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Primary curriculum review

The government has launched a review of the National Curriculum in England with the aim of developing a coherent curriculum which allows children to build their knowledge systematically and consistently, and supports transition through from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 4.

The new National Curriculum will set out only the essential knowledge that all children should acquire, and give schools and teachers more freedom to decide how to teach this most effectively and to design a wider school curriculum that best meets the needs of their pupils.

While the review is being conducted, the existing National Curriculum requirements for primary schools will remain in force, and schools should plan on that basis.

Current activity

National College activity has focused on the leadership implications of curriculum innovation and collaborative approaches to curriculum development to improve pupils’ achievements and raise attainment.

During the 2010-11 school year, we worked with both groups of schools and individual school leaders on the leadership of curriculum development focusing on shared priorities for improvement. Such priorities included:

  • leadership of curriculum innovation and development to raise attainment and ensure deeper richer learning experiences for children
  • leadership of curriculum development to meet school priorities, for example, focus on a key subject or theme such as technologies or community cohesion
  • working collaboratively on curriculum innovation to develop leadership capacity and make best use of resources

Resources

The evidence collected from schools and school leaders through this work has been collated in a report, Why curriculum innovation matters, which examines the impact on learning in schools that engage in curriculum innovation. In particular, it identifies the important features of leadership demonstrated by those who lead successful curriculum innovation.

Liverpool John Moores University has produced a report for us, Leading curriculum innovation in primary schools, which investigates the implications for school leadership of curriculum innovation and development. The report explores the skills, processes and practices that are required of leadership for successful curriculum innovation in primary schools and includes tools and resources to assist school leadership teams to develop their curriculum.