The new primary curriculum 2014 seems to be causing confusion in some primary schools and indifference in many others. The new programme is expected in September 2013 so that schools can spend 2013/14 preparing their curricula for the new programmes of study. However confusion is caused by media reports of a ‘light touch curriculum’ and teachers and schools having the freedom to teach more what they want; yet they are faced by the prescriptive nature of the draft curriculum. The draft history is prescribed in a sequential order, geographical places are identified and the role of music, drama, art and dance are unclear. Why do our primary children have to learn sequential history from stone age to restoration (not many primary teachers can put a date on the restoration in any case)? What happens to all the work on the Second World war, Egyptians, Tudors, Greeks? Oh yes although the history is focussed on Britain, the Greeks and Romans have to be added on. As do a number of worthy peple from the Victorian age, who lived long after the Restoration. The press mentions changes to the draft history but are schools told about this yet. The geography is prescriptive by place and region, Africa is possible in KS1, in KS2 global issues are contrained either to South America or North America, why? Why can’t teachers be free to follow their own regional interests?
Some headteachers remember the move to the New Primary Curriculum and the Rose Review before the last election, they remember how their plans for new curricula were dashed by the onset of the last election. These teachers say they will not plan for new schemes until they know for sure what is happening. Will this new curriculum last beyond the next election and if not why change now?
Others say they can pay lip service to the 2014 curriculum especially with regard to the amount of time spent on the prescribed parts and use the rest of the time to do do as they please. They are hesistant to disapply the National Curriculum for 2013/14 in case they incur the displeasure of Ofsted.
So all in all confusion reigns and headteachers concentrate on their other priorities especially Raise-on-line and the new publicly available “dashboard” which demonstratres to all how they are ranking.
What is to become of all this is as yet unclear, which leaves schools to their own futures which may or may not be be to the benefit of the children they teach.