Changes that have occurred to the national curriculum

'Since the debut of the National Curriculum in 1992, a figure of alterations have been made to its construction and execution. Identify and explicate these alterations and measure the part of the National Curriculum in the attempt to raise criterions in Education ' by Keith Lyons.

This essay will depict, place and explicate the alterations that have occurred to the 'National Curriculum ' ( NC ) since its construct in 1992. It will besides measure these alterations and measure the benefits and troubles that it has experienced since 1992.

The 'Education Reform Act ' ( ERA ) came into consequence in 1988, this enabled Kenneth Baker the Conservative Minister of Education to implement the roll-out of the National Curriculum in 1992 within primary / secondary instruction. However, prior to 1992 there had been no National Curriculum and antecedently instructors had worked out their ain strategies of work that they deemed appropriate for their students.

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As a consequence of this the criterion of instruction across the state varied well and the methods employed to learn were wide-ranging. With the execution of the National Curriculum in 1992, duty was shifted off from instructors to centralized authorities over what was to be taught. The National Curriculum established a 'set-framework ' of larning to enable kids to travel freely between schools as they would be larning from the same model.

The National Curriculum ensured that schools taught a certain scope of topics, this consisted of 10 topics. The topics were divided into two sub-categories ( nucleus and foundation ) . The three chief nucleus topics were English, Maths and Science, and together with seven other foundation topics ( Art, Home Economics. Music, History, a Modern Foreign Language ( merely compulsory in secondary schools ) , Geography and Physical Education created the foundation of the National Curriculum. Compulsory National trials ( SATS ) were introduced at 7, 11 and 14 on nucleus topics. The consequences are published yearly in conference tabular arraies ( along with GCSE/A degrees and hooky statistics ) .

Changes occurred to the National Curriculum from its origin. Rather than being embraced the National Curriculum was met with ill will from some instructors and most of the larger instructors brotherhoods. One of the chief unfavorable judgments of the National Curriculum by instructors and learning brotherhoods was that at first glimpse that it contained far excessively many topics and was considered to be excessively stiff, compared to what was antecedently taught. This meant that it was hard to learn the topic good as the pupils had to larn so many topics, and they presumed that it would be really hard for pupils.

The National Curriculum was besides criticized for being highly 'Eurocentric ' , as it was chiefly focused around European civilization, giving those from cultural backgrounds really small chance to larn about their roots. Certain subdivisions of the populace besides argued that the authorities deliberately fashioned the National Curriculum to take topics which they as a political party are against for political grounds, such as sociology, political relations, and environmental scientific disciplines ( they were ne'er contained in the National Curriculum ) .

However, a benefit to the National Curriculum was that instructors now had to educate pupils in a scope of topics. This gave kids / pupils a better start for the accomplishments they would necessitate for subsequently in life. It was besides disputed that the national Curriculum helped to cut down the division of misss and boys topics, as both sexes were taught the same topics. This helped to cut down the stereotyping of gender.

In 1993, instructors decided to boycott the national course of study proving agreements ( SATS ) after kicking about the work load. The Secretary of State for Education, in a move in the right way asked Sir Ron Dearing, who was the current Chairman of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority ( SCAA ) , to reexamine the national course of study. Dearing made an Interim Report in 1993 and a Final Report in 1994 ( The Dearing Report ) after a period of audience with instructors and the instructors brotherhoods. In his study his recommended on slimming down the course of study, and bettering its disposal. He besides recommended that the slimmed down national course of study should non be altered for five old ages and that national trials should be simplified without giving cogency or dependability. The revised course of study was implemented from August 1995.

The 1992, Ofsted ( The Office for Standards in Education ) formed as portion of the major inspection and repair and centralization of the school system begun by the Education Reform Act 1988, which introduced the National Curriculum, extended testing in schools and the publication of conference tabular arraies. Ofsted reviews were carried out on school every 6 old ages. This alteration was introduced as it was believed criterions needed to be raised in schools.

Many people thought Ofsted reviews were a good thought, if schools were neglecting, it was noticed and steps were put in topographic point in order to better these schools. However, Ofsted were besides frequently seen to be excessively rigorous on schools, doing it hard for schools to go through review extremely.

Besides, it was felt that many instructors and schools would better their instruction criterions while they were being inspected. Some schools would besides direct some of their worst behaved pupils on school trips for the reviews. This defeated the object of Ofsted reviews as it was n't the normal instruction criterions that were being tested. Recent reviews by Ofsted have revealed that although a good proportion of schools had improved since they were last checkered many were calming weakness.

In the twelvemonth 2006-07, 14 % of those checked were outstanding and 6 % were `` unequal '' .

In 1997, the incoming 'The New Labour Government ' came into power in the UK. They Introduced the National Literacy Strategy to all Primary Schools in England from September 1998 after puting marks for students at Key Stage 2 in English (80 %), Mathematics (75%), but non in Science.

Previously a pilot undertaking had been tested during 1996, which involved schools in 14 Local Education Authorities. The scheme was planned for instructors to learn a day-to-day Literacy Hour, which followed a form of 30 proceedingss whole category instruction, so group work and reasoning with a plenary session. A figure of paperss have been published by the Department for Education and Employment ( DfEE ) to assist instructors raise criterions in literacy at the clip.

The National Literacy Strategy model endeavoured to better criterions for all primary aged students. The scheme 's intent was to do certain that all students were having on a day-to-day footing dedicated one hr of literacy. The terminal consequence would give pupils the chance to develop accomplishments in reading, grammar, spelling, and unwritten work and assist raise criterions in instruction and acquisition.

In the undermentioned twelvemonth of September 1999 The National Numeracy Strategy model was introduced and like the literacy scheme, aimed at raising criterions for all primary students. Similar to the National Literacy Strategy it prescribed a one hr day-to-day mathematics lesson for all students.

The Five Year Review in 2000 set out the chief purposes and intents of the National Curriculum for the first clip. The four chief intents of the National Curriculum are:

1. To set up an entitlement.
2. To set up criterions.
3. To advance continuity and coherency.
4. To advance public apprehension.

The National Curriculum has been put into topographic point in the hope that kids will accomplish and will hold an entitlement to larning irrespective of their background, be it race, gender, cultural or otherwise.A It besides makes outlooks for kids 's attainment explicit for all concerned and sets out national criterions for performance. These criterions can so be used for mark scene, mensurating advancement and monitoring patterned advance.

The Foundation Stage was introduced by the Labour authorities in 2000, to supply counsel for scenes which provide attention and instruction to pre-school kids ( aged 3 to 5 ). It was named the Foundation Stage because `` ... it lays the foundations for kids 's subsequently larning''. It evolved from the Rumbold Report of 1990, which investigated the educational proviso for the under 5 's, and found that there was a patchy, unplanned course of study which was unsatisfactory.

In 2004 a reappraisal was carried out of Key Stage 4, from this reappraisal the debut of 'Entitlement topics ' . The Curriculum Entitlement Framework provides students with entree to a wider scope of larning chances suited to their demands, aptitudes and involvements, irrespective of where they live or the school they attend.

In 2007 the authorities abolished formal written Key Stage 1 SATS and replaced them with instructor recorded appraisals. The Key Stage 1 appraisals are really low key and completed by the student 's instructor over a period of a few hebdomads so they will be barely cognizant that an appraisal is taking topographic point.

In 2008 a reappraisal of Secondary National Curriculum resulted in new Key Stage 3 and 4 Curriculum which was introduced in 2009. This updated portion of the course of study now offers Diplomas and other options to current GCSE and A-level scrutinies.

In 2009 the so current Labour authorities announces that Key Stage 3 Sats scrutinies are to be abolished and that Sir Jim Rose will be carry oning a full reappraisal of the Primary National Curriculum. The findings of the study will be implemented from September 2011.

In May 2010 a general election was held and 'New Conservative ' / Liberal Democrat authorities came to power under David Cameron and Nick Clegg. The hereafter changes to the new primary national course of study which were put frontward by Sir Jim Rose to be implemented from September 2011 have been shelved, the authorities saying that it does non mean to continue with the new primary course of study. Alternatively they are committed to giving schools more freedom from unneeded prescription and bureaucratism. They have ever made clear their purpose to do alterations to the National Curriculum that will guarantee 'a grim focal point on the rudimentss and give instructors more flexibleness than the proposed new primary course of study offered.

The National Curriculum has undergone considerable alteration and development over the past 20 old ages and is still being altered and adjusted at the present twenty-four hours. Controversy still exists as to the attack instruction should follow for those over the age of 14 testing is thought to be to a great extent based on callback of cognition promoting a deficiency of accomplishment development activities. Many of the original topics that were compulsory no longer are, as it was felt the course of study was excessively full.

In my sentiment, since the debut of the National Curriculum, I believe that it was the anchor to greatly bettering the criterions of instruction that kids receive in today 's society. This is because before the criterion of instruction pupils received was extremely based on category position and was typically biased towards the in-between / upper category households, another factor was your vicinity in the state. Teachers besides taught a scope of topics that they wished to learn as there were no set subjects so what you could be taught varied across the state. This led to many pupils go forthing school with limited cognition.

With the debut of the Literacy and Numeracy hours Sats consequences have increased once more of the subsequent old ages but once more now have slowed to a arrest. As seen in the tabular array below.

But on the impudent side holding felt that on the whole the National Curriculum is effectual it is besides slightly flawed. Children are 'taught to the trial ' at a hurt to other topics, and so they are losing out on a wide and balanced course of study.

Schools and learning staff will besides acknowledge that they are being forced to "learn to the trial'' ; cutting out topics such as history, geographics and art to blow up their place on national conference tabular arraies or else expression as if they are neglecting.

The national trials besides distort kids 's instruction as they are being offered a restricted timetable as instructors are forced to concentrate on the nucleus topics. In a figure of schools an accent on trials in English, Mathematics and Science limits the scope of work in these topics in peculiar twelvemonth groups, every bit good as more loosely across the course of study in some primary schools.

Having said this, the positive points outweighed the negative greatly as it was the start towards the National Curriculum that we presently have today.

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