Webinar:
The new secondary
curriculum
Josephine Smith
--------------------------------------------The webinar slides can be
downloaded and printed from:
http://bit.ly/JS2-webinar
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The basics....
The revised National Curriculum
must be implemented by all maintained
schools in England from September 2014
(with the exception of core subjects in
Years 10 and 11)
Details can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum
In this webinar:
• Content: What to teach
• Assessment: How and when, in a world without
levels
• Accountability: What will Ofsted expect?
Progress 8
• Timelines: What needs doing, by when?
The new curriculum: content
Subject content has already been published for GCSE
English language, English literature and maths and it is clear
that the content is greater than that of the current GCSEs,
which has significant implications for curriculum planning
throughout the school.
Most schools are starting from this understanding and
working backwards. Anticipated GCSE content, as well as
appreciation of Key Stage 2 changes, are informing Key
Stage 3 revisions.
Maths and English
In Maths the curriculum is significantly different from the current
programmes of study: there is much more content, with the new
qualification being referred to as the ‘big fat maths GCSE'.
The English curriculum is also considerably different, with wider and
more challenging reading and the introduction of the ‘unseen’ element
in literature.
From 2017 there will no longer be a combined language and literature
qualification. The new Progress 8 measure (from 2016) effectively
means that all students will need to be entered for language and
literature as English will not be double-counted unless both have been
taken.
Other subjects
Other departments will need to undertake an analysis once they are
clear about the GCSE content proposed for their subject.
Ofqual will be consulting on arrangements for other subjects during
2014 and specifications will be in schools in autumn 2015 for first
teaching from 2016.
Some of the programmes of study for Key Stage 3 beyond the core are
minimal and teachers may find that they do not need to make
substantial changes.
All schools are required to provide information about their curriculum
and their assessment policy on the school website and these will be
scrutinised by Ofsted.
You don't need to revise all schemes
of work at once!
Until 2016, when Year 7 students arrive in Key Stage 3 having
covered the revised Key Stage 2 curriculum in core subjects, it will not
be possible to teach the revised Key Stage 3 core curriculum as it
stands as those students will have gaps in their knowledge
For the years 2014 to 2016, English and maths departments are
advised to develop a transitional approach, taking account of the new
GCSEs and working backwards to analyse what Key Stage 3 students
in each year group have already covered and what they will need to
cover to succeed at GCSE.
Subject content has already been published and awarding bodies are
expected to make the specifications available to schools by autumn
2014 (English and maths) for first teaching from September 2015.
The new curriculum: assessment
The Year 9 cohort this September will have only one year of Key Stage 3 to
prepare for starting the new GCSE curriculum in English and maths. They
will be the first to take the new GCSE examinations in the summer of 2017
and will need to be prepared not only for the different content, but also for
the new style of examinations.
Both students and teachers will need help preparing for terminal, external
exam only assessment.
The changes to the type of external assessment are a whole-school issue
for next September's Year 8 cohort, who will take the full set of the new
GCSEs in summer 2018. They need to be prepared for longer, terminal
exams with more extended writing and more emphasis on accuracy and
fluency of written English.
The new curriculum: assessment
In this revised curriculum, the national system of
formative assessment based on levels
disappears.
There is no requirement to report at the end of
Key Stage 3 assessment either to the
government or to parents.
‘Replacing National Curriculum levels’, Daisy Christodoulou, The Wing to Heaven blog:
http://bit.ly/TikLr0
Assessment: ideas for English
‘The elements of language: what we are using in place of levels’, Phil Stock, Must Do Better blog:
http://bit.ly/1nFw3Ol
Assessment: ideas for maths
‘The maths curriculum in Year 7-9 has been broken down into topics – approximately 15 per year. Each of these topics is individually assessed and given a score out
of 100. This score is computed from three elements: an in-class quiz, homework
results, and an end-of-term test. Students then get an overall percentage score,
averaged from all of the topics they have studied so far. This means that for each
student we have an indication of their overall proficiency at maths, as well as
detailed information on their proficiency at each individual topic. This is recorded
by students, stored by teachers, and reported to parents six times a year.’
Extract from the Year 7 assessment record sheet:
‘An assessment system that works’, David Thomas, Mr Thomas’
Maths blog: http://bit.ly/1ivzbQN
Assessment in your school
Schools will still be expected to have an assessment policy and
a process of internal assessment to enable them to track student
progress and report annually (or more often) to parents but
these will be of the school’s own devising.
DfE guidance states “Beyond the tests at Key Stage 2 and
GCSEs at Key Stage4, it will be for schools to decide how they
assess pupils’ progress.”
Ofsted will be responsible for monitoring the effectiveness of
schools’ assessment policies and practices.
Are you keeping levels for the time being?
It will not be possible to retain the current level-based system over
time as the curriculum will change to adapt to new GCSEs.
Don't worry, though; Wilshaw himself agreed that schools would
need to manage these changes over time and that schools sticking
with levels next year (or beyond) would not meet with Ofsted
disapproval during this transitional time.
Assessment in your school
To this end, an effective assessment process should:
• set targets
• track progress against expectations
• demonstrate what students know, understand and can do
through assessment which is best fitted to the learning
objectives
• diagnose areas of strength and weakness
• support teacher planning
• provide clear and easily understood information for students
and parents
• provide information for other schools at any point of transition
• provide internal monitoring information for middle and senior
leaders and governors.
A timeline for you to follow
This term (spring to summer 2014)
• Curriculum planning
• Develop a transitional Key Stage 3 curriculum model
• Develop and publish a transitional Key Stage 3 assessment policy
• Develop a staff training programme
• Review the staffing structure
• Consider the implications of Progress 8 for curriculum planning
and options
A timeline for you to follow
Actions to take in the academic year 2014-15
• Implement transitional Key Stage 3 curriculum and
assessment.
• Implement new Key Stage 4 curriculum for citizenship,
computing and PE (maintained sector).
• Plan for first teaching of new GCSEs in English and maths in
2015-17.
• Implement a professional learning programme.
• Develop a whole-school approach to preparing students for
new qualifications.
• Communicate with parents and students.
• Prepare for Progress 8 with your own shadow data
• Undertake staffing needs analysis for curriculum changes.
A timeline for you to follow
Actions to take in the academic year 2015-16
• Implement changes for GCSE in English and maths in Year 10.
• Prepare for new GCSEs in subjects in addition to English and
maths.
• Adapt the Key Stage 3 curriculum for subjects other than
English and maths where necessary.
• Continue to implement the professional learning programme.
• Develop a final Key Stage 3 curriculum model (for Year 7 in
September 2016).
• Develop and publish a final assessment policy (New descriptors
and targets reflect new Key Stage 2 and new GCSEs, within a
progressive structure).
• Communicate with students and parents
A timeline for you to follow
Actions to take in the academic year 2016-17
• Implement changes for Key Stage 3 curriculum and
assessment.
• Implement changes for new GCSEs in subjects other
than English and maths.
Key dates
These are the first GCSE and A-levels that are changing, and the dates
the new draft specifications will be available from exam boards:
29 May
• GCSE English
• GCSE Maths
5 June
• AS and A-level Art and design
• AS and A-level History
• AS and A-level Sociology
12 June
• AS and A-level Business
• AS and A-level Computer
science
• AS and A-level Economics
19 June
• AS and A-level English language
• AS and A-level English literature
• AS and A-level English language
and Literature
26 June
• AS and A-level Biology
• AS and A-level Chemistry
• AS and A-level Physics
• AS and A-level Psychology
Webinar
Questions & Answers
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