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Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge:A guide for school leaders

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2Implementing the curriculum with Cambridge: A guide for school leaders

The guide focuses on the curriculum as a whole. It:

• identifiesfundamentalprinciplesthatwebelieveschoolsneedtoengagewithwhiletheydesign,implementandevaluatetheircurriculum

• considerspracticesthatsupporttheseprinciples

• explainsourprogrammesandthesupportweofferindetail

• highlightswhereyoucanfindmorespecificinformation,ratherthanrepeatingwhatisalreadyavailabletoyou.

Everyschoolisauniquecommunitywithitsownidentityandwillbeatadifferentstageinitsevolution;somewillbestartingupwhileotherswillbeevaluatingwheretheyarewithaviewtoimprovingprovisionandpractice.ACambridgeeducationcoversprimarytosecondarylevel.SomeschoolsbasetheirwholeschoolcurriculumonCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationswhileotherscombineCambridgewithothernationalorinternationalqualifications.Thisguideisrelevanttoallofthesesituations.Schoolsareresponsiblefortheirowncurriculum,andourroleissimplytosupporttheminmakinginformeddecisions.Theprinciplesandpracticesoutlinedinthisguidearebasedonourexperienceoflisteningtowhatschoolswanttoachievethroughtheircurriculum,andareinformedbyresearch-basedbestpractice.Thefinalchapter‘Workingwithus’andthe‘Annotatedbibliographyandotherresources’sectionattheendofthisguidedirectyoutoothersourcesofinformationandsupport.

Whilethefocusisverymuchoncurriculum,itisnotmeaningfultoseparatethecurriculumfromthebroaderschoolpoliciesandpractices

inwhichitisembedded.Curriculumdevelopmentinherentlyinvolvesbuildingschoolcapacity,structureandoperationstosupportthecurriculum.Theseareasarealsobrieflycovered.

Introduction

Thisguidewillhelpschoolprincipals,schoolleaders,andothersresponsiblefortheeducationalprogrammeinaschool,design,develop,implementandevaluatethecurriculumwhereCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationsarefollowed.Webelievethatawell-designedandsupportedcurriculumisnecessaryfortheschooltoachieveitseducationalvisionandaims.Theseaimsusuallyincludeacademicexcellence,fulfillingthepotentialofeverylearnerandgivinglearnersabasisofknowledgeandunderstandingthatisrelevantfortodayandpreparesthemfortomorrow.


1 Curriculum planning: An overview

Thischapterconsiderswhatthecurriculumisandhowitshouldbederivedfromtheschool’seducationalvision.Ithighlightsthefactthatqualificationsformonlypartofthecurriculum.Everyschoolisuniqueand,inplanningthecurriculum,youmustconsiderhowtosupportitsimplementation,whichmaynecessitatechangestoyourschool’sstructureandoperations.Weintroducethefundamentalprinciplesthatneedtobeconsideredinthecurriculumdesignprocess.Thesearecoveredinmoredetailinotherchapters.

What is curriculum?

Acrosstheworldthetermcurriculumisusedinseveraldifferentways.Insomecountries‘curriculum’hasaholisticmeaningencompassingnotonlysubjects,butalsotheconnectionsbetweensubjects,teachingmethodsandallaspectsofschoolingthatresultintheeducationalexperiencethelearnerreceives.Incontrast,inothercountriesanarrowerinterpretationisused,referringeithertoaprescribedrangeofcourses(thecurriculuminYear6containseightdifferentsubjects)oraspecificlearningprogrammeacrossdifferentyears(thechemistrycurriculumatsecondarylevel).Inthisguidethefollowingdefinitionsareused:

• Aschool curriculumreferstothecombinationofsubjectsstudiedwithinaschoolyearandinsequentialyearsasthelearnermovesthroughtheeducationalsystemprovidedbytheschool.

• Asubject curriculumreferstothecontentandskillscontainedwithinasyllabusappliedacrosssequentialstagesofstudentlearning.Thesestagesnormallyrefertoschoolyearlevels,andthereforeaparticularageoflearner.

• Co-curricular curriculumreferstovaluededucationalactivitiesthatsupportlearningbeyondtheschoolcurriculum,whichtheschoolencouragesandsupports.

• Theexperienced curriculumreferstothelearningstudentsactuallyreceiveasaresultofthewholeeducationalexperience.Thisincludestheimpactoftheschoolcurriculum,teachingapproaches,the co-curricularcurriculumandthelearningenvironment.Itincludesboththeplannedandunplannedorunintendedoutcomesofthecurriculum.

Itisimportanttorecognisefromtheoutsetthatplanningtheschoolcurriculum,intermsofthesubjectstobestudiedeachyeartowardsspecificqualifications,isonlypartoftheprocess.Theschool’svisionandaimswillincludepersonalandsocialoutcomesaswellasacademicones.Learningdoesnotbeginorendinclassrooms,butpermeatestheschoolenvironmentandbroadercommunity.Whatlearnersactuallyexperiencemaynotbethesameasthewrittenobjectivesofthecurriculum–itwillbetheconsequenceofacomplexwebofinterdependentpartsincluding:

• theschool’svisionandvalues

• teachingquality

• learnermotivationandpriorknowledge

• schoolleadership,environmentandculture

• theschool’scurriculumandsubjectcurricula

• assessmentpracticesandexpectations

• theschool’sinternalstructuresandoperations.

Therefore,designingacurriculumfromfirstprinciples,orevaluatinganexistingcurriculumwithaviewtoimprovingit,isnecessarilyacomplexandchallengingtask.Whileschoolsmayusesimilarorevenidenticalwrittencurricula,theexperiencedcurriculumisboundtobeuniquetoeachschool.Forthisreasonyoumusttakeownershipofyourcurriculumandregularlyevaluatetheoutcomesagainstyourintentionstomakesuretheeducationalexperienceisoptimisedandinlinewiththeschool’svisionandmission.


1. Curriculum planning: An overview

The school visionisacompellingsenseofthefuturedirectionoftheschoolthatshouldbewidelysharedandinspirecommitment.Mostschoolsalsohaveamission statement,whichisawrittendeclarationdefiningtheschool’seducationalpurpose.Educational aimsmightbeincludedinthemissionstatementorlistedseparately.Togetherwiththevisionandmissiontheyprovidefocusandguidanceonwhattheprioritiesare.Theschoolstrategic plangivespracticaldirectiontothevision,missionstatementandaims.Thisshouldincludeastatementheadlining

longertermpriorities/objectiveslookinguptofiveyearsahead,andadetailedone-yearimplementationplan.

Table1(onthenextpage)outlinessomeofthemanyquestionsthatyouneedtoaddress.Itshowsthatdecisionsaboutthedevelopmentofaschool’scurriculummustbebasedontheschool’svision,missionandeducationalaims,takingintoconsiderationschoolstructuresandbuildingschoolcapacity.



LearnersWhich attributes are desired for learners and how will these be promoted in the curriculum?What are the expected academic, personal and social outcomes?Which skills and competencies should they acquire through the curriculum? How will the curriculum motivate, engage and challenge learners?Is the curriculum relevant to the needs of learners – now and in the future?

TeachersWhich pedagogy and assessment practices should lie at the centre of teaching and learning?What teacher professional development is required to ensure effective planning and delivery of the curriculum?How will teachers be encouraged to self-reflect on their current teaching practices and the learning achievement of their students based on meaningful evidence?Is there provision for teachers to undertake relevant professional qualification courses to enhance their professional learning and the quality of student learning experiences?

LeadershipWhat role do school administrators have in the delivery of the curriculum and in supporting teachers?How do leaders know that effective teaching and real learning are taking place in classrooms?What are the quality assurance and system review needs for implementing a new curriculum?Are effective collegial and collaborative team structures and dynamics operating school-wide and within subject/learning areas?Are inter-school networking opportunities available for teachers and school leaders to support the implementation and development of the curriculum?

School communityWhat involvement will school support groups and other community groups have?What contributions can these groups make in the development of the curriculum?How can the resources of the local community be linked into the school curriculum?

Designing a curriculumWhich Cambridge programmes will be included or form the basis of the school curriculum?How do we align the curriculum to match the school’s needs and those of the learners?Which subjects (and options) will be included in the curriculum?How will learning within local or national contexts be developed in the curriculum?How will the school support learners who do not have English as a first language? (In bilingual schools) which subjects will be taught in English?

QualificationsWill the school offer national as well as Cambridge qualifications?Is progression from one level to the next coherent? Will there be any scheduling or organisational difficulties if dual qualifications are offered? Will these combinations of qualifications support learners applying to higher education (in secondary schools)?

TimetablingHow many subjects will be studied and for how many hours in each subject? How will this vary from one year to the next as learners progress through the school?Will the curriculum be fixed (compulsory) or provide a measure of learner subject choice?How will such flexibility be balanced against the school’s current resourcing and staffing provisions?

FacilitiesWhat facilities will be required to accommodate the requirements of specialist subjects?Does the school provide appropriate learning environments for studying the new curriculum?

ResourcingWhat financial provision is available for delivering the curriculum, in terms of teaching resources, teacher support and administrative requirements?Does the school have effective communication and co-ordination systems and structures for implementing, managing and refining the curriculum?

School vision and strategic planning – achieving the desired learning outcomes for learners

Building school capacity Structure and operation

Table 1: Curriculum planning within a school context: Some critical questions



Principles fundamental to successful curriculum design and implementation

Oneaspectofplanningtheschoolcurriculumischoosingthecombinationofsubjectstobestudiedforeachyearanddesigningasequentialprogrammeforeachyearofschooling.

Cambridgeschoolsoperateinawiderangeofcontextswithdifferingdemandsandexpectations.Whatisincludedintheschoolcurriculumwillbedeterminedbytheschooland/ornationalrequirements,andshouldbedrivenbythevisionandvaluesoftheorganisation.Thecurriculumisattheheartofschools’strategiestoraiseachievementandimproveoutcomesforalllearners.CambridgeunderstandsthatwhilesomeschoolswillprefertoofferacurriculummadeupentirelyofcombinationsofCambridgecourses,combiningthesetoformaprogrammeofstudy,otherschoolswillselectindividualsubjectsyllabusesandcombinethemwithqualificationsandeducationalprogrammesfromothernationalorinternationalproviders.

Webelievethatcertainprinciplesarefundamentaltosuccessfulcurriculumdesignandimplementation.

1 The school curriculum should deliver a broad, balanced, coherent and consistent programme of learning with clear

and smooth progression routes designed for the needs of all learners. Thecurriculumshouldprovide:

• thenecessaryunderstanding,knowledgeandskillsforlearnerstoprogress,wellprepared,tothenexteducationalstage

• anappropriatevolumeofcontentandstandardofdifficulty

• aspiralapproachtoskilldevelopmentwithconceptsrevisitedandengagedwithatdeeperlevelsindifferentcontexts,dependentonthelearners’developmentalstage

• abalanceofsubjectscoveringdifferenteducationalprocesses,objectivesandcontent,developingaholisticsetofskillsandknowledge.

Theconceptofbreadthandbalancewillbeilluminatedbytheschool’svisionandeducationalaims.Aschoolcurriculumthatis‘balanced’normallyincludesmathematics,languages,sciences,technology,humanities,creativeartsandphysicaleducation.A‘broad’curriculumofthistypeprovidestheopportunityforlearnerstoexperience,acquireanddevelopessentialandvaluedlearningfromavarietyofcontexts.Itmaybethatsomedisciplines,forexampleinformationtechnology,areinfusedintheteachingofothersubjectsratherthanbeingtaughtasadiscretesubject.Thereisstilltheneedforaclearidentificationoftheseactivities,supportedbyawrittencurriculumthathelpsdefinepreciselywhoisresponsiblefortheirdevelopment.Itisalsoimportantthatliteracyandnumeracyaresupportedbyteachersofallsubjects,notjustinlanguagesandmathematics.

Inthesenioryearsofschoolingsomenarrowingofthecurriculummaybeexpectedaslearnersprepareforspecificqualificationsrequiredforprogressiontohighereducation.Learnersshouldstillbeexpectedtotakepartinactivitiesandprogrammesthatarecomplementarytotheacademicqualificationstheyarepreparingfor,andtheschoolshouldprovideabreadthofactivityandengagementinsupportofthe school’smission.

Thecurriculum,andtheassessmentsthatframetheeducationalexpectationsintheschool,willsignificantlyinfluenceteachingandlearningpracticeandtheeducationalorlearningexperiencesofstudents.Paycarefulattentiontomonitoringtheeffectivenessofschoolstructures,practices,systemsandprocessestoensurethehighestqualityofteachingisachieved.Inaddition,makesurecourserequirementsandregulations(includingthoseforassessmentandcourseworkactivities)arefollowedasthiswillhelppromoteandenhancelearnerachievementastheyprogressthrougheachyearofschooling.

IfyouarecombiningCambridgequalificationswithothers,itisimportanttoconsidercompatibilityissues.Itmaybethatotherqualificationsorprogrammesofstudyincorporatedifferentapproachestoteaching,learningandassessmentfromthosedescribedinthisguide.Thiswillrequirecarefulplanningandcoordinationtoensurethatanydifferences



areclearlyunderstoodandaccommodated.TheanswerstothequestionsinTable1willbeparticularlyrelevantinthiscontext.

