By Nigel Attwood, Birmingham
Building a World-Class Curriculum – but for who? The CAR lets down children with SEND
The ambitions discussed by the government to modernise the National Curriculum was something to be applauded and something leaders in education were keen to see – a chance to thoroughly review and plan a well thought out curriculum for the 21st Century. Indeed, it felt that, finally, the sector was being listened to.
After a thorough read of the ‘Building a World Class Curriculum for All’ document, I am disappointed and have some concerns, while recognising there are some positives.
On the positive side, there is partial recognition of the challenges at GCSE level and there is an occasional nod to the pressures of curriculum time within schools. The call to improve oracy and citizenship (including digital literacy and climate education) is very welcome. The proposed new core enrichment entitlement for every pupil – covering civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure; sport and physical activities; and developing wider life skills, is also to be applauded, and something that many have been campaigning for over recent years, especially as real-term funding has reduced in schools.
But many of the curriculum areas are being tweaked only and Bridget Phillipson herself has said, ‘It would not be a case of swapping out content for new topics but that there would be “better sequencing” of the curriculum overall’. This is disappointing as schools struggle to ensure all subjects get the time in the timetable they deserve.
For me, the most disappointing part of the CAR report is its heavy focus on maintaining the status quo with assessment. SATs will remain, and there’s a call for schools to use the non-statutory KS1 SATs, as well as a recommendation to introduce new tests in English and maths in Year 8. The report justifies this by discussing the 25-28% of children who do not achieve the ‘expected standards’ in core subjects, claiming that these assessments support identification of need.
But the review does not take into consideration the high – and growing – levels of SEND and complex needs that schools are now dealing with. When you consider that currently, 19.7% of children are classed as having SEND (in 2019 it was 14.2%) with 14.2% receiving specific support in school and 5.3% with EHCPs (data from DfE), then this group of children would potentially make up around three quarters of the children not achieving ‘expected’ standards. How would more testing, and more preparation for testing, which many children with SEND already find challenging, help them going forward?
The sector is in crisis: there are not enough teachers and specialised teachers in the system. GDP spend has reduced from 5.6% in 2009 to 4.1% in this financial year.
With reduced budgets, retention and recruitment issues and the poor state of SEND support currently in the UK, there is a crying need for systemic change. Until the whole system is recognised as needing proper funding and support, rather than more testing for children who already find education stressful and difficult, then the issues highlighted in the data will remain as stark as ever.