The secondary curriculum review
The revision of the key stage 3 programmes of study provides an opportunity to look afresh at the curriculum experience of 11- to 14-year-olds. Is the curriculum they are experiencing switching them on to learning? Is it relevant and engaging? Is it providing a coherent learning experience across different curriculum areas?
When building an effective curriculum, schools have found it helpful to consider three simple questions:
Every school has a mission statement outlining the values, aims or purposes of its curriculum. Senior managers need to consider how this mission statement shapes the curriculum experience of their learners. Is there a clear vision of what key stage 3 should deliver for young people?
The national curriculum has defined aims, values and purposes. Before making any changes to the school's curriculum, the senior management team should be clear about what the national curriculum is trying to achieve for all learners.
To meet the needs of all learners, a curriculum must start with the learner's experiences and provide a vision of what they need to achieve.
Each of the programmes of study at key stage 3 has been written with the national curriculum aims and purposes in mind, but the curriculum experience encompasses more than the key concepts, key processes and range and content of subjects. A curriculum that has maximum impact for learners will use coherent themes to link learners' experiences across the school. This includes their experiences in individual lessons, the learning approaches they encounter, the routines of the school day, school events, extracurricular activities and the school environment and ethos.
In thinking about this it might be helpful to consider the messages that have emerged from the Futures debate - a wide-ranging conversation that QCA has had with people from all walks of education about the characteristics of a curriculum for the 21st century. There was general agreement that a new curriculum should:
Senior managers should think about how well their current curriculum reflects these characteristics. Are there particular areas to prioritise? What are the implications for what young people learn, how they learn it, where learning takes place, who is involved in the learning process and the way time is used? How coherent are approaches to teaching, learning and assessment across different areas of the curriculum? What kind of achievement does the school value and how is this reflected in the school's ethos?
Senior managers should measure whether their revised curriculum is helping pupils to become more successful learners, confident individuals and responsible citizens. This might be seen in improvements in attainment, behaviour and attendance or greater participation and engagement.
Evidence of some of the benefits may emerge quite quickly; others will need to be monitored over a longer period of time. Some effects can be best measured by analysis of data; others may be more difficult to capture and will need to be based on systematic observations. Evaluation should involve listening to the responses and opinions of the learners. Involving young people in decisions about the curriculum, so they feel a sense of ownership, is critical to building an effective curriculum.