2 The curriculum supports the development of learners and teachers who are confident, responsible, reflective,

innovative and engaged. Thedemandsoflivingandworkinginthecontemporaryworld,characterisedbyuncertainty,globalisation,rapidchangeandtechnologicalinnovation,needtobereflectedinaschool’seducationalapproach.Factualknowledgeisinabundanceandfreelyavailable.Theabilitytoprocessandapplyknowledgeeffectivelyandwiselyisnowcritical.Learnersneedtobecomeproblemsolvers,abletointeractwithsubjectcontentincriticalandinnovativeways.Theyshouldacquireandemploystrategiesforaccessing,processing,applying,synthesisingandevaluatingcontentanddevelopanunderstandingofhowitallfitstogetherasanacademicdiscipline.

Inadditiontoacquiringthesebroad-basedskills,successfullearnerstakeresponsibilityfortheirownlearning.Theydothisbydevelopingself-awareness,self-motivationandbyadoptingstrategiesandhabitstotakecontroloftheirlearning.Theyareinquisitiveandactivelyengaged,abletoshifteasilybetweenindependentstudyandcollaborativeenquiry.Additionally,theacquisitionandimplementationofICTskillstoaccess,process,evaluate,communicateandshareknowledgeandunderstandingareconsideredfundamentallearningcompetencies.The‘Cambridgelearner’(seeTable2,page14)exemplifiesthesekeyattributes,whichareequallyapplicabletoteachers,reinforcingtheconceptof‘partnershipinlearning’betweenlearnerandteacher.

3 Each subject curriculum should be designed to provide learners and teachers with inspiring and relevant content

and an appropriate breadth of subject knowledge and skill development appropriate for the learners’ developmental stage.Subjectcurriculashouldbeformulatedchronologicallysotheyshowappropriateprogressionfromonestageofeducationtothenext.The

knowledge,understandingandskillsacquiredateachprecedingyearlevelformthefoundationforlearningatthenextlevel.Thisspirallingprocessleadstodeeperlevelsofunderstandingbeinggainedthroughrelatedstudyinavarietyofcontexts,reinforcingpriorlearningandcreatinglinkstonewlearning.

Weoffersubjectcurriculaacrosstheyearsofschoolingbasedonspecifiededucationalstandardsappropriatetothelearners’developmentalstage.Thefinalyearofacurriculuminasinglesubjectallowsprogressiontostudyatuniversityandotherhigherlearninginstitutions.Ourqualificationsareinternationallyrecognisedandallowforlearnerstoprogresstothenextstageofeducationbyrecognisingtheirsecondaryschoolachievements.Weworkcloselywithuniversitiesaroundtheworldtoensurethatourpre-universityqualificationsaredesignedtoequiplearnersforstudyatuniversitiesandotherhigherlearninginstitutions.

4. The school curriculum should recognise the language background of learners and provide them with the support

they need to access the curriculum. Subjects that are taught in the medium of English should be accessible for learners with English as their second language.EvenschoolsoperatinginEnglish-speakingcountrieshavelearnerswhodonothaveEnglishasafirstlanguageorlearnerswhohavedifferent



levelsofEnglishproficiency,sothefirsttwopointsbelowapplyinallCambridgeschools.

• Every learner is a language learner:Languageplaysaparticularlycriticalroleintheschoolcurriculum.IfEnglishisthelanguageofinstructionthenitisalsothemediumthroughwhichstudentsaccesslearningandcommunicatetheirunderstandinginalltheirsubjects.Schoolsoftenhavelearnerswithdifferentlanguageprofiles,andthisrealitymustbereflectedincurriculumplanningandinacoherentlanguagepolicyreflectingtheschool’ssituation.

• Every teacher is a language teacher:OthersubjectsareassessedinEnglishandrequirelearnerstodevelopsufficientEnglishlanguagecompetencies–notonlyinreadingandwritingtobeabletotakeexaminations,butalsoinspeakingandlisteninginorderforlearningtotakeplace.TheinclusionoflearningthroughEnglishbecomesanintegralcomponentinthestudyofthesesubjects,withschoolsdevelopingavarietyofstrategiestoprogressivelyadvancetheseskillsintheyearsprecedingformalassessment.Oneofthesestrategiesisforallteacherstobe‘languageaware’andtoplanlanguagesupportintheirclasses.

• Every school can support multilingualism:WesupportthelearningoflanguagesthroughtheprovisionoflanguagecurriculaforEnglishspeakerslearningforeignlanguagesandfornon-EnglishspeakerslearningEnglish.Forsomelanguages,alternativelanguagecurriculacatertothelearningneedsoffirstandsecondorforeignlanguagelearners.Evenwherecurriculaarenotavailableincertainminoritylanguages,orwheremultilingualschoolsarenotabletoteachalargenumberofminoritylanguages,Cambridgeschoolscanstillsupportmultilingualismbypromotingotherlanguagesandmakinguseoffirstlanguagesasavaluablelearningresourceintheclassroom.

• Education in a Bilingual or Multilingual school:Inadditionwesupportschoolswhowanttousebilingualeducationprogrammesinordertodevelopbilingualismtoage-appropriatelevelsofcompetence.Thisiswheretwoormorelanguagesareusedasthemediumofinstructionfornon-languagesubjects.Learnersstudysomenon-languageschoolsubjects,suchasmathsorgeography,mainly

throughasecondorthirdlanguage,andsomesubjectsthroughtheirfirstlanguage.Theunderstandingofbilingualeducationislinkedtoothereducationalconceptssuchascontentandlanguageintegratedlearning(CLIL).Here,incontentclasses,learnersdevelopsubjectknowledgeandnewlanguageskillsatthesametime.Ifdualnationalandinternationalqualificationsarebeingoffered,thecurriculummayspecifysubjectsthatwillbetaughtthrougheitherEnglishorthefirstlanguage,thatis,inabilingualcurriculumdesign.Tofindoutmoreaboutourapproachtobilingualeducationvisit www.cie.org.uk/bilingual

Weareawarethatmanylearnerscompletingourprogrammesandqualificationsareoperatinginalanguagewhichisnottheirfirstlanguage.Examinersapplyapositivemarkingapproach,lookingtoawardmarkswhenalearnerhasdemonstratedunderstanding.Learnersarenotpenalisedforspellingandgrammaticalerrorsexceptintheassessmentoflanguageswhicharetestinglanguageskills.

5 Assessment has a number of purposes that are essential to the educational process. These include assessment

for learning (providing feedback in support of the learning process), and summative assessment (determining a learner’s level of performance).Assessmentisanintegralcomponentofeachsubject’scurriculum.Pedagogyandassessmentareinseparableintheteachingandlearningprocess,asdevelopmentinonereciprocateschangeintheother.Assessmentforlearningpracticesareessentialteachingstrategiesthatinformteachersandlearnersaboutthecurrentlevelofunderstandingandskillacquisitionduringtheactualteachingphase,providingguidanceandfeedbackforsubsequentteaching.Summativeassessmentiscarriedoutattheendofaperiodoflearninganditspurposeistojudgewhatstandardthelearnerhasreached.ThefinalassessmentsinmanyCambridgequalificationsarehighstakesbecauseresultsinfluenceprogressionontothenextstageofeducationorhighereducation,andcanbeusedtomakeexternaljudgements(forexamplebyauniversity)ofthelearner’slevelofperformance.

www.cie.org.uk/bilingual



6 Clear and meaningful educational standards are essential to ensure accurate measurement of progress and

achievement and allow for international benchmarking and comparability.Educationalstandardsprovidethebasisfordefiningexpectationsforstudentlearning.Theycanalsobeusedtomonitortheprogressionofstudentlearningovertimeagainstadefinedsetofstandards.Educationalstandardsarereferencedtocriteriawhichrelatetotheobjectivesofstudents’learning–thisensuresthatstandardsareconsistentandcanbecomparedovertimeandlocation.Ourassessmentsinformschoolsandthelearnersthemselvesabouttheirdepthofunderstandingandtheiracquisitionofspecifiedsubjectskills.Assessmentofspecificandtransparenteducationalstandardsenablesthebenchmarkingoflearnerachievementonalocal(school),nationalandinternationalscale.Assessmentsareplannedanddesignedalongsidethecurriculumandwepayparticularattentiontoensurethatallassessmentsarevalid,reliable,fair,andoperatetothehighesttechnicalstandards.

7 The quality of teaching is a critical determining factor in learner development.

Teachersarethemostpowerfulinfluenceonstudentlearning.Theymakethecurriculumrealbytranslatinglearningandassessmentobjectives,syllabusaims,subjectcontentandschoolpolicyintomeaningfullearningexperiences.Inthefollowingchapter(Table2)thelearnerattributesapplytobothteachersandlearners,asteachersarerequiredtoexemplifytheprocessesandpracticesexpectedoflearners.

8 Reflective practice supported by professional development is an essential and continuous part of a teacher’s life.

Itfollowsthatsystematicteacherprofessionaldevelopment(PD)isoneofthemostimportantactivitiesinwhichschoolscanengagetoimprovestudentlearningandperformance.

WearecommittedtoprovidingarangeofPDopportunitiesandresources,reflectingthedifferentbackgroundsandlevelsofexperienceteachershave.ThesesupporttheteachingofCambridgeprogrammesandqualifications,thedevelopmentofpedagogicalskillsandhelping

teacherstobecomeconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengaged.TherearealsonumerousotherexcellentPDoptionsthatteacherscanfollow.ProfessionaldevelopmentshouldnotbeconfinedtoCambridgeofferings,butdoesneedtobeconsistentwiththeprinciplesdescribedinthisguide.

OnepurposeofPDissupportingevidence-basedreflectivepracticeinday-to-dayteaching.Oneofthebestwaysofachievingthisisthroughteachersworkingcollaborativelyinprofessionallearningcommunities.Thesecommunitiescanbelocallybasedorcentredintheschoolandnetworksoflocalschools,buttheycanalsodrawonthewiderinternationalCambridgecommunity.TheCambridgecommunityisuniquelypowerfulinitsinclusionofdiverseschools,countriesandculturalcontexts,sharingthesameeducationalvaluesandprinciples.Digitalcommunicationssuchastheinternetletuseasily,efficientlyandeconomicallyshareexperiences,ideasandinitiativesacrossthecommunity,withourcommongoalofimprovingthequalityofteachingandlearning.

Providingopportunitiesforteacherstodeveloptheirprofessionalknowledgeandqualificationssignificantlybenefitstheteacherandtheschool,leadingtoimprovedstudentlearningandachievement.WewouldalsoencourageschoolleaderstosupportexperiencedandsuitableteachersinbecomingCambridgeteachertrainersandexaminers.Beinganexaminerortrainerisamosteffectivewayofdevelopingteachers’ownpractice,helpingtoimproveprofessionalpracticewithintheschoolaswellascontributingtotheinternationalCambridgecommunity.

9 The pedagogy required to enable learners to achieve their maximum performance using Cambridge curricula and

assessments is based on active learning. Goodteachingpracticeisnotsomethingthatcanbeuniversallyprescribed,andthereareimportantculturalandlocalinfluencesthatwillhelptodefinewhat‘good’means.Thereareawiderangeofstrategiesthatcanbeeffectiveintheclassroom,anditisdangerousandsimplistictoovergeneralise.Ontheotherhand,enablingstudentstodeveloptheactivelearningstylesdescribedinpoint2(page7)andexemplifiedin



thelearnerattributes(Table2)requiresteacherstounderstand,acquire,developandincorporatesomeparticularpedagogicalstrategiesintotheirteachingpracticeaspartoftheirrepertoire.Theseareconsideredinthenextchapter.

10 Strong leadership is a necessary condition for school improvement and curriculum development.

Schoolleaderscontribute,inavarietyofways,tothedesignandsuccessfulimplementationoftheschoolcurriculum.Schoolsareacomplexwebofinterdependentparts,andresponsibilitiesofschoolleadershipincludegettingthebestoutofbothindividualsandthesystem,anddevelopingthesystemtobetterachievetheschool’smission.Excellentschoolleadershipinvolvescreatingtheconditionsnecessaryforteachers’potentialtoberealised.Teachersshouldthemselvesbeviewedasleaders.Theyleadintheclassroombymakingthecurriculumrealtolearnersandcreatingopportunitiesforstudentlearning.Teachers,asreflectivepractitioners,canalsoplayanimportantroleinschoolimprovementandbecomepositiveagentsofinstitutionalchange.

11 Curriculum development involves an ongoing process of evidence gathering and evaluation.

Schoolsasinstitutionsexistinaconstantstateofdevelopment,evolvingastheyrespondtochanginginternalneedsandexternallyimposedrequirements.Conductingregularreviewsoftheschoolcurriculum,andtheeffectivenessofitsimplementationanddelivery,shouldbeapriority.Suchreviewsarefundamentalelementsoftheannualschoolmanagementcycle–aprocessofgoalsetting,monitoring,evidencecollectingandevaluationleadingtoaffirmationorrefinementoftheschool’sstrategicplan.


2 Developing the Cambridge learner attributes

Thechallengesschoolsfaceinpreparingstudentsforthefuturearesignificant.InthewordsofAndreasSchleicher,OECDEducationDirectorate(2011):

“A generation ago, teachers could expect that what they taught would last their students a lifetime. Today, because of rapid economic and social change, schools have to prepare students for jobs that have not yet been created, technologies that have not yet been invented and problems that we don’t yet know will arise.”

Aninternationalprojectconcernedwiththeassessmentandteachingof21stcenturyskills[Griffinetal2012]identifiesthechangesineducationalfocusneededtopreparelearnersforthemodernworld,underfourcategories:

• ways of thinking:includingcreativity,innovation,criticalthinking,problem-solving,decision-makingandlearninghowtolearn

• ways of working:includingnewformsofcollaborationandcommunication

• tools for working:includingdevelopinginformationliteracyandthecapacitytoharnessthepotentialofnewtechnologies

• skills for living in the world:involvingthedevelopmentoflocalandglobalawareness,andpersonalandsocialresponsibility.

Manyschoolswillwanttodeveloplearnerswhocombineadeepappreciationandunderstandingoftheirownculture,communityandnationwiththeattributesandskillsneededtobegloballearnerswho

caneffectivelyparticipateinthemoderninternationalworldandadapttouncertaintyandchange.Cambridgeintroducedthelearner/teacherattributes(Table2,page14),recognisingthatameaningfulcurriculumismorethanacollectionofdifferentsubjects.Learnersneedtodeveloptheacademicskills,lifeskillsandattitudesneededtobesuccessfulinhighereducationandintheworldofwork.Simplynamingdesirableattributeswillachievenothingifitdoesnotimpactonthecurriculumandhowitisdelivered.

The Cambridge teacherExcellentteachingisthemostsignificantcontributingfactorthatimpactsuponbothlearners’academicperformanceandthedevelopmentofthelearnerattributes.Successfulschoolsandsuccessfulschoolsystemsdevelopandnurturehighlyskilledteacherswhoareencouragedtobecreativeprofessionalsworkinginacollaborativeculture.

Itisimportanttostressthatthereisnosinglerecipeforexcellentteaching,andthatdifferentschools,operatingindifferentcountriesandcultures,willhavestrongtraditionsthatshouldberespected.Thereisagrowingconsensus,however,aboutsomeimportantpracticesandapproachesthatneedtobeadoptediflearnersaregoingtofulfiltheirpotentialandbepreparedformodernlife.

Understandingofanacademicdisciplinecannotbetransmittedfromonepersontoanother;itisalwaysconstructedinlearners’minds.Inordertodevelopalearner’sunderstandingofaconcepttheirexistingmental

Thischapterconsidersapproachesthatsupportthedevelopmentoflearnersandteacherswhoareconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengaged.Cambridgesubjectcurriculaandassessmentspecificationsaredesignedwiththeseattributesinmind,buttheyneedtobesupportedbyteachersintheclassroom.Theyalsotranscendindividualsubjectsandneedtobedevelopedacrossthecurriculumandconsideredinrelationtothebroadercultureandenvironmentoftheschool.Thereisadangerthat,becausetheseattributesarenotassessedortaughtinthesamewayasdisciplinaryknowledgeandunderstanding,theyaregivenonlytacitrecognition.Itistheresponsibilityofschoolleadershiptoensurethatthisdoesnothappen.


2. Developing the Cambridge learner attributes

modelsmustbechallengedandextended.Teachershavetolistentothevoiceofthelearner,intheclassroomandasevidencedintheworktheyproduce,andengagewithittosupportlearningandhelpthelearnerdeveloptheirownunderstanding.Thisprocesshelpstodevelopindependentlearnersastheystarttomodeltheteacher’sapproach.Themosteffectivelearningenvironmentiscreatedwhenlearners’thinkingisbeingchallenged,andtheworkisextendingwhatthelearnerscouldachieveindependently–theroleoftheteacheristosupport(sometimesreferredtoas‘scaffold’)studentlearninginwhatVygotsky(1978)describedasthezoneofproximaldevelopment.

Asacollectionofpracticesandprinciplesthisapproachcouldbedescribedasactivelearning.ThedesignofCambridgesubjectcurriculaandassessmentsisbasedonthisunderstandingofthelearningprocesssothatlearners’abilitytocriticallyengagewiththematerialisexaminedthroughourassessments.

Teachersneedtoemployavarietyofteachingstrategiesintheclassroomandlistentothevoiceofthelearner.Assessmentforlearning,usinglearnerworktodiagnosepreciselytheircurrentlevelofunderstanding,becomescentraltotheteachingprocess.Formuchofthetimelearnersshouldbeactivelyengaged,whichinvolvesinteractionamonglearnersandwiththeteacher.Thiscanbeachievedthroughgroupworkandwhole-classinstruction,whichcanbeveryactiveifitinvolvesopendiscussionandlearnersrespondingandpresentingratherthantheteacherconstantlylecturing.Itisimportanttonotethatindividuallearningactivities,wherelearnershavetoworkinadisciplinedmannerontheirown,remaincritical,asdoesthelearningofrelevantfactualknowledgecontainedwithinsubjectcurricula.Activelearningrequiresteacherstousesubjectcontentinbroadways,creatingopportunitiesforlearnerstoenhancetheirownunderstandingandbuildingmeaningfullinksbetweenpriorandnewlyacquiredknowledgeandunderstanding.

Outstandingteachersareconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengagedbecausethey:

1. Have mastery of their subject area.Theycanrelateconceptsandskillsinsuchawaythatstudentslearntounderstandandappreciatethenatureoftheacademicdisciplinetheyarestudying,andwhatconstitutesqualityandexcellenceforthedevelopmentalstagetheyareteaching.

2. Teach for understanding as well as coverage.Theyhavetheabilitytoengagewithlearners’ownmentalideasaboutthereallyimportantconcepts,andtakethemonajourneyofdiscovery.Theysupportthedevelopmentoflearners’understandingbyadoptingaspiralapproachinplanningactivitiestodevelopsubject-relatedskills.Thisapproachplansforlearnerstorevisitconceptsoveranextendedperiodoftimeandwithindifferentcontexts.Thisspirallingstrategyreinforceslearningandleadstodeeperlevelsofunderstanding.

3. Connect learning to the real world, other topics in the subject, other disciplines and the experience of learners.Learningismaderelevant.Teachersbuildconnectionsinlearnermindsbetweendifferentconceptsbothwithinthesubjectand,whererelevant,betweensubjects.

4. Scaffold learning.Buildinghigherlevelthoughtrequirespracticeandpatience.Teachersneedtoconstantlyworkintheproximalzoneofdevelopment.Theoptimallevelperformanceforalearneristhelevelthattheycanreachwhentheyreceiveexpertsupport,asdistinctfromthefunctionallevel,whichtheycanachieveindependently.Scaffoldinglearningsupportsclosingthisgap.Byconcentratingontheprocessesaswellastheproductsoflearning,studentsalsodevelopthecapabilityofraisingtheirownfunctionallevelandbecomemoreeffectiveatteachingthemselves.

5. Are able to model problem solving and consider themselves as mentors as much as teachers.Theyareconcernedwiththeholisticdevelopmentofthelearnerandunderstandthecriticalrole



thatattitudes,emotionsandself-confidenceplayinlearning.Theycommunicatealoveoflearningandbelieveeverylearnercanachieve.

6. Understand, and can apply, assessment for different purposes. Theyhaveanexcellentgraspofsummativeassessmentpractices,buttheyalsounderstandhowtouseassessmenttosupportstudentlearning.Thisistheprocessofidentifyingwhatthelearnerhasorhasnotachievedinordertoplanthenextstepsinlearningandprovidescaffolding(point4above).

7. Use a variety of different teaching strategies and activities includingcollaborativegroupworkandcreativeassignmentsandactivities,aswellasoverseeingindividuallearning.

8. Are reflective and creative practitioners engaged in ongoing effective professional learning.

9. Are collaborative and supportive of their colleagues, the school and the school’s community.

Inpractice,teachinginvolvesconstantdecisionmakingaboutthebalancebetweendifferentapproachesandstrategies.Teachersconfrontedwithlargeclassesofusuallymixed-abilitylearnerswillneedtobalancewhole-classinstructionwithengagingeachlearneronanindividuallearningpath.Optimisingthisbalanceisnoteasyanddevelopswithexperience,supportedbyprofessionaldevelopment,andwillbeinfluencedbythecontextandcultureoftheschool.



Cambridge learners Cambridge teachers

Confident inworkingwithinformationandideas–theirownandthose of others. Cambridgelearnersareconfident,secureintheirknowledge,unwillingtotakethingsforgrantedandreadytotakeintellectualrisks.Theyarekeentoexploreandevaluateideasandargumentsinastructured,criticalandanalyticalway.Theyareabletocommunicateanddefendviewsandopinionsaswellasrespectthoseofothers.

Confident inteachingtheirsubjectandengagingeachstudent inlearning.Cambridgeteachersknowtheirsubjectwellandknowhowtoteachit.Theyseektounderstandtheirlearnersandtheireducationalneeds.Theystrivetocommunicatealoveoflearningandtoencouragestudentstoengageactivelyintheirownlearning.

Responsible forthemselves,responsivetoandrespectful of others. Cambridgelearnerstakeownershipoftheirlearning,settargetsandinsistonintellectualintegrity.Theyarecollaborativeandsupportive.Theyunderstandthattheiractionshaveimpactsonothersandontheenvironment.Theyappreciatetheimportanceofculture,contextandcommunity.

Responsible forthemselves,responsivetoandrespectful of others.Cambridgeteachersarehighlyprofessionalintheirapproachtoteachingandtheyarecollaborativeandsupportive.Theyunderstandtheiractionswillhelpshapefuturegenerationsandtheyareconcernedabouttheholisticdevelopmentofeveryindividualtheyteach.

Reflective aslearners,developingtheirabilitytolearn.Cambridgelearnersunderstandthemselvesaslearners.Theyareconcernedwiththeprocessesaswellastheproductsoftheirlearninganddeveloptheawarenessandstrategiestobelifelonglearners.

Reflective aslearnersthemselves,developingtheirpractice.Cambridgeteachersarethemselveslearners,seekingtobuildonanddeveloptheirknowledgeandskillsthroughavirtuouscircleofreflectiononpractice–involvingresearch,evaluationandadaptation.Theysupportstudentstobecomeindependentandreflectivelearners.

Innovative andequippedfornewandfuturechallenges.Cambridgelearnerswelcomenewchallengesandmeetthemresourcefully,creativelyandimaginatively.Theyarecapableofapplyingtheirknowledgeandunderstandingtosolvenewandunfamiliarproblems.Theycanadaptflexiblytonewsituationsrequiringnewwaysofthinking.

Innovative andequippedfornewandfuturechallenges. Cambridgeteachersarecreative,experimentingwithnewideasandpursuinganenquiringapproachintheirteaching.Theyareopentonewchallenges,beingresourceful,imaginativeandflexible.Theyarealwaysreadytolearnandapplynewskillsandtechniques.

Engagedintellectuallyandsocially,readytomakeadifference.Cambridgelearnersarealivewithcuriosity,embodyaspiritofenquiryandwanttodigmoredeeply.Theyarekeentolearnnewskillsandarereceptivetonewideas.Theyworkwellindependentlybutalsowithothers.Theyareequippedtoparticipateconstructivelyinsocietyandtheeconomy–locally,nationally andglobally.

Engagedintellectually,professionallyandsocially,readytomake adifference. Cambridgeteachersarepassionateaboutlearningwithinandbeyondtheclassroom,sharingtheirknowledgeandskillswithteachersinthewidereducationalcommunity.

Table 2: The Cambridge learner and Cambridge teacher attributes


The Cambridge learnerThelearnerattributesareaspirationalandrepresentattitudes,backedbyskilledaction,whichbecomeeffectivehabitsinlearning.Asthesewerewrittenwiththegloballearnerinmind,theyareconsistentwithotherclassificationsoftheattributesof21stcenturylearnerswrittenindifferentcountriesbybotheducationauthoritiesandemployers,describingthecompetencieslearnersneedtodemonstratetobeeffectiveinthemodernworld.Theattributesarenotintendedtobeexhaustive.Schoolsmaywanttosupplementthemwithothersderivedfromtheschool’svision.Inorderforthelearnerattributestobecomemeaningful,oneoftherolesofschoolleaders(broadlydefined)istoengagethecommunitywiththem,helpingpeopleunderstandhowtheyrelatetothemissionoftheschoolandwhytheymatter.

Subjectcurriculaneedtobeviewedasmorethanjustasubsetofknowledgetobetaughtandassessedbyteachersandlearntbystudents.Thesubjectcurriculaarethebasisfortheteachingandlearningprogrammesfacilitatedbyteachers.Theseteachingprogrammescanbevehiclesthroughwhichthesewiderexpectationsforlearnersareexpressedanddelivered.Thecontentofthesubjectcurriculumisthemainsourcematerialfromwhichteacherscandeveloptheactivitiesthatmakeuptheirteachingprogrammes.Whenplanninglessons,teacherscanbuildinopportunitiesforstudentstoparticipateinlearningactivitiesandeventsthathelpgrowandadvancethedevelopmentoflearnerattributes–consistentwiththeactivelearningapproachdescribedintheprevioussection.

Thelearnerattributesapplyacrossthecurriculumandneedtobesupportedboththroughtheschool’scurriculumandco-curricularprogrammes.Itisimportant,whendesigningtheschoolcurriculum,toensureabreadthandbalanceofsubjectsandeducationalactivitiesthatcontributetocognitive,creativeandpsychomotordevelopment.Somesubjectslendthemselvesparticularlywelltocollaborativework,creativeexpressionanddevelopinglearnerresearchskills,whetherindividualorcollaborative(seeGlobalPerspectivessectiononpage18).Havingarichselectionofco-curricularactivitieswillprovidelearnerswithopportunitiestodeveloptheinter-andintra-personalskillsdescribedintheattributes.

Thevisionoftheschoolwillverymuchdeterminethefocusofthe co-curricularprogramme.

Theschool’senvironment,cultureandtheunacknowledgedlearningthatpermeatestheschool’scommunitybeyondtheclassroomwillalsohaveanimportantroleinnurturingtheseattributes,sotheyneedtobetheconcernofthewholeschoolcommunity.Whatisplannedandwhatactuallyhappens–theexperiencelearnersreceive–arenotalwaysthesame,andtherearelearningoutcomesandpracticesthatarenotacknowledged,butnonethelessexist,ineveryschool.Itisextremelyimportanttomonitorandevaluatetheexperiencedcurriculumtoseeifwhatlearnersactuallyexperiencecorrespondstowhatwasintended.Schoolevaluationproceduresinvolvinglearners,teachersandparentscanprovideinsightfulfeedback(seeChapter4).

Becoming a reflective learnerThereflectiveattributehighlightstheimportanceoflearnersunderstandingthemselvesaslearners.Theyareconcernedwiththeprocessesaswellastheproductsoftheirlearninganddeveloptheawarenessandstrategiestobelifelonglearners.

Whatarethecharacteristicsofreflectivelearners?They:

• constantlymonitorwhattheyaredoingandproduceappropriateresponses

• areeffectiveatplanningandmanagingtheirworkandperformanceandaccuratelyevaluatingtheirprogress

• understandthemselvesaslearnersandthenatureoftheknowledgetheyarelearning

• applytheirunderstandingtoperformance

• areabletothinkbothcriticallyandcreativelysoastoovercomebarrierstolearningandengagewithsubjectcontentdeeply

• learnfrommistakes

• areemotionallyresilientwhenconfrontedwithsetbacks

• areconfident,butnotarrogant,inworkingwithothersand sharingideas




• careaboutthelearningofothersandrealisethatlearningissocial andcollective

• takecalculatedrisks,understandingthatwelearnfrommistakes.

Becomingareflectivelearneralsorequiresbeingconfident,responsible,innovativeandengaged.Allthelearners’attributesareinterconnected.Whilemostschoolswouldagreethatlearninghowtobecomeareflectivelearneriscritical,manyassumethatlearnerswilldeveloptheseskillsautomatically,anditisnotconsideredpartofthecurriculum.Itisalsooftenthecasethatschools,schoolsystemsandteachersonlygivetacitrecognitiontothesemoregeneralcapabilitiesandthenconcentrateonwhattheyareheldaccountablefor.The‘backwash’effectfromwhatisassessedandwhatisprescribedinthecurriculummeansthatvitaleducationalaimscanremainunderdeveloped.Someschoolshavetriedtoteachlearning/reflective/studyskillsasanextracourse.Separateclassestendnottobeverysuccessfulbecauselearningskillsarebestdevelopedinthecontextofrealdisciplinarylearning.Allteachersshouldconsiderthemselvesasteachersandsupportersofthelearnerattributes.

Effectivelearnersunderstandthatlearningisanactiveprocessinvolvingquestioning,discoveryofbarriers,devisingstrategiestoovercomethebarriers,constantlyevaluatingprogressandchangingwhattheydoifitdoesnotwork.Lesseffectivelearnersoftenonlytakeapassiveapproach.Whentryingtorevise,forexample,theyreadandre-readbooksandtheirnotes,tryingtoabsorbthematerial.Thisisbasedonthefalseimagethatunderstandingcanbetransmittedfromatext(oraperson)tothememory.Activelearninghastobedeliberatelypractisedindifferentcontexts,andsupportedbytheschoolandindividualteacherswhounderstandandmodelthepracticesthemselves.Thiswillnothappenunlessitisemphasisedasacurriculumcompetenceandsupportedbystructuresandsystemsthatemphasise:

• makingtheprocessoflearninganobjectofreflectionforstudentsandteachersbyclearlyidentifyinglearningaimsandobjectivesineachsubjectthatsupportsitsdevelopment

• ongoingprofessionaldevelopmentforteachersandthecreationofprofessionallearningcommunitiesthatsupportteachingpractice

• thedevelopmentofconcepts(andthereforelanguage)thathelpindividualsunderstandanddescribethelearningprocesstheyaregoing through

• emphasisingaholisticunderstandingofeachacademicdiscipline,makingexplicitthehierarchyofasubject:Whatarethemostfundamentalconcepts?Howdotheyrelatetoeachother?

• assessingtheprocessesaswellastheproductsoflearning,andrequiringlearnerstodemonstratetheirunderstandingholisticallyinauthenticcontextsaswellasinexaminationsandtests

• focusingonassessmentforlearning,notjustassessmentoflearning,tohelpstudentsbecomeautonomous,abletoassessestheirownprogressandunderstandwhatconstitutesexcellenceinthatdiscipline

• encouraginglearnerstobereflective

• creatingaculturewherelearningisvaluedwithapositiveclassroomclimateandschoolenvironment

• supportiveco-curricularactivities.

Whilethelearnerattributesapplyacrossthecurriculum,itisalsotruethateachsubjecthassomethingimportanttosayabouteffectiveapproachestolearninginthecontextofthatdiscipline.Excellentteachershavealwaysunderstoodthisandhelpedlearnersdeveloptheirowngeneralcapabilitiesasscientists,historians,artists,mathematicians,andsoon.

Critical thinking, communication and collaborationEffectivelearnersneedtolearnhowtodealwiththevastrangeofinformationavailabletothem.Thisrequiresreflectingupon,andmakinginformedandreasonablejudgementsabout,theconcepts,ideas,evidenceandopinionsofothers.Criticalthinkingmayleadtolinesofenquiryinvolvingconceptualising,analysing,synthesising,applyingandevaluating.Itincludes:

• evaluatingoftenconflictinginformation

• testinginherentassumptions,thevalidityofargumentsorstandpoints

• givingwell-reasonedjudgements,conclusionsandsolutions.



Studentsneedtolearntobecomegoodindependentandcollaborativecriticalthinkers.Cambridgeassessmentsaredesignedtotestdiscipline-basedhigherorderthinkingskills(dependingonthedevelopmentalstageofthelearner),socriticalthinkingisbuiltintosubjectcurriculaandassessmentsbydesign.Learnercollaborationduringclassworkisoftenassociatedwithproblem-solvingandcritical-thinkingactivities,andisaveryimportantteachingstrategy.Collaborationencourageslearnerstocontributetheirownideasandskills,andthereforepersonalisesthelearningexperience,makingitmoreinterestingandmorelikelytofullyengagethelearner.

Effectivecommunicationskillsmustworkcollaboratively.Communicationinvolvesbothverbalandwrittenforms,soopportunitiestodevelopbothshouldbebuiltintotheteachingandlearningprogramme.Classpresentationsareagoodwaytodevelopcommunicationskills,eitherindividuallyoraspartofasmallgroup.Theycanbeusedtosummarisefindingsfrominvestigationsorresearchprojects,andcanbringtogetheravarietyoflearningmaterials,resourcesandactivities.Presentationsandgroupactivitiesprovideopportunitiesforlearnerstogivefeedbacktoeachother.Gettinglearnerstoprovidefeedbackagainstsetcriteriacanhelptodevelophigh-levelcommunicationandreasoningskills,duetotheneedtojustifytheirdecisions,scoresorevaluations.

Information literacyBeingabletoeffectivelyuseICTresourcesisanotheressentialskillalllearnersneedtodevelop.Overthepastdecadetheuseofdigitaltechnologiesinclassroomshascontinuedtoexpand.Desktops,laptops,tabletsandsmartphonesarecommonlyusedforlearning,aseducatorsfindwaystoemploytoday’stechnologiesinschoolclassroomsacrossallsubjects.IncludingICT-basedresourcesandactivitiesinteachingprogrammescanbechallenging,butitisvitalfortoday’sgenerationoflearners–theyuseICTresourcestoaccess,process,evaluateandcommunicateinformationanddata.OurprogrammesandsubjectcriteriaencouragetheeffectiveuseofICTresourcestodeveloptheseessentialskills.WeofferprofessionalqualificationcoursesthatfocusontheuseofICTinclassrooms.Formoreinformationsee‘Workingwithus’,page44.

Holistic understanding and transferDesigningaschoolcurriculumisnormallyorganised,forgoodreason,aroundtheprovisionofabalanceofdifferentsubjectsappropriateforeachagegroup.Itisimportanttorealisethattherearemanyareasofoverlapbetweensubjects,andthattheschoolcurriculumshouldallowforstudentstodevelopamoreholisticunderstandingofthemselvesaslearners,andtoreflectonthesimilaritiesanddifferencesinherentindifferentsubjectapproaches.

Interdisciplinaryunderstandingisbestbuiltonadisciplinaryfoundation,otherwiseacademicrigourcanbecompromised.Learners,however,finditdifficulttoapplywhattheyhavelearntinonesubjectorsituationinschooltodifferentcontexts,bothacademicandpractical.Thisistheproblemoftransfer.Sincelearningtocopewithuncertaintyisso



importantinthemodernworld,andmostofthechallengestheyouthoftodaywillfacewillrequireinterdisciplinaryunderstanding,itishighlydesirablethattheylearntoapplywhattheyhavelearnttonewcontexts.

Oneroleofteachersistohelplearnersmakeconnections,tohelpestablishlinksintheirmindsbetweenwhattheylearninonecontextandapplicationinanother.Theschoolcurriculumcanfacilitatethis.Thereisanimportantroleincurriculumplanningfortheprescriptionofactivities,coursesand/orqualificationsthatdrawonlearners’experiencesacrossthecurriculum,andrequirethemtoworkbothindividuallyandcollaborativelyonauthenticandsignificantquestions.Learnersneedtobechallenged,requiredtoproduceextendedwrittenworkandmakepresentationsontheirfindings,workingcollectivelyandindividuallyondifferentassignments.GlobalPerspectives(introducedbelow)isoneexampleofsuchaprogrammedeliberatelydesignedforthispurpose.

Someschoolsidentifyinterdisciplinarylinksinthecurriculum.Thismaybedoneinaninformalwaywithindividualteacherssharingtheirteachingplansinthestaffroom,orduringmeetingsscheduledforthispurpose.Onesimpleexampleofthiswouldbewherestudentshavelearnedsomestatisticalskillsinmathematics,andthegeographyteachermakesthemapplythisknowledgetotheirgeographycoursework,therebyreinforcingtheconcepts.Anotheroptionwhichcanraisetheprofileofinterdisciplinarylinksistousecurriculummappingsoftware(nowwidelyavailable)and/orhavecurriculumcoordinatorsexaminingthelearningacrossparticularagegroups,helpingtoidentifyandsupportmeaningfullinks.Thiscomplementstheworkofheadsofdepartmentwhoareresponsibleforverticalsubjectcurriculumcoherenceandconsistency.

Becauseoftheassessmentbackwasheffectreferredtoearlier,theseinterdisciplinaryactivitiesworkbestwhentheyarehighlyvaluedbyschoolsandeducationsystems,andsupportedbyteacherprofessionaldevelopment.Ideallythereneedstobeacurriculum‘space’builtaroundthem,whichallowstimeforstudentstopractiseandexplore,makemistakes,learnfromtheirteachermentorsandreflect.Toooftenthetendencyistomarginalisetheseactivitiesinasecondarycurriculumwhichisoverloadedwithcontent.

Cambridge Global PerspectivesCambridgeGlobalPerspectivesisaninterdisciplinaryprogramme,offeredatCambridgeIGCSE®,CambridgeInternationalASLevelandCambridgePre-Ulevels,whichfocusesonthenatureofargumentandevidence,encouragesunderstandingandrespectfortheperspectivesofothers,anddevelopsarangeofskillsneededtoparticipateeffectivelyinthemodernworld.

Studentslearntoappreciateavarietyofalternativeperspectivesonglobalissueswhereideasandinterestscompeteandtherearenoeasyanswers.Theylearnhowtoevaluatedifferentarguments,inparticulartheevidenceandreasoningusedtosupportthem,aswellasimprovethequalityoftheirownarguments.

Throughstudyingavarietyofauthenticandsignificantcasestudies,learnersbecomebetterinformedabouttheworldandbetterabletomakeinformedandsensitivejudgements.Theskillsofflexible,reflective,creativeandcriticalthinkingaredeveloped,andstudentslearnhowtoresearchissuesandarriveatwell-reasonedandevidenced-basedconclusions.Studentsalsolearntoworkcollaborativelywithothersandeffectivelycommunicateandcritiqueideassothattheybecome,insupportoftheCambridgelearnerattributes,moreconfident,responsible,reflective,innovativeandengaged.

GlobalPerspectivescanbetaughtasadiscretesubjectonitsown.OnealternativeoptionforschoolswhowouldreallyliketoemphasiseitssignificancewouldbetouseGlobalPerspectivesasthecurriculumcore.Thisplacesitattheheartoftheschoolcurriculumandemphasisesitsinterdisciplinarynature.Teachersofothersubjectswouldbemadeawareofitslearningandassessmentobjectivesand,whereapplicable,supportthemintheteachingoftheirownsubject.Learnerresearchandprojectworkwouldbecoordinated,withsubject-expertteachersactingasmentorsacrossthecurriculum.

®IGCSEistheregisteredtrademarkofCambridgeInternationalExaminations


Cambridgeeducationalprogrammesandqualificationsaredeliberatelydesignedtobeflexiblesothattheycanbeusedbyschoolsandschoolsystemsinwaysthatbestmeetlocalneeds.

TheCambridgePrimaryandSecondary1programmesarestructuredcurriculumframeworksforanarrowrangeofsubjects(English,Englishasasecondlanguage,mathematicsandscience).Bytheirnaturetheyaredesignedtoprovidepartoftheschoolcurriculumanddeliberatelyrequireconsiderableteachercreativeinputtomakethemrelevanttothelocalcontext.CambridgeSecondary2buildsonthefoundationsof Secondary1andprovidesarangeofdifferentcoursesandqualificationsfromwhichschoolscanselect.Similarly,CambridgeAdvancedbuildsonSecondary2,offeringawidechoiceofcourses.ItispossibletoconstructtheentireschoolcurriculumaroundCambridgecoursesat Secondary1and2levelsifthisiswhataschooldecides.Alternatively,thesequalificationscanbecombinedwithotherlocalornationalonestoformablendedschoolcurriculum.Nomatterwhatoptiontheschooldecides,certaindesignprinciplesshouldberespected.

Balance Chapter1highlightedtheimportanceofderivingthecurriculumfromtheschool’smission,sothatitreflectsthevaluesandeducationalaimstheschoolwantstoachieve.Inonerespectcurriculumplanninginvolvesdesigninganeducationalprogrammebasedonaselectionofwhatthecommunitythattheschoolservesvaluesmost.Bydefinitionthisinvolves

prioritisationasthereareonlyalimitednumberofhoursintheschooldayanddaysintheschoolyear.

Itisalsoimportanttorecognisefromtheoutsetthatqualityisatleastasimportantasquantity.Schoolsareoftentemptedtoaddmoreandmorecontenttothecurriculumwiththenobleintentionofincludingasmuchvaluedlearningaspossible.Thedangerwiththisisthatthereisapotentialtrade-offbetweencoverageanddepthofunderstanding.Toomuchcoveragedoesnotallowtimefordepthofengagement.Thecurriculumalsoneedstoallowforabalanceofeducationalactivities.Chapter2exploredhowthelearnerattributescouldbenurturedthroughacurriculumwhichallowedteachersthespacetouseavarietyofteachingstrategiesdesignedtodeveloplearnerself-awareness,researchandenquiryskills.Thisrequirestime.

Allschoolswillhavetoengagewiththeissueofbalance,andthereisnosimpleanswertohowmuchorwhattoinclude.Societieshavedifferentexpectationsofschoolingandculturalnorms,sowhatmightbeconsideredanoverloadedcurriculuminonecontextwillnotbeinanother.Equally,whenaschoolchoosestocreateablendedcurriculum,combiningnationalcurriculawithCambridgequalifications,theywillneedtomaketheirowninformedjudgementabouttheoptimumbalanceandcurriculumload.

ThischapterfocusesonissuesthatneedtobeconsideredtosuccessfullydesignandimplementaschoolcurriculumusingCambridgeprogrammesandqualifications.ItisrelevantincaseswhereschoolsarebasingtheirwholeschoolcurriculumonCambridgecourses,andinthoseinstanceswhereschoolsarecombiningCambridgecourseswithothernationalorinternationalqualifications.ModelsofhowCambridgeprogrammescanbeusedtosupportthedevelopmentofbilingualismareintroduced.ThestructureofCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationsisreviewed.Thepracticalimplicationsofintroducingacurriculum,suchastimetabling,arebrieflyconsidered.

Designing the school curriculum3


Coherence and consistencyThecurriculumshouldbemorethanthesumofitsparts.Itshouldfittogetherinawaythatmakessenseforthedevelopmentalstagethelearnerisat.Abalancedandcoherentcurriculumusuallyprovidesawiderangeofdifferentandcomplementarylearningexperiencesthatfitwelltogether,particularlyiftheaimistodevelopwell-roundedcitizens.Whiletheremayinevitablybeanarrowingofthecurriculumatthetopendofsecondaryschool,toallowforlearnerstogainthedepthofknowledgeandunderstandingneededforhighereducation,theschoolcurriculum(supportedbytheco-curriculum)shouldstillrecognisetheschool’sbroadermissionandeducationalaims.

Anexcellentschoolcurriculumfitstogetherinsuchawaythatthecontent,teachingapproaches,assessmentpracticesandthecultureinwhichitisembeddedareinharmonyandsupporteachother.Chapter2brieflyconsideredhowitispossibletoaligndisciplinaryteachinginawaythatcansupportinterdisciplinarytransferandunderstanding.Thisisonegoodexampleofcoherenceinpractice.

Consistencyisconcernedwithprogressionfromonestagetothenext.Dothedifferentstagesalign?Arelearnersappropriatelypreparedandchallengedateachstage?Itisreasonabletoexpectchangesinemphasisandapproachaslearnersbecomemoremature?Consistencydoesnotmeanthatthecurriculumwillstaythesame,butitisimportantthatthechangesareplannedratherthanunintentional.

Examiningtheschoolcurriculumhorizontallyandvertically,intermsofboththewrittencurriculumandevidenceofwhatstudentsactuallylearn,isanimportantpartoftheevaluationprocessconsideredinthenextchapter.ItalsoinformsondecisionsaboutwhichCambridgecoursestoincludeandwhetherornottocombinethemwithothers.

Combining Cambridge programmes with other national or international programmesIfaschooldecidestocombineCambridgequalificationswithotherlocalornationalonestoformablendedschoolcurriculum,issuesofbalance,coherenceandconsistencyareparticularlyimportanttoconsider.Ideally

theschoolcurriculumshouldformacomplementarywholeratherthantwoseparatecurriculaoperatingsidebyside.Wheretherearedifferencesinapproachtheseneedtobeunderstoodandplanned.Asfaraspossibleitisbetterforteachingandassessmentmethodologiesforbothsystemstobecompatibleandmutuallysupportive.

Runningadualprogrammecancreateperiodsofexcessiveworkloadandhighlevelsofstressforbothlearnersandteachers.Theleadershipteamshouldsupportteachersandlearnersbyconsideringthesefactorsinthecurriculumdesignandtimetablingprocess,andensurethattheprogrammesareappropriatelyresourced.

Curriculum models for bilingual and multilingual schoolsAsourassessmentsareinEnglish,itiscommonforschoolstouseCambridgeprogrammesandqualificationsfortheEnglish-medium(second-language)strandofabilingual(ortrilingual)educationprogramme,andtousetheirownnational(orregional)curriculumandqualificationsforthefirst-languagestrandoftheprogramme.

Therearemanywaysoforganisingbilingualeducation,dependingonindividualcontexts(e.g.resources,environment,languageskills,goals).Therecanbedifferentbalancesoffirstlanguageandsecondlanguageatdifferentstages,startingwiththefirstlanguage,orstartingwiththesecondlanguage,orstartingwithbothlanguagesasmediaofinstruction.Acurriculummodelisbasedonhowmanysubjectsaretaughtandlearntthrougheachlanguageandoverhowmuchtime.

Forexample,someschools:

• begininasmallwaybyteachingonemoduleorprojectinEnglish(shortterm,lowintensity)

• preparelearnersbyimmersingtheminEnglishforashortperiod– e.g.throughoverseasstudentexchanges,orbyteachingallcurriculumsubjectsinEnglishforoneschoolterm(shortterm,highintensity)

• teachoneortwocontentsubjectsinEnglishoverseveralyears(longterm,lowintensity)

• teachasubstantialpartofthecurriculuminEnglishoverseveralyears(longterm,highintensity).

3. Designing the school curriculum



FundamentaltoalltheseapproachesisdevelopingtheabilityofteacherstoteachtheircontentthroughthemediumofEnglish.Contentandlanguageintegratedlearning(CLIL)isarecommendedmethodologytosupportthisprocess,sothatstudentsaresupportedinlearningthelanguagetheyneedtoachieveintheirsubjects.Along-termtrainingstrategywouldalsoallowlocalteacherstobuilduptheirsecondlanguageskillstoenablethemtodeliverlessonsinEnglish.

LearnersalsoneedtodevelopsufficientEnglishlanguageskillsbeforetakinghigh-stakesCambridgeIGCSEandCambridgeInternationalALevelexaminationsintheCambridgeSecondary2andAdvancedprogrammes.TheCambridgePrimaryandSecondary1programmeshelppreparebilinguallearners,andenableteacherstoassesstheirprogressandgivefeedbackontheirstrengthsandweaknessesinthecoresubjectsofEnglish,mathsandscience.

Inaddition,bilingualeducationoftenhastomeettheneedsoftwocurricula–anational(orregional)curriculumandaninternationalcurriculum.Insuchcases,howwilllearningbeorganised?

Usingthisapproach,learnersstudysomesubjectsaspartofthenationalcurriculumandothersubjectsaspartofaninternationalcurriculum.Inthiswaytheproblemofdoubletimetablingisavoided.Thismodelisonlyfeasibleifequalofficialrecognitionisgiventothequalificationstakeninbothcurricula.

Usingthisapproach,learnersstudyselectedsubjectsinboththefirstlanguageandinEnglish,whichcouldleadtoawardingbothnationalandCambridgequalifications.Theremainingsubjectsarestudiedinthefirstlanguage.Thecommonsubjects(DEF)couldbetaughtusing:

• An integrated curriculum.BothnationalandCambridgecurriculaforasubjectaremappedtoidentifyareasofoverlapanddifference,andarethencovered:

– Inthesameclassbyabilingualteacherortwoteam-teachers.Thisway,thesameteachingandlearningcanenablelearnerstotaketwoqualifications:thenationalqualificationinthefirstlanguageandtheCambridgequalificationinEnglish.

– Byrotatingclasses/weeks/topics/terms/yearsbetweenthefirstlanguageandEnglish.Sometimes,thelearningisrotatedorsandwichedoverseveralyears.Inthisway,learningstartsintheearlyyearswiththenationalcurriculumthroughthefirstlanguage,thenswitchesforaperiodofyearstotheCambridgecurriculum,whenthis‘learninginEnglish’periodallowsstudentstoworktowardsinternationalqualifications,beforereturningtonationalcurriculumprioritiesinthefinalyears.

Anintegratedcurriculummeansthatthelearningisstreamlinedforthebenefitofthelearner–thelearnerjustgoestoonetimetabledclassforasubject.However,thisdoesrequirecurriculummapping,planningandteachercoordination.

Approach B: Shared subject curriculum

Approach A: Split curriculum


• Two separate curricula.ThenationalandCambridgecurriculaforasubjectarecoveredinseparateclassesandlanguages,withnomappingofareasofoverlap/difference.

Ifthecurriculaareseparate,thenthelearnerisprobablyawarethattheyaregoingtoanationalcurriculumclassandthentoaseparateCambridge(e.g.IGCSE)class.Also,someofthelearningmaybeduplicated.However,thismaybeeasierfortheschooltoorganiseifitishardtomapthetwocurricula,ifthereisnotsufficientcommonalitybetweenthetwocurricula,orifthereisalanguagebarrierwhichpreventsteacherscoordinatingtoproduceandteachasingle,integratedcurriculum.

LearnersinallCambridgeschoolsneedtobeabletocompletetheirstudiesandundertakeassessmentsinsubjectsthroughthemediumofEnglish.WhilethiscanpresentparticularchallengesforlearnerswithEnglishasasecondlanguage,thereareeducationaladvantagesinsupportinglanguagedevelopmentandbilingualism.Notonlyarelearnersbetterpreparedforparticipationinthemodernglobalworld,bilingualismalsohelpssupportindividualcognitivedevelopment.Evenifyouarenotrunningabilingualeducationprogramme,thereareotherwaysofdeveloping‘languageawareness’ininternationalEnglish-mediumschoolsinordertohelpsupportbi/multilingualism.

Aneffectivelanguagepolicycanhelptoachievethis.Wearecommittedtosupportingschoolstodevelopandimplementstrategiestosuccessfullysupportstudentsinmultilingualsettings,andtouseCLIL(seeourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk/bilingualforfurtherinformation).WearealsocommittedtoensuringthatourassessmentsarefairtolearnerswhodonothaveEnglishasafirstlanguage.

The English language componentForlearnershopingtogainentryintouniversitiesinEnglish-speakingcountries,theEnglishlanguagecomponentoftheirlearningprogrammeisreallyimportant.Universitiessettheirownadmissioncriteriaforcourses,whichareusuallyavailableontheirwebsites.FormanyuniversitiesagoodgradeinaCambridgeIGCSEEnglishcoursesatisfiestheiradmissioncriteria.

WeofferanumberofEnglishlanguagecoursesthroughourinternationalprogrammes.Whendecidingwhichcoursetoincludeinyourcurriculum,makesureyouunderstandtherequirementsofthesecourses,includingtheassessmenttasksforeachoptionandanyexaminationrestrictionsorlimitationsthatmayapply.ThisinformationisavailableintherelevantsyllabusesandintheguidancematerialswesendtoCambridge examsofficers.

Cambridge English language qualifications

WeprovidetwopossiblewaysforlearnerstoachievetheEnglishlanguageadmissionrequirementsforuniversitiesandotherhigherlearninginstitutions.

Cambridge English language routeLearnerswhohavehigherEnglishspeakingandwritingcapabilitiescanachievetheirEnglishqualificationsthroughoneofseveralpossiblepathways(seediagramonthenextpage).YoucanalsooffertheCambridgeSecondary1EnglishcoursetoprepareyourlearnersforoneoftheEnglishoptions.ThecourseisassessedthroughtheCambridgeCheckpointtests.


www.cie.org.uk/bilingual



Cambridge Secondary 1

Cambridge Secondary 2 Cambridge Advanced

Cambridge Checkpoint

Cambridge IGCSE courses (2 options) Cambridge International AS Level courses (3 options) International A Level course (1 option)

English

Cambridge English Language Assessment

Cambridge English: Preliminary for Schools (PET for Schools)

English as a second language

0500/0522 English First Language

and/or

0486 English Literature 9695 Literature in English

8693 English Language

8695 Language & Literature in English

9695 Literature in English

Main progression pathways

Cambridge Primary

English




Cambridge English: Key for Schools (KET for Schools)

Cambridge English Language Assessment routeOursisterorganisation,CambridgeEnglishLanguageAssessment(formerlyknownasCambridgeESOL),offersqualificationsacceptedbymanyuniversities,employersandgovernments,suchasCambridge English: Advanced (CAE). These qualificationsareinternationallyacceptedasanin-depthtestofEnglishlanguage.IncombinationwiththeCambridgeSecondary1EnglishasasecondlanguagecourseyoucandeliverafullprogrammeofEnglishlanguagelearningwithintheschoolcurriculum.Makesureyouarefullyawareoftheadmissionrequirementsfortheuniversitiesandinstitutionsyourlearnersmaywanttoattend.

Alternative progression pathways


Cambridge Secondary 2 Cambridge Advanced

Cambridge IGCSE courses (2 options) Cambridge International AS Level courses (3 options)

English


Cambridge English: Preliminary for Schools (PET for Schools)


and/or

0500/0522 English First Language

0486 English Literature 8693 English Language

9695 Literature in English

8695 Language & Literature in English

Cambridge Primary

English





Cambridge English: Key for Schools (KET)


*Agerangesareforguidanceonly

Other subjects with alternative coursesApartfromEnglishlanguage,wehaveanumberofotherCambridgeSecondary2subjectsthathavealternativecourses(detailedattheendofthedocumentonpage58).Thisflexibilityhelpsyouidentifyandselectspecificcoursestomeetyourteachingrequirements.

Someofouralternativesubjectcourseshaveparticularrestrictions(barredcombinations)whenitcomestotheexams.Forexample,learnerscannottakeCambridgeIGCSEMathematicsandCambridgeIGCSEInternationalMathematicsinthesameexamseries.Theserestrictionsdonotmeanyoucannotofferbothcourses;onlythatyourlearnerscannotundertaketheexamsorassociatedassessmentsofthe‘barredcombinations’inthesameexaminationseries.

Cambridge programmes and qualificationsThissectionprovidesanoverviewofthestructureandnatureofCambridgeprogrammesandqualifications.Youcanfindmorespecificinformation,includingalistofallthecoursesavailableateachstage,inthe Cambridge Prospectusavailableonourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk

Cambridgeprogrammesandqualificationshavefourstages,whichleadseamlesslyfromprimarythroughtosecondaryandpre-universityyears.

Theprogrammescanbeimplementedtogetherorseparately,i.e.as‘stand-alone’programmes.Collectively,theyaredesignedtoprovideasequentialprogrammeoflearningfromprimarythroughtotheendofsecondaryeducation.Eachprogrammebuildsupontheprevious,andpreparesforthenext,revealingaprogressiveandstagedapproachtodevelopingknowledge,conceptualunderstanding,skillsandattitudes.

AnotherdesignfeatureofallCambridgeprogrammesisthattheyareintendedtobeadaptedtothelocalcontext.Teacherswillcreateauniqueprogrammeofstudywhichisbasedonourprogrammesandadapted,wheremeaningful,toincludelocalcontentandcasestudies.Thiswillenhancethequalityofteachingandlearning,andensurethatthecurriculumreflectsnationalcultureandheritage.ThereforeitisimportanttodistinguishthewrittenCambridgeprogrammes,definedinourdocumentationandsyllabuses,fromthetaughtcurriculumintheschool,representingthelocalexpressionofourprogrammes.


www.cie.org.uk



Cambridge programme Subjects Assessment

Cambridge Primary

Typicallyfor5to11yearolds,itisstructuredthroughcurriculumframeworksandorganisedintosixstages.Thecurriculumframeworksreflecttheteachingtargetsforeachyeargroupandprovidecomprehensivelearningobjectives.Thelearningobjectivesprovideastructureforteachingandlearningandareferenceagainstwhichlearners’abilityandunderstandingcanbechecked.

Nopartofthecurriculumiscompulsory,soschoolscanselecttheelementsthatarerightfortheirlearners.

Developstheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingthatwillpreparelearnersforasmoothtransitiontoCambridgeSecondary1.

Asix-stageprogrammethatprovidescurriculumframeworksandassessmentforeachofthefollowingsubjects:

• English

• Englishasasecondlanguage

• mathematics

• science.

Eachstagereflectstheteachingtargetsforayeargroup.

Thecurriculumframeworksaredividedintocontentareascalled‘strands’.Mathematicsforexamplehasfivestrands:

• Number

• Geometry

• Measure

• Handlingdata

• Problemsolving.

Anoptionaltestingstructurewithassessmentsthatprovideaninternationalbenchmarkenablingteachersto:

• identifylearnerstrengthsandweaknesseswithinindividualsandclassgroups

• developfurtherteachingandlearningsupportusingtheinformationfrom the test results

• providelearnerswithastatementofachievement(iftheychoosetodoCambridgePrimaryCheckpoint)attheendoftheirprimaryschooling.

Cambridge Primary Progression Tests:Fromstage3ofthecurriculum.Canbegivenwhentheteacherfeelstheclassisready.Markedbytheteachersinschool.

Cambridge Progress Checker:AnanalysistoolfortheCambridgePrimaryProgressionTests.Thisallowsyoutocomparealearner’sresultsagainsttheirclass,schoolorotherschoolsaroundtheworldteachingCambridgePrimary.

Cambridge Primary Checkpoint:DiagnostictestsforEnglish,mathematicsandscience,takenattheendoftheprogramme.Providescomprehensivefeedbackonthestrengthsandweaknessesofeachlearner.

Table 3: Cambridge programmes (Note: More detail, including every subject syllabus, can be found on our website www.cie.org.uk)

Continuedonnextpage.

www.cie.org.uk



Typicallyfor11to14yearolds,itisstructuredthroughcurriculumframeworksandorganisedintothreestages.Thecurriculumframeworksreflecttheteachingtargetsforeachyeargroupandprovidecomprehensivelearningobjectives.Thelearningobjectivesprovideastructureforteachingandlearningandareferenceagainstwhichlearners’abilityandunderstandingcanbechecked.

Nopartofthecurriculumiscompulsory,soschoolscanselecttheelementsthatarerightfortheirlearners.

Developstheskills,knowledgeandunderstandingthatwillpreparelearnersforasmoothtransitiontoCambridgeSecondary2.

Athree-stageprogrammewhichprovidescurriculumframeworksandassessmentforeachofthefollowingsubjects:

• English

• Englishasasecondlanguage

• mathematics

• science.

Eachstagereflectstheteachingtargetsforayeargroup.

Thecurriculumframeworksaredividedintocontentareascalled‘strands’.Mathematicsforexamplehasfourstrands:

• Number

• Algebra

• Geometryandmeasure

• Handlingdata.

Anoptionaltestingstructurewithassessmentsthatprovideaninternationalbenchmarkenablingteachersto:

• identifylearnerstrengthsandweaknesseswithinindividualsandclassgroups

• developfurtherteachingandlearningsupportusingtheinformationfromthetestresults

• providelearnerswithastatementofachievement(iftheychoosetodoCambridgeCheckpoint)attheendoftheirlowersecondaryschooling.

Cambridge Secondary 1 Progression Tests:Foreachstageofthecurriculumframeworks.Canbegivenwhentheteacherfeelstheclassisready.Markedbytheteachersinschool.

Cambridge Progress Checker:AnanalysistoolfortheCambridgeProgressionTests.Thisallowsyoutocomparealearner’sresultsagainsttheirclass,schoolorotherschoolsaroundtheworldteachingCambridgeSecondary1.

Cambridge Checkpoint:DiagnostictestsforEnglish,mathematicsandsciencetakenattheendoftheprogramme.Providescomprehensivefeedbackonthestrengthsandweaknessesofeachlearner.


Typicallyforlearnersaged14to16,itbuildsonthefoundationsofCambridgeSecondary1.Thesyllabusesforqualificationswithinthisprogrammeuselearner-centredandenquiry-basedapproachestolearning.Theydescribetheknowledge,understandingandskillslearnerswilldevelopandexplainhowthesewillbeassessed.

CambridgeSecondary2providesexcellentprogressiontothenextstageofaCambridgeinternationaleducation–CambridgeAdvancedfor16to19years–aswellasotherprogressionroutes.

Aone-ortwo-yearprogrammeofferingover70subjectsforCambridgeIGCSE,includingmorethan30languagecourses,andmorethan40subjectsforCambridgeOLevel.

Schoolscanofferanycombinationofsubjects.Eachsubjectiscertificatedseparately.

Cambridge IGCSE:Assessmenttakesplaceattheendofthecourse.Thereisarangeofassessmentoptions,includingwritten,oral,courseworkandpracticalassessment.Manysubjectsofferatieredstructurefordifferentabilitylevels.Gradesarebenchmarkedusingeightinternationallyrecognisedgrades,whichhaveclearguidelinestoexplainthestandardofachievement.

Cambridge O Level:Assessmentstakeplaceattheendofthecourse.Thereisarangeofassessmentoptions,includingwritten,practicalandoralassessment.Gradesarebenchmarkedusingsixinternationallyrecognisedgrades.

CambridgeOLevelsarenolongeravailabletoschoolsinadministrativezones1,2and6.Formoreinformationonadministrativezones,gotowww.cie.org.uk/helpandtype‘administrativezone’intothesearchfield.





Cambridge Primary and Cambridge Secondary 1BothCambridgePrimaryandCambridgeSecondary1programmesprovideacorecurriculumofthreesubjectareas,leavingplentyofsubjectchoicestofurtherbroadenthecurriculum.Studyingallofthesubjectsisnotcompulsoryandtheycanbeintegratedintoalocalornationalcurriculum.Theassessmentstructureforeachprogrammeisalsooptional,givingyoutheflexibilitytodecidehowandwhenyouwanttoassessyourlearners.Weproduceateacherguideforeachsubjectcurriculumarea,whichbringstogetherschemesofwork,samplelessonplans,planningandimplementationguidance.Therearealsodetailedschemesofworkwithsuggestionsforactivities,resourcesandtimingsforeachlearningobjectivewithinthecurriculumframeworks.

ForCambridgePrimaryandCambridgeSecondary1,theemphasisofassessmentisonsupportingstudentlearningandbenchmarking.CambridgePrimaryCheckpointandCambridgeCheckpoint–diagnostictestsattheendofbothprogrammes–arealsorecordedbystatementsofachievementanddetailedfeedbackreportsforboththelearnerand the school.

Cambridge Secondary 2TheCambridgeSecondary2programmehasanextensiverangeofsubjectsavailableatCambridgeIGCSEorCambridgeOLevel,allowingyoutodesignabroadandbalancedcurriculum,oramorespecialisedone,dependingonyoureducationalaims.Someschoolsoptforaspecialisedprogrammewithanumberofcompulsorysubjectsandonly


Typicallyfor16to19yearolds,ithelpslearnerstodevelopdeepunderstanding,andindependentlearningandcriticalthinkingskills,whichuniversitiesvaluehighly.ItbuildsonthefoundationsofCambridgeSecondary2andleadstoentrytouniversitiesworldwide.

Offersachoiceofover80differentsubjects:55forCambridgeInternationalALeveland28forCambridgePre-U.

Schoolscanofferalmostanycombinationofthewidechoiceofsubjectsavailable.

Learnersreceiveacertificatedgradeforeachsubjecttheytake.

Cambridge International AS and A Levels:Usearangeofassessmentoptions,includingastagedassessmentroute.Thereareawiderangeofoptionsincludingformalwrittenexaminations,orals,practicals,projectsandcoursework.Gradesarebenchmarkedusingsixinternationallyrecognisedgrades.

Cambridge Pre-U:AssessmentofCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsisattheendofthetwo-yearcourse.Thereisarangeofninegrades,includinganextendedgraderangeatthetoptorecogniseoutstandingachievement.ThereistheoptiontoqualifyfortheCambridgePre-UDiplomaforlearnerstakingthreePrincipalSubjectsandCambridgePre-UGlobalPerspectivesandResearch.CambridgePre-UShortCoursesareavailableinsomesubjects.Thesearetypicallyone-yearcourses,withexamstakenattheend.

CambridgePre-UGlobalPerspectivesandResearchhelpsdevelopindependentthinking,researchandcommunicationskills.Itisexaminedthroughanexternallyassessedwrittenpaper,essay andpresentation.

AtthemomentschoolsoutsidetheUKneedourapprovalbeforetheycanofferCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjects.


Cambridge Advanced



afew(orevenno)learnerelectives.Othersgivelearnersmorechoice.Decisionsaboutofferingchoiceneedtobebalancedagainstthecostofresourcingthecurriculum.Thenumberofstaffneededtoteachtheschoolcurriculum,andthenumberandtypeofnecessaryspecialistfacilities,arelikelytobegreaterthemorecoursesareoffered.

CambridgeIGCSEandCambridgeOLevelcanbestudiedoveroneortwoyears.Inmostschoolslearnersstudyupto10subjects,andveryoccasionallymore,overaperiodoftwoyears.Inothers,learnersstudyareducednumberofsubjects,typicallyaboutsix,overasingleyear.ReducingtheCambridgeSecondary2programmetoaone-yearperiodhasadirectinfluenceonthebalanceofthecurriculum,asthecurriculumwillbenarrowerforanyindividuallearnerstudyingfewersubjects.Someschoolsallowveryablelearnerstostudyforexamsinselectedsubjectsayearearlier.

SomeCambridgeIGCSEsubjectsoffertwostudyoptions.Thesearereferredtoas‘core’and‘supplement’curriculumoptions.Thesupplementarycurriculumcanbestudiedinadditiontothecorecurriculum.Thisprovidesanopportunitytostudythesubjectinmoredepthandexperiencewidercoverageofthecontentwithinadditionallearningcontexts.

What is a Cambridge IGCSE?IGCSEstandsforInternationalGeneralCertificateofSecondaryEducation.Over70subjectsareavailable,includingmorethan30languagecourses,offeringavarietyofroutesforlearnersofdifferentabilities.Schoolscanofferanycombinationofsubjectsandeachsubjectiscertificatedseparately.

• ACambridgeIGCSEistheformalrecognitionofalearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Thecontentofthecourseisbasedonaninternationalcurriculumdevelopedfor14to16yearolds(althoughitcanbestudiedbyyoungerorolderlearners).

• Thecontentofeachcourseiscreatedtosuitawidevarietyofschoolsandavoidculturalbias.Itencourageslearner-centredandenquiry-basedapproachestolearning.Ithelpstodevelopcreativethinking,enquiryandproblem-solvingskills.

• Eachqualificationismadeupofanumberofassessments(calledcomponents),themajorityofwhichtakeplaceattheendofthecourse.Themethodsofassessmentincludewrittenpapers,orals,courseworkandpracticals.

• Learnershavetopassaparticularcombinationoftheseassessmentstoachievethequalification.Themajorityofsyllabusesofferlearnersandteachersdifferentassessmentoptionsthroughwhichtoachievethequalification.Thisbroadensopportunitiesforstudentstodemonstratetheirlearning,particularlywhentheirfirstlanguageis not English.

• IntheUKCambridgeIGCSEisacceptedasanequivalenttotheGCSE.

• CambridgeIGCSEassessmentstandardsarealignedtothoseoftheUKGCSEandareequivalentonasubject-for-subject,grade-for-gradebasis.ThegradesawardedareA*toG,withA*beingthehighest,andaredesignedtocoverawideabilityrange.

• ThemaindifferencesbetweenCambridgeIGCSEandGCSEsareinthesyllabuscontentandmethodsofassessment:


• MostIGCSEsubjectshaveanoptionalcourseworkelement,whereaswithmanyGCSEsubjectsitiscompulsory.

• ThecontentofIGCSEsubjectsistailoredtothemulticultural,multilingualaudiencetheyserve,inawaytheGCSEisnot.

• CambridgeIGCSEsubjectsarelinear.Subjectunderstandingofthewholecourseisassessed;itisnotbrokendownintomodules.

What is a Cambridge O Level?OLevelstandsforOrdinaryLevel,andisaninternationallyrecognisedqualificationequivalenttotheUKGeneralCertificateofSecondaryEducation(GCSE)andCambridgeIGCSE.Over50subjectsareavailabletoschools,exceptthoseinadministrativezones1,2and6.

• ACambridgeOLevelistheformalrecognitionofalearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Thecontentofthecourseisbasedonaninternationalcurriculumdevelopedfor14to16yearolds(althoughitcanbestudiedbyyoungerorolderlearners).

• Thequalificationsweredevelopedfromtheacademicallyfocused OLevelintroducedintheUKinthe1950sandeventuallyreplacedby theGCSE.

• ThecontentofeachCambridgeOLevelsyllabusisdesignedespeciallyforaninternationalmarket,andissensitivetotheneedsofdifferent countries.

• Eachqualificationismadeupofanumberofassessments(calledcomponents),themajorityofwhichtakeplaceattheendofthecourse.Themethodsofassessmentincludewrittenpapers,orals andpracticals.

• Learnershavetopassaparticularcombinationoftheseassessmentstoachievethequalification.Someofthesyllabusesofferlearnersandteachersdifferentassessmentoptionsthroughwhichtoachievethequalification.Thisbroadensopportunitiesforstudentstodemonstratetheirlearning,particularlywhentheirfirstlanguageisnotEnglish.

• IntheUK,CambridgeOLevelisacceptedasanequivalentto theGCSE.

• CambridgeOLevelassessmentstandardsarealignedtothoseoftheGCSE,andareequivalentonasubject-for-subject,grade-for-gradebasis.ThegradesawardedareA*toE,withA*beingthehighest.

ThemaindifferencebetweenCambridgeOLevelandGCSEandCambridgeIGCSEisthegraderange:OLevelsaregradedonanA*toEscale,whileCambridgeIGCSEsareonanA*toGscale,soprovidingforaslightlywiderabilityrange.SyllabuscontentandassessmentsaregenerallyverysimilarforCambridgeOLevelandCambridgeIGCSE,althoughinmanysubjectstheassessmentmodelatCambridgeIGCSEadditionallyincludescourseworkoptions.

Cambridge AdvancedBythetimelearnersbeginstudyingtheCambridgeAdvancedprogrammetheyarelikelytowanttoaccessmorespecialisedprogrammesofstudydependingupontheircurrentinterests,ambitionsforhigherlearningandpotentialcareerpaths.However,itisstillpossibletostudyawiderangeofdifferentsubjectsatthislevel,creatingabroadprogrammeofstudy,andtheco-curricularprogrammecanaddbreathandbalancetotheeducationalexperience.

What are Cambridge International AS and A Level?• ALevelstandsforAdvancedLevelandASLevelstandsforAdvanced

Subsidiary.AnASLevelcontainshalfthecontentofthecorrespondingALevelandcanbecompletedinoneyear.Thisallowsforflexibility,aslearnerscancompleteASLevelsasqualificationsintheirownrightorasthefirsthalfofanALevel,forwhichtheyareallowedtocarryforwardtheirASresult.Somelearnerstakealltheassessmentsfortheirfull ALevelattheendofthesecondyear(seethefollowingsection,‘PlanningaCambridgeInternationalASandALevelprogramme’).

• CambridgeInternationalASandALevelarethenamesofthequalificationsthatformallyrecognisealearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Thecontentofthecourseismorein-depththanCambridgeIGCSEorOLevel.Itisbasedonaninternationalcurriculumdevelopedfor16to19yearoldspreparingforhighereducation.




• TheassessmentstandardsofCambridgeInternationalALevelsarealignedtothoseofUKALevelsandareequivalentonasubject-for-subject,grade-for-gradebasis.ThegradesawardedareA*toE,withA*beingthehighest.ThereisnoA*gradinginthecertificationofCambridgeInternationalASLevels.CambridgeInternationalAandASLevelsare,therefore,viewedasequivalenttoASandALevelqualificationstakenbylearnersintheUK.

• ThemaindifferencesbetweenCambridgeInternationalASand ALevelqualificationsandtheUKASandALevelqualificationsexist inthesyllabuscontentandmethodsofassessment:

– CambridgeInternationalALevelsaredifferentinstructurefromUKALevels.WhereasUKALevelsaremodularandlearnerscanretakeindividualcomponents(assessments),theCambridgeInternationalALevelshavealinearstructurewhichencouragesamoreintegratedstudyoftheentiresubject.

– Thecontextorexamplesusedinthesyllabusesandassessmentsaredesignedtobeculturallysensitiveandtoprovideaninternationalcontext.

– ThereisawiderrangeofsubjectsavailableatCambridgeInternationalALevel,forexamplethewiderangeof languagesoffered.

What is Cambridge Pre-U?• CambridgePre-Uisanewqualificationdesignedtohelpschools

equiplearnerswiththeskillstheyneedtosucceedatuniversity.Thequalificationformallyrecognisesalearner’sachievementattheendofaparticularsubjectcourse.Itisbasedonacurriculumthatpromotesdeepunderstandingofsubjectsthroughspecialisation.

• LearnerscantakeCambridgePre-Uqualificationsseparately,andreceivegradesforeachone,orchoosethreePrincipalSubjectstoachievetheCambridgePre-UDiploma.ToachievetheDiplomatheyalsoneedtocompleteGlobalPerspectivesandResearch,aqualificationthatgiveslearnersthechancetodevelopindependentthinking,researchandcommunicationskills.

• CambridgePre-Ushortcoursesarealsoavailableinsomesubjects.Thesearetypicallyone-yearcourseswithexamstakenattheend.

• CambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsareassessedattheendofthetwo-yearcourse.

• CambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsarerecognisedbyUKuniversitiesasequivalenttoALevels.

• CambridgePre-Uqualificationshaveanextendedgraderangeatthetoptorecogniseoutstandingachievement.Thegradesawardedarereportedonanine-gradescale,reflectingthreebroadbandsofachievement:Distinction,MeritandPass.Eachbandissub-dividedintothreegrades:Distinction1,2,3(D1,D2,D3),Merit1,2,3(M1,M2,M3)andPass1,2,3(P1,P2,P3).EachsubjectalearnertakesatCambridgePre-Ureceivesaseparategrade,forexample,D3.

SchoolsoutsidetheUKneedourapprovalbeforetheyofferCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjects.IfyouareinterestedinofferingCambridgePre-UPrincipalSubjectsoutsidetheUK,[email protected]

Planning a Cambridge International AS and A Level programmeTherearethreedifferentapproachesforplanningandschedulingCambridgeInternationalALevel(seeTable4).Eachapproachwillhaveadifferenteffectonthestructureoftheschoolcurriculumandtheschooltimetable.Forexample,Approach2allows‘multi-levelling’wherelearnersmaybestudyingbothCambridgeInternationalASandALevelcoursesinthesameyear.Asaconsequence,anASBiologyclassmayhavelearnersfromthetwofinalschoolyearsstudyingfortheCambridgeInternationalASLevelqualification.Approach3hasthepotentialtoprovidethebroadestandmostbalancedcurriculumbutthecompromiseislessspecialisation.Thisneedstobeconsideredinlightofhighereducationentryrequirements.InmanycountriesASLevelstandardsareacceptedbutinotherstheyarenot.

mailto:[email protected]



InthisexamplethelearnerhasselectedaprogrammethatwillresultinthreeCambridgeInternationalALevelsinHistory,GeographyandFrenchandoneASLevelinGlobalPerspectives.

Approach 1 Approach 2 Approach 3

A‘non-staged’assessmentroute.LearnerstakeallpapersoftheCambridgeInternationalALevelcourseinthesameexaminationseries,usuallyattheendofthesecondyearofstudy.

A‘staged’assessmentroute.LearnerstaketheCambridgeInternationalASLevelinYear1and/orYear2andcompletethefinalCambridgeInternationalALevelinthe second series.

CambridgeInternationalASLevelonly.LearnerstaketheCambridgeInternationalASLevelexamsonly.ThesyllabuscontentforCambridgeInternationalASLevelishalfofaCambridgeInternationalALevelprogramme.

Alearnerwhosuccessfullycompletesthenon-stagedoptionwillnormallyhavestudiedthreeorfourCambridgeInternationalALevelcourses.

Alearnerwhosuccessfullycompletesthestagedassessmentoptionmighthaveoutcomesthatinclude:• threeCambridgeInternationalALevelsand

oneASLevel(firstexamplebelow)• twoCambridgeInternationalALevelsand

fourASLevels(secondexamplebelow)• threeCambridgeInternationalALevelsand

twoASLevels(thirdexamplebelow).

AlearnerwhosuccessfullycompletestheCambridgeInternational ASLevelonlyassessmentoptionmighthavestudiedeightCambridgeInternationalASLevelcourses,completingfourineachyear.Thiscouldrepresentabroadandbalancedcurriculumbutwithlessspecialisationanddepth.

Table 4: Cambridge International AS and A Level assessment options

Curriculum level Subjects selected for study

Firstyear ASLevelGlobalPerspectives ASLevelHistory ASLevelGeography ASLevelFrench

Secondyear ALevelHistory ALevelGeography ALevelFrench

InthefollowingexamplealearnerhasselectedaprogrammethatwillresultintwoCambridgeInternationalALevelsinMathematicsandEconomics.TheyhavebroadenedtheirprogrammebyselectinganadditionaltwoASLevelsubjectsinthefinalyear.TogetherwiththeirfirstyearASLevelsubjectstheywillachievefourCambridgeInternationalASLevelqualifications:EnglishLiterature,Biology,ArtandDesignandGlobalPerspectives.


Firstyear ASLevelLiterature–English ASLevelMathematics ASLevelBiology ASLevelEconomics

Secondyear ASLevelArt&Design ALevelMathematics ASLevelGlobalPerspectives ALevelEconomics


Timetabling the curriculumWhileitisimportanttostartthecurriculumplanningprocessbydesigningaschoolcurriculumthatdeliverstheschool’smission,therearealsopracticaltimetablingissuesthatwillneedtobeconsideredfromtheoutset.Thesearelargelydeterminedbyschoolcontext,locallawsandpractices,andthescaleoftheschoolbudgettosupportresourcing.Thissectionaimstobrieflyhighlightsomeofthese.

Yourschoolvision,missionandeducationalaimswillinfluenceanumberoftimetablingdecisionsincluding:

• Howmuchflexibilityyoubuildintothecurriculumtoallowlearnerstoselectoptionsand,whereapplicable,optionswithinsubjects.

• Theextent,natureofco-curricularactivitiesandexpectationsorrequirementsforlearnerparticipationinthese.

• Theinclusionofanyadditionalcoursesorprogrammesyouwanttoofferthatdonotendinsomeformofexternalassessment,suchasreligiouseducation,valueseducation,culturalorheritagecourses,studentleadershipandcareerexperienceprogrammes.Decisionsaboutwhetherornotthesearecompulsory.

• Whetheryouintroducemulti-levellingsothatlearnersindifferentyeargroupscanbescheduledinthesameclassdependingontheirneeds.

• Thelengthoftheschoolday,numberofdays’schoolingaweekandlengthoftheschoolyear.

Thetimetablehastobedevelopedwithintheresourceconstraintsofyourschool.Theseconstraintsinclude:

• numberofteachingandsupportstaff

• staffcontractsstipulatingconditionsandexpectations

• subjectexpertiseandexperienceoftheteachingstaff

• availabilityofclassroomsandspecialistrooms–forexample,sciencelaboratoriesandtechnologyrooms

• availableresourcesforlanguagesupport,specialeducationalneedsandgiftedlearningprogrammes.

Factorsinfluencingtimetabledecisionscanalsobeconsideredintermsofinternalandexternaldrivers.


Intheexamplebelowthelearnerfollowsamorespecialisedprogramme,resultinginthreeCambridgeInternationalALevelssupportedbytwoCambridgeInternationalASLevelawards.InthiscaseCambridgeInternationalASLevelBusinessStudiesreinforcesthemathematics–economicscombination,withapossiblecareerinthefinancialworldinmind.Ontheotherhandthiscouldbecriticisedasbeingoverspecialised,anditmightbepreferableforthelearnertoselectadifferentsortofdiscipline,forexampleartorglobalperspectives.


Firstyear ASLevelLiterature–English ASLevelMathematics ASLevelBiology ASLevelEconomics

Secondyear ALevelLiterature–English ALevelMathematics ASLevelBusinessStudies ALevelEconomics

Learnersneedguidancetoensurethattheirintendedcourseofstudyprovidesthelearningandqualificationstheyneed,eitherforadmissionintohigherlevelstudiesorforpursuingaparticularcareer.Consideringadmissionrequirements,forbothnationalandinternationaluniversitiesandotherhigherlearninginstitutions,isimportantwhenconstructingyourcurriculumandqualificationpathways.


Whenconstructingthetimetableyouhavetodecidehowmuchteachingtimetoallocatetoeachsubject.Thiscanbeexpressedinhoursaweekbut,becauseschoolsoperatedifferentannualcalendars,itisoftenbettercalculatedashoursperyear.Thisequatestothenumberofperiodsperweekmultipliedbythedurationoftheseallocatedperiodsandthenumberofweeksintheschoolyear.Someschoolsoperatetimetablesona10-day(two-weekly)cycleorsomeothersystemofrotation,forexampleaneight-daycycle.Thiscancreateflexibility.

Werecommendthefollowingguidedlearninghourallocationsforourinternationalprogrammes:


Internal influences External influences

Organisationstructure Cambridgeprogrammerequirements

Resourcesincludingstaffandfacilities Cambridgequalificationrequirements

Compulsorysubjectsoroptions(degreeoflearnerchoice)

Recommendedhoursaweekfor eachsubject

Englishlanguagecapabilityoflearners Nationalcurriculumandqualificationrequirements

Multi-levellingorfixedschoolyears Externalagencyrequirements,forexample,ministryofeducation

Co-curriculum.Additionalcoursesandactivitiesoutsidecorecurriculum

Universityadmissionscriteria

Employmentcontracts RequirementtotakeexamsinEnglish

Corevssupplementary subjectoptions

Table 5: Factors influencing timetable decisions

Programme Recommended weekly teaching time

CambridgeSecondary1 Approximatelythreetofourhourspersubject perweek.

CambridgeSecondary2 About130hours*persubjectcompletedinoneyear(ifscheduledforoneyear)or,morenormally,spreadoutovertwoyearswithlearnersdoingmoresubjects.

CambridgeAdvanced • Stagedoption: 180hours*persubjectforeachCambridgeInternationalASLevelcourse.

• Non-stagedoption: 360hours*persubjectoverthe two-yearcourse.

*Includesteachingtimeanddirectedstudy.Doesnotaccountfortheindependentstudythelearnerisexpectedtocarryout.WerecommendthatlearnersaregivenopportunitiesforindependentstudyoutsideofnormaltimetabledlessonsforCambridgeSecondary2andCambridgeAdvancedcourses.


Therearealargevarietyofmodelsyoucanfollowforstructuringlearninghoursintothetimetable.ThefollowingexampleisbasedonpracticeinoneCambridgeschoolandisintendedtobeillustrativeofonemodel.Detailedconsiderationofdifferenttimetableoptionsisbeyondthescopeof this guide.

Inthistimetablethedayisdividedintonineteachingperiodsof40minutes’duration.FortheYear8level,mostperiodsaresingleperiodsof40minutesinlength.Periodscanbecombinedtoformdoubleperiodswhichallowanextendedperiodoftimeforparticularsubjectsoractivities.Forexample,thedoubleperiodforsciencegivesthetimeneededtocarryoutpracticalexperiments,andphysicaleducationforsportsandthetimeneededforchanging.

InYear12(higher)levelssubjectsaremostlyscheduledwithdoubleperiods,providing80minutesforlessons.Eachsubjecthasequalamountsofallocatedteachingtime,withthreedoubleperiodsandonesingleperiodthroughouttheweek,equatingtofourhoursand40minutespersubjectperweek.Becauseofthegreaterdegreeofspecialisationatthislevel,itispossiblefortheschooltoschedulesubjectstobetaughtatthesametime(forexamplemathsAandmathsB(periods3and4)andchemistry,historyandgeography(period7)basedonthefactthatnolearners,orasfewaspossible,wanttostudymorethanoneofthecombinationsofsubjectstimetabledtogether).

Someschoolshavelongerschooldaysforolderlearnerssothatmoretimeisavailable.Thiscouldbeeveryschooldayoronspecificdays.Extendingthedaytoaccommodatethecurriculumisawaytoincreasetheamountofteachingtimeforsubjects,ortoincreasethenumberofsubjectsonoffer.Dependingonalearner’schoiceofsubjectstheymayhavestudyperiodsallocatedintheschooldaytoworkonprojectsorinthelibrary.Thisisconsistentwiththeaimofcreatingindependentandresponsiblelearnersbutwillalsodependontheschool’sabilitytoprovidethefacilitieslearnersneedandtheirattitudetolearnershavingtimetomanageontheirown.

Thelengthoftimetabledperiodscanhaveanimpactonthetypesofpedagogyusedinclassrooms.Teacherswilloftenadapttheirteachingstyleandthetypesofactivitiestheycreatetofittheavailablelessonduration.Thereisatendencyforshorterperiodstobecomedominatedbyteacher-ledlearningwithlimiteduseofactivelearningactivities.Inthesameway,longerlessonscanbecomewastefulifteachershavenotplannedandpreparedenoughworktofilltheentirelesson.Aspartoftheschool’squalityassuranceprogrammeyouneedtomakesureteachershavetherightamountoftimeforengagingandeffectivelessons.Ideally,thereshouldbeenoughtimefortheteachertorunseveraldifferentactivities,includingactivelearningandskilldevelopmentopportunities,whichcollectivelyfulfiltheprescribedrequirementsofthesyllabus or curriculum.


Period Time of day Year 8 class Year 12 class

1 8.00–8.40 English ArtBusiness StudiesIT2 8.40–9.20 Arabic

Break

3 9.40–10.20 Religious Studies Mathematics AMathematics B4 10.20–11.00 Mathematics

5 11.00–11.40Science English

6 11.40–12.20

Lunch

7 13.00–13.40Physical Education

Chemistry/History Geography

8 13.40–14.20 Second Language (French, Mandarin, Spanish)9 14.20–15.00 Geography

Example A: Monday’s timetable for Years 8 and 12 Example: Monday’s timetable for Years 8 and 12



Facilities to support the curriculumInadditiontoeffectiveteachers,schoolsneedtoprovidesuitablelearningenvironmentssupportiveofthecurriculum.Schoolswillhaveverydifferentresourcingbudgetsbut,ataminimum,learningspacesshouldsupportyourteachersindeliveringinteractiveandstimulatinglessons.Eachlearningspaceshouldbesuitableforthenumberofstudentsandthetypeofactivitiesthatwilltakeplaceinthem.Thingstothinkabouthere include:

• Activitiesthatwilltakeplaceforparticularcourseworkcomponents.

• Subjectsthatrequireparticularequipment,resourcesanddifferentiatedlearningspaces,suchasart,physicaleducation,musicanddance.

• Sciencelaboratoriesandthenecessarysafetyrequirements.YoucanfindoutmoreaboutourrequirementsinourPlanning for Practical Sciencedocumentavailableatwww.cie.org.uk/help

• Anyculturalissuesthatmayimpactthewayyousetupyourlearningenvironments.

Libraries,oftencalledmediaorlearningresourcecentres,provideareasforlearnerstoworkwiththeirteachersonresearchprojectsorindividualassignmentsduringscheduledclasses.Learnerscanalsousethesefacilitiesduringscheduledstudyperiods,iftheyhavethem,duringbreaktimesandbeforeandafterschool.Someschoolslinkwithlocalcommunityfacilitiestoprovidethisresource.Usuallytheseareasarealsoequippedwithcomputersandotherelectronicresourcesconnectedtotheschool’sinternalnetworkorintranet,andtotheinternet.Ideallyschoollibraries(orsomeotherlocation)willhavededicatedresourcestosupporttheprofessionaldevelopmentofteachingstaff,forexample:

• professionaldevelopmentbooksandmagazines

• electronicjournals

• accesstoprofessionalteachersitesandforums

• accesstosubjectwebsites

• writtenreferencematerials.

ApartfromtheICTresourceslocatedinthelibrary,teacherswilloftenhaveaccesstoboththeschool’sintranetandtheinternetintheirclassroomsandworkspaces.Manytraditionalteachingresourcesarebeingreplacedorsupplementedbyonlineresourcesandcommerciallypurchased,orfree-to-download,softwareresources.

Learnersoftenhaveaccesstocomