and more choice in qualifications - Opportunity to re-engineer
the curriculum as part of BSF and Diplomas programmes
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new approaches through ‘disciplined innovation’
greater impact
A structure that offers new opportunities
Key concepts (that underpin the study of mathematics):
• Competence
• Creativity
• Applications and Implications of Mathematics
• Critical Understanding
Key processes:
• Representing
• Analysing
• Interpreting
• Evaluating
Mathematics
For its own sake, rigorous and coherent
As a tool for problem-solving
As a tool for modelling
Greater emphasis on processes
http://curriculum.qca.org.uk/index.aspx
Timeline for KS3
• 1 September 2007 – new curriculum on-line
and training begins
• 1 September 2008 – implementation for year
7
• May 2011 – first assessments on new level
descriptions
Functional Mathematics
Functional mathematics is embedded in new KS3 and KS4 PoSs
Representing – Analysing – Interpreting
Process led – learners USE mathematics in realistic and
worthwhile contexts
Is this the kind of problem that might occur in everyday life for
which thinking with mathematics could be useful?
Level of difficulty depends on four aspects:
Complexity
Technical Demand
Familiarity
Independence
Performance describes what might be expected at each level
Coverage/range is indicative
The Pathways project
Based on recommendations from the Smith report:
Increased participation through engaging and
worthwhile mathematics for all learners
• Phase 1 identifying possible models
• Phase 2 exploring possible qualifications:
• Two GCSEs in mathematics on the KS4
programme of study
• Post-16 pathways that meet the needs of
learners, employers and higher education
Time line for GCSE
• 2007 Trial of two GCSEs
• 2008-2011 Pilot of two GCSEs
• 2008 Subject criteria for two GCSEs
• 2009 Subject Specifications
• 2010 First teaching of two GCSEs
Time line for GCE and FSMQs
• 2007 trial 4 unit GCEs
• 2008-2012 pilot 4 unit GCEs and
GCSE & GCE ‘Use of Mathematics’
• 2009 subject criteria for GCEs
• 2010 subject specifications
• 2011 first teaching