As we await news of the curriculum and assessment review, I was delighted to invite Sir Kevan Collins to hear from fellows of the Chartered College of Teaching about their reflections on what we need for primary schools at an event last week.
From the start, it was clear Sir Kevan’s passion for primary education was evident, calling primary schools the “jewel in the crown” of the English system, a view warmly echoed by attending educators.
But he acknowledged, too, that while the system isn’t broken, it faces serious systemic challenges, including the teacher recruitment and retention crisis. The current education offer serves most children well but still falls short for disadvantaged pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities or from Black and Global Majority backgrounds.
Of course, the curriculum and assessment review sits within a complex system, and it would be foolish to expect it to address all our problems. Nonetheless, we were clear there are some areas where improvements can be made. Although Sir Kevan reminded us he was not directly involved in the review, we were interested to hear his views.
Evolution or revolution?
There has been much talk about whether we want evolution or revolution in our curriculum. As members speculated about the changes that are needed to curriculum and assessment, Sir Kevan reflected on two types of revolution: one where we wait for the government to do something and one where schools make changes for themselves.
He noted, for example, that there is much schools can do to create communities of learning that reflect diversity and community, that encourage children to feel seen. Our values, ethos and culture are all part of the curriculum that children will experience in our schools. The national curriculum is only part of that.
Local curriculum developments are important, too. There was a call for more support to encourage better diversity in the curriculum and for greater clarity over RE. But Sir Kevan again asked us to consider who is best to provide this - the Department for Education or local schools working together.
Members reflected that these can be complex and controversial issues and that clearer expectations help leaders make difficult decisions. But, of course, guidance needs to be developed by people who understand the issues and are close to the classroom.
High-stakes accountability culture
I believe we need a revolution in partnership working, with the government and the profession working closely to agree on what should be part of national expectations and what should be developed locally.
In the current high-stakes accountability culture, rebalancing the curriculum feels risky for school leaders - despite the Chartered College’s mission to empower the profession.
While key stage 2 testing remains, reducing its pressure must be addressed systemically, not left to individual heads.
Sir Kevan suggested that measuring outcomes over the longer term (rather than single-year cohorts) and making comparisons between similar schools would help to make assessment less high stakes. He described moves by the DfE to create “families” of schools in similar contexts.
The upcoming Ofsted framework could help shift focus toward holistic pupil development, yet its success will hinge on implementation support and trust in school leadership.
Engaging pupils in their learning
Members were also keen to talk about how the review might encourage greater pupil engagement. Play and imagination are key to this.
Sir Kevan was uncompromising about the need to improve standards. Children of today will be workers in a global knowledge economy, and he was clear that there is a huge challenge for the third of young people who don’t reach level 2 in reading at 19.
While we all agree that learning to read is vital to open the door to further learning, members were concerned that we get the balance wrong: that too many “interventions” take children away from playful activities that engage them more fully in their learning.
The evidence is clear that play matters, and that playfulness with language is just as important for pupil development.
In response, Sir Kevan pointed to government investment in the early years, to make sure that young children have opportunities to play, and to learn vital skills of self-regulation, delayed gratification and early communication through play. This is, of course, vital, but play needs to continue beyond the early years foundation stage.
A slimmer, deeper curriculum
I hope to see strong recommendations about a slimmer but deeper primary curriculum, encouraging breadth of subject, but also providing pedagogical variety and agency.
We don’t need to rush to learn everything by age 11. Instead, we need depth, inquiry and the space to wonder.
Dame Alison Peacock is CEO of the Chartered College of Teaching
You can now get the UK’s most-trusted source of education news in a mobile app. Get Tes magazine on and on
