20 July 2007
When Gordon Brown first got his feet under the table at the Treasury way back in 1997 he promised to hit the ground running. Ten years on and his protégé Ed Balls has wasted no time in following suit.
Charged with the Department for Children, Schools and Families, Balls has so far been one of the most prominent of the new Cabinet intake – a sure sign of Brown's determination to keep education at the top of the government's agenda.
A statement to Parliament outlined a major review of maths teaching in primary schools; an acceleration of the academy programme, with universities, colleges and high-performing schools encouraged to take on sponsorship roles; and a new Children's Plan that will define the direction of the department over the next decade.
Barry Sheerman, chair of the influential Commons education select committee – soon to undergo its own make-over to reflect the new-look Whitehall – ruefully commented that the announcements came over more as a manifesto than a statement.
There has also been more money thrown at a new scheme to foster better pupil behaviour and, late last week and following a six-month consultation period, a long-awaited announcement on a new curriculum for 11–14 year-old secondary pupils. This is potentially the most radical change to teaching in schools since the introduction of the national curriculum in 1989.
Much was made of how the changes strip out the clutter and duplication of the present regime, long criticised for being too prescriptive. The new curriculum should free up around a quarter of the school day, giving teachers discretion on what to teach and more time to work with struggling pupils and stretch the brightest.
Sacred cows such as Shakespeare and the main thrust of British history, including the two world wars, were preserved. But there was an acknowledgement of new subjects, such as the 'economically useful' languages of Mandarin and Urdu. The new curriculum will expect teachers to find room to coach their pupils in practical life skills from cooking a healthy meal to taking out a mortgage and managing personal debt – to prepare them for the 'demands of today's world', as the DCSF puts it.
'In a rapidly changing world, we need a school curriculum which evolves to provide teenagers with the up-to-date knowledge they will need to succeed,' Balls said.
'Every child should have a good grasp of grammar, spelling and arithmetic. They should also have wider skills that increasingly employers and universities demand, such as the ability to express themselves and think clearly and have a dynamic “can do” attitude.'
Ken Boston, chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, which led the review and designed the new curriculum, added that the overriding aim had been to increase flexibility.
'The new curriculum builds on the best of the past by maintaining the discipline of subjects, but at the same time offering greater opportunities for personalised learning, addressing the major changes that face society and equipping young people with the skills for life and work in the twenty-first century.'
This emphasis on more autonomy for teachers was broadly welcomed by teaching unions. 'The new secondary curriculum has the potential to give teachers greater freedom to be creative,' said Steve Sinnott, general secretary of the National Union of Teachers.
There were caveats. Teachers had to be encouraged to use their newfound flexibility and they needed to be supported with adequate classroom time and the right equipment, Sinnott said.
Head teachers also welcomed the new curriculum. John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: 'Schools have been asking for more flexibility to take into account local priorities and contexts.
'We know that schools are excited about the opportunity to be more innovative in how and what they teach 11–14 year-olds. In fact, many have already started making plans to introduce changes for September.'
And employers applauded the move. John Cridland, deputy director general of the Confederation of British Industry, said: 'If delivering greater flexibility means more young people leave school with a decent grasp of the three Rs and fluency in a language like Mandarin, then employers will be pleased.'
But for others, the curriculum is a missed opportunity. Alan Gotch, a policy officer with the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said that while the union broadly supported the sweep of the changes, they could have been bolder.
'We'd have liked to have seen a far greater commitment to stop talking about subjects and start talking about the kind of skills that children need to leave school,' he told Public Finance.
In May, the ATL published Subject to change, arguing for the abandonment of a knowledge-based curriculum designed around the transmission of facts in favour of one that is skills-based.
The continued emphasis on assessing knowledge through the national testing regime is one area still opposed by unions. Sinnott says revising the secondary curriculum is only half done. 'National curriculum testing has an undue and damaging influence on what is taught in schools. We need an independent review of testing in secondary schools.'
Until this emerges, it seems that Balls will have to take home the message that he could do better.
The new curriculum in brief
English Shakespeare as well as the canon of pre-twentieth century classics, including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy, will continue to be taught.
Science Remains a core compulsory subject. Pupils reaching the required level will have the entitlement to study physics, chemistry and biology separately at GCSE.
Languages French, German and Spanish will continue to be taught. Schools will be free to offer economically useful world languages such as Mandarin and Urdu.
Geography Sustainable development, environmental change and world poverty will have stronger emphasis.
Cooking Pupils will be taught to make simple, healthy meals from basic fresh ingredients.
Economic wellbeing Essential financial life skills including personal budgeting, mortgages and interest rates.
PE Physical activity will be combined with teaching how exercise affects fitness and health.
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