Towards the end of last term, the government published their education White Paper, "The Importance of Teaching", which sets out the broad policy and strategy that the government intends to pursue in respect of education in England.
The White Paper is wide ranging and covers many areas from School Leadership to Accountability to School Funding. Whilst noting the importance of all areas covered in the White Paper, it is the section on curriculum that we would specifically like to comment on.
In broad terms, there is much to be welcomed within the White Paper in respect of curriculum and much that we agree with:
"Teachers, not bureaucrats or Ministers, know best how to teach"
(Para 4.8)
"We envisage schools and teachers taking greater control over what is taught in schools, innovating in how they teach and developing new approaches to learning"
(Para 4.3)
This chimes exactly with the view of IPC. We have always said that any curriculum, including the IPC, is only a toolkit. The IPC is the tool; it isn't the outcome. To put it boldly, there are no points for 'doing' the IPC (or any curriculum); there are only points for using the curriculum effectively to help children learn and develop.
Ultimately it's all about learning. Learning is the star of the show. Learning is the process by which children become the kinds of people we hope they will become, now and in the future. What children learn, how they learn, and the breadth of that learning all impact on their development. The IPC has been designed to help teachers help children learn effectively and with enjoyment.
Among the varying proposals outlined in the report, IPC will fulfill and support many of them, including:
|
Some of the Key White Paper Proposals
|
IPC
|
|
Curriculum to be organised around traditional subjects
|
ü
|
|
Curriculum as Core Knowledge and Understanding
|
ü
|
|
National Curriculum as a minimum entitlement
|
ü
|
|
Children need a truly rounded education
|
ü
|
|
Children benefit enormously from PSHE
|
ü
|
|
Children should expect to be given a rich menu of cultural experiences (music, theatres, museums etc)
|
ü
|
|
Needs to be room in the life of the school for an exploration of wider social issues which contribute to the well-being and engagement of all students.
|
ü
|
So whilst welcoming the broad thrust of the White Paper which in part seeks to give schools more room for "innovation, creativity, deep learning and intellectual exploration" (para 4.1), we also look forward to more clarification and discussion in the coming months on certain parts of the White Paper:
KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND UNDERSTANDING
"The National Curriculum should set out only the essential knowledge and understanding that all children should acquire and leave teachers to decide how to teach this most effectively." (Para 4.1)
When IPC began life over 10 years ago, the starting point was the careful consideration of two key questions: (1) what kind of world are our children growing up in and (2) taking that into account, what is it we want our children to learn?
To that end, IPC wrote very clear goals for children, covering three areas of learning (subject, personal and international) and within each of those, three types of learning: knowledge, skills and understanding. The learning goals can be accessed from the Members' Lounge via the link below:
Therefore whilst we recognise the view in the White Paper that the new curriculum will outline the "essential knowledge and understanding that pupils should be expected to have" (Para 4.9), we also hope that the curriculum will clearly articulate the skills that children should be expected to learn.
;
We believe passionately that knowledge, skills and understanding are all important in the development of children's learning. We also believe that the development of understanding is far more complex than many curriculum developers acknowledge and that the relationship between knowledge, skills and understanding has still to be adequately defined. We believe that this is true for all learning but is particularly true for the learning of children between five and twelve.
SUBJECT LEARNING
"The curriculum should embody rigour and high standards and outline a core of knowledge in the traditional subject disciplines."
(Para 4.8)
As with the proposed National Curriculum, the IPC is a curriculum based on the western canon. As such, we believe that it is important for young children to be introduced to a number of the subjects - Science, History, Geography, Music, etc. - that make up that canon.
At the same time the IPC is based on the study of themes. This is because 'themes' can provide motivation to children and reflect the interests of primary aged children.
The IPC is also based on the idea that themes are better studied from a multi-disciplinary perspective. This is partly because it makes no sense, for example, to think of a city as only a geographical entity when, at the same time it should also be viewed from a historical and social entity too and partly because multi-disciplinary responses are more appropriate to the 21st century. (What single discipline solutions can you think of that will respond to our concerns about the environment, about Aids or about international relations?)
One of the legitimate criticisms of much 'topic' work in primary schools is that it isn't always well-founded on any particular knowledge or discipline. But an equally legitimate criticism of single-subject teaching is that it creates unnecessary and restrictive barriers between subjects which results in a narrower view of the world than is helpful.
Therefore we welcome the view of the White Paper, that whilst the new curriculum will set out what children should know, it will also "allow a greater degree of freedom in how that knowledge might be acquired" (Para 4.9).
PERSONAL LEARNING
"We will ensure all schools are given the resources and space they need to offer a truly rounded education" (Para 4.27)
The White Paper makes clear that "there is much of value that children need to learn and experience which sits outside the traditional subject disciplines" (Para 4.27). We would very much echo this. We welcome the commitment to "ensure there is space in the school day, and resources for school leaders, to guarantee a truly rounded education for all" (Para 4.27).
Alongside the IPC subject learning goals, we have developed goals for children's personal development (respect, co-operation, communication, resilience, thoughtfulness, morality, enquiry and adaptability). We believe these goals, combined with academic and international learning, help prepare children in the best possible way for the world they will be living and working in as adults. As this relates to the White Paper, we believe the IPC offers all its member schools the best chance of delivering on the government's intended aim of a "truly rounded education".
INTERNATIONAL LEARNING
"We will compare ourselves with the best in the world"
There is much made in the White Paper about the English curriculum looking to and learning from other countries around the world. We support this but hope this also includes looking at international curricula as well as national curricula.
Beyond this though, we also hope that learning about others extends not only to the design of the curriculum but to the learning our children need. The IPC was designed only after we had engaged extensively in our own discussions and research about the world our young children are, and will be a part of. In other words, we began by asking our own questions about the qualities and attributes young children will need in order to develop into responsible, contributing adults.
We believe that international-mindedness is one of those attributes and one that is going to be central to the lives of children who may:
- Travel more
- Work away from their home country in different cultural settings
- Work in their home countries but for organisations operating within different cultural parameters
- Live in their home countries but alongside increasingly diverse cultures
- Be a part of solving world issues such as the environment, that require the contribution of different cultures
- Live in a world that is influenced significantly by events generating from within cultures other than their own
Whilst recognising that the development of international-mindedness is not straightforward, we nonetheless hope that the new National Curriculum will take this changing context into account and will make the development of international-mindedness one of its core purposes.
IPC SUPPORTING SCHOOLS
Whilst we wait to see the first draft of the new curriculum that will be launched for consultation in the coming academic year, I would like to assure you that we will do whatever we can to help all IPC member schools to not only deliver the requirements of the new National Curriculum but also to go above and beyond it.
We are confident that both the updated units of work (currently being phased in) alongside the many new units that will be rolled out in the coming months will fulfil many of the requirements of the new curriculum.
In addition, when it is finalised, we will publish documents that cross-reference the IPC learning goals against the curriculum just as we have done with the current National Curriculum. We will also support IPC member schools with regional training workshops to explore the relationship between IPC and the new curriculum.
The IPC is now being used successfully in over 60 countries and we are extremely confident that IPC member schools in England are well placed to meet and exceed the demands of a new National Curriculum.
If you have any comments or questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.
Steven Mark
Director
International Primary Curriculum
25 Buckingham Gate | London | SW1E 6LD
T: +44 (0) 207 531 9696 | F: +44 (0) 207 531 1333