The evolution of the school curriculum The history

The evolution of the school curriculum The history of the National Curriculum (NC) in England The statutory place of the NC

TS 3 – Demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge Part Two – Personal and Professional Conduct © Edge Hill University 2013

Elementary schools pre-1900 s • Aimed to ‘produce a skilled workforce who could at least read’ • Very restrictive curriculum

1904 Board of Education Curriculum Boys subjects • English • Mathematics • Science • History • Geography • Foreign Language • Drawing • Physical Exercise • Music • Manual Work Girls subjects • English • Mathematics • Science • History • Geography • Foreign Language • Drawing • Physical Exercise • Music • Housewifery

Education Act 1918 • School attendance would be compulsory from age 5 to 14 • Compulsory attendance for a fixed time – 320 hours a year • Fines would be issued for non attendance • This Act encouraged some authorities to revise their arrangements for children below the age of 12 • From 1919 several authorities began to create junior school departments

The Hadow reports 1926 • Recommended that there should be a change of department for children at the age of 11 as well as at age 7 • This lead to creation of primary schools for children aged 5 to 11 years 1931 & 1933 • Made suggestions about the style of education to be provided in these schools • 'the curriculum of the primary school is to be thought of in terms of activity and experience rather than knowledge to be acquired and facts to be stored' (Hadow 1931: 93).

Education Act 1944 • Established three distinct strands of education – primary, secondary and further • Established Ministry of Education and appointed first Minister of Education, Ellen Wilkinson • Control of school curriculum was given to governors and head teachers, but no guidance was given on the content of this curriculum

1951: Winston Churchill (Conservative) became Prime Minister 1964: Ministry of Education reorganised as the Department of Education and Science (DES) 1964: Harold Wilson (Labour) became Prime Minister 1967: Children and their Primary Schools (The Plowden Report) was published

1967 Plowden Report • First thorough review of primary curriculum since Haddow (1931) • Published at a time of great change in education • Promoted the idea that children should be at the centre of learning and teaching should take this into account • ‘At the heart of the educational process lies the child’ (Plowden, 1967: I 25)

1970: Ted Heath (Conservative) became Prime Minister 1975: Sex Discrimination Act passed 1979: Margaret Thatcher (Conservative) became Prime Minister; LEA Arrangements for the School Curriculum published 1981: Keith Joseph appointed as education secretary March’ 81: The School Curriculum published October’ 81: Circular 6/81 issued by DES

The Curriculum from 5 to 16 (1985 – guidance document ) • The curriculum should be thought of in terms of ‘areas of learning and experience’ • Curriculum should include formal programme of lessons and also ‘informal’ aspects such as extra curricular activities • Curriculum should also include those features which produce a school’s ethos

Education Reform Act 1988 • Most important education act since 1944 • Took away power from LEAs and gave them to the secretary of state • Provided a ‘basic curriculum’ to be taught in all maintained schools – RE and the ‘National Curriculum’ • Also established curriculum and assessment councils (NCC and SEAC) • Defined key stages – KS 1, KS 2, KS 3 and KS 4

The National Curriculum 1989 • Three core (maths, English and science) and six foundation (history, geography, technology, music, art and PE) • ‘Attainment Targets’ – knowledge, skills and understanding that children were expected to have by the end of each key stage • ‘Programmes of study’ – content to be taught at each key stage • Assessment arrangements set out for the end of each key stage

1990: John Major (Conservative) became Prime Minister; Kenneth Clarke became new education secretary 1992: Education (Schools) Act – establishment of Ofsted. Chris Woodhead appointed to lead 1992: ‘Three Wise Men’ Report published 1994: The National Curriculum and its Assessment: Final Report’ published – first major review of the NC

May 1997: Tony Blair (Labour) became Prime Minister. July’ 97: Excellence in Schools (white paper) published setting out new government’s policies 1999: ‘Improving literacy and numeracy: A fresh start’ report published, setting out the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategies that were to be implemented into primary schools

2000: renewed framework of the National Curriculum was published 2001: ‘Schools- achieving success’ published setting out proposals for greater control for schools 2003: Excellence and Enjoyment – A strategy for primary schools published 2005: Ruth Kelly announced primary schools would be forced to teach reading by ‘synthetic phonics’

2007: The Children’s Plan published. Radical reform of curriculum and testing regimes were planned resulting in major reviews of the curriculum during this time: 2008/09: Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum (The Rose Review) 2009: House of Commons committee report on the NC 2009/10: Cambridge Primary Review A new primary curriculum was proposed by Sir Jim Rose and due for implementation in September 2011

2010 and beyond • Coalition government in power lead by Conservative leader David Cameron • Renaming of education department to Department for Education (Df. E) as it was in ‘ 92 -’ 95 • Use of synthetic phonics to teach reading continued • Proposed new curriculum (due Sept 2011) was abandoned • The Importance of Teaching published

National Curriculum 2014 • To be taught in all maintained primary and secondary schools from Sept 2014 • Subjects to be taught: Core: English, mathematics, science Foundation: art and design, computing, design and technology, geography, history, languages (key stage 2 only), music, physical education • Programmes of study set out expectations at the end of each Key Stage • Schools will be ‘free to develop a curriculum relevant to their pupils that teaches this content’

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