New curriculum: what kids – and parents – can expect
Schoolchildren start a “tough” new curriculum this week, which will see five-year-olds learning computer programming and a foreign language made compulsory for children aged six.
But the sweeping reforms may prove almost as difficult for parents to get their heads round as for their children. A study conducted in May found that nearly two thirds of parents were totally unaware of the transformation of the curriculum. So, what has changed?
Key stage one
The most striking change – and the one that is provoking the most discussion among parents – is the requirement that young children will be taught computer programming.
While some have lauded it as a step forward in a world that is increasingly reliant on information technology, others have expressed concern that it will be too difficult for young children to learn. The truth, predictably, is somewhere in between.
“Most of the work on programming in [key stage one] will be using a programmable device such as Roamer or Beebot. So the ‘programming language’ is basically left, right, forward, backwards,” wrote one Mumsnet user.
In that key stage, which is covered in school years one and two, pupils will also be taught basic numeracy in mathematics, including fractions and – for the first time – evolution.
There will also be a greater emphasis placed on vocabulary development, grammar, punctuation and spelling, as well as on handwriting.
Key stage two
By the age of 11, children will be expected to understand gears, pulleys, cams and levers. By that time, they will have been learning either a modern foreign language or an ancient language for five years, which was not previously compulsory.
According to a handy guide produced by Mumsnet, in mathematics, children will not be introduced to calculators until near the end of key stage two, which is taught during school years three and six.
The teaching in information technology will also be stepped up, with children expected to understand the operation of more complicated networks of computers.
Key stage three
And older pupils can expect double Shakespeare: they will have to study two plays, instead of one. Students in key stage three, which covers the school years seven to nine, will also be expected to be able to code and solve practical computer problems.
The introduction of the new curriculum for England is the culmination of years of work by former education secretary Michael Gove. While his often controversial tenure at the Department for Education has come to an end, his successor Nicky Morgan has agreed to push through his reforms.
But they are not without opposition. Teachers have expressed concern that they will not be ready to teach the classes. Last week, the Times Educational Supplement reported an Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) study of 618 primary and secondary teachers that found that more than 60 per cent believed their school was not “fully prepared”.
Nansi Ellis, ATL assistant general secretary, said: “It is shocking, but not surprising, to find that fewer than a quarter of teachers feel that their school is prepared to teach the new curriculum that starts in September. The government has rushed through the biggest change to the national curriculum in a decade.”
Besides their apparent lack of preparedness, two thirds of parents have also lost trust in the government over education, according to the May study, which was commissioned by private tuition firm Explore Learning.
Carey Ann Dodah, the firm’s head of curriculum, said: “The new curriculum is a response to the feeling that England is slipping behind their international competitors and so there are some drastic changes which for most children and parents will appear more challenging. Many concepts in maths and English will be introduced earlier which will feel like quite a jump when children return to class in September.”