NUT ADVICE ABOUT DISAPPLICATION OF
THE EXISTING NATIONAL CURRICULUM
MARCH 2013
1. The purpose of this document is to provide information and advice on
disapplication of the National Curriculum Programmes of Study in 2013 -14.
2. The most recent Programmes of Study and reporting arrangements for
Information and Communication technology (ICT) at Key Stages 1 – 4 have
already been disapplied and are no longer statutory. Schools have the freedom to
set their own school ICT curriculum and to report annually to parents “as they see
fit” on pupils’ achievement in this subject. More information about ICT
disapplication
can
be
found
on
the
DfE
website
http://media.education.gov.uk/assets/files/pdf/i/ict%20disapplication%20informati
on%20for%20schools.pdf
Disapplication in 2013 - 14
3. For the school year September 2013, in maintained schools in England, the
current National Curriculum Programmes of Study, attainment targets and
statutory assessment arrangements will be disapplied for:



English, maths and science for all pupils in years 3 and 4;
all foundation subjects for all pupils at Key Stages 1 and 2; and
all subjects for pupils at Key Stages 3 and 4.
4. English, maths and science for pupils at Key Stage 4 will also be disapplied in
2014 – 15.
5. Maintained schools are free to use this flexibility in order to adapt their curriculum
in preparation for the revised National Curriculum framework in September 2014,
or can choose to continue to teach the current Programmes of Study. There is
no obligation for schools to change their existing curricula in 2013 – 14 if they do
not consider it necessary.
6. Academies are not required to teach the National Curriculum but must provide “a
broad and balanced curriculum”. Many academies do use the current National
Curriculum and may choose to adopt the revised version, therefore the advice on
curriculum planning below may apply equally to those working in academies.
Making Disapplication Work for Your School
7. The Government has said that disapplication will “give schools greater flexibility
to manage the transition from the existing national curriculum to the new one”.
The NUT advises that school leaders should use the opportunity provided by
disapplication to meet their school’s future curriculum planning needs. There are
a number of ways in which the disapplication period could be used, for example:




pilot some specific aspects of the new National Curriculum which may be seen as
particularly challenging;
adopt some “easy wins”, where little or no additional work is needed to meet the
new National Curriculum requirements;
map the school’s existing curriculum provision against the new Programmes of
Study and identify what current good practice can be retained and what new
areas need to be introduced in September 2014; or
undertake a full curriculum audit to identify areas of the existing curriculum which
need radical transformation. Include an audit of resource and professional
development requirements needed to support implementation.
8. The Government have said that both disapplication and the new National
Curriculum is about giving schools more professional freedom to meet the needs
of their pupils. It has also repeatedly said that the National Curriculum is not the
whole curriculum. Take the Government at its word and put the learner at the
heart of your school’s new curriculum model. School leaders need to be
professionally assertive and do what they think is right for the children they teach,
using what is already working well and integrating the new material within that.
English, Maths and Science in Key Stages 1 and 2
9. Disapplication will not apply to English, maths and science for pupils in Years 1 2 and 5 – 6 because of the statutory assessment requirements at the end of Key
Stages 1 and 2 for those groups of pupils in Summer 2014. This should not
mean, however, that these groups of pupils’ curriculum experience should be
limited only to those subjects which are statutorily assessed.
10. The consultation on the National Curriculum proposals said that disapplication
would apply in “Year 3 and Year 4 to give teachers greater freedom to prepare
pupils for National Curriculum tests in these subjects when they reach Year 6.”
Again, this must not be interpreted as meaning that greater curriculum freedom
provides greater opportunities to narrow the curriculum to favour core subjects
only.
Accountability Issues
11. School leaders may experience or perceive pressure from Ofsted, local authorities,
school improvement agencies etc. to begin teaching the new Programmes of Study
in 2013 – 14, rather than treat the year as a transitional period. The DfE guidance is
very clear that it is for schools to determine how they use the disapplication period.
School leaders should therefore be prepared to justify what they are doing and why,
but cannot be compelled to teach any part of the new National Curriculum until
September 2014.
12. The revised National Curriculum will also remove the current statutory system of
attainment levels and level descriptors. The FAQs page on curriculum reform on the
DfE's website says “We will not be replacing the system of levels, but will consult
further on how attainment should be graded as part of the statutory assessment
arrangements.” At the time of writing, no consultation on this issue had been
launched.
13. With the exception of the core subjects in Years 1 - 2 and 5 – 6, during disapplication
schools will be free to develop their own methods of measuring pupil progress or can
continue to use level descriptors to assess pupils' progress if they believe this is the
most effective means of assessing progress. Ofsted and the DfE have confirmed that
they will not refer to levels to judge pupil progress at KS3: no announcement has
been made yet on progress measures to be used for other Key Stages.
14. This is an opportunity for schools to use assessment to focus on what pupils have
achieved and contributed and what they might tackle next, rather than using tick box
level descriptors.
Disapplication Year is Not Enough
15. Although disapplication for the year prior to the introduction of the new National
Curriculum provides schools with a good opportunity to prepare, the NUT believes
that this is not enough. In primary schools, class teachers will have to prepare to
teach all the new Programmes of Study from September 2014, in some cases for
mixed aged classes, whilst in secondary schools, teachers also have to get to grips
with changes in GCSE and A Level syllabi and assessment modes. A two year
transition period or phased introduction of the new Programmes of Study would have
been far more useful to schools.
16. Schools will also need additional support in terms of resources and training: some
aspects of the new Programmes of Study have not been a part of the regular
curricular offer before, so new equipment, text books and other teaching materials
will have to be purchased and relevant high quality professional development
sourced.
17. To date the Secretary of State, has not announced any additional funding or
resources so school leaders, both individually and collectively, will have to identify
budget priorities alongside their curriculum auditing and planning and think creatively
about how these needs can be met within existing budgets. The NUT is making the
case that additional funding for CPD and other costs is required and at least one
additional INSET day should be provided.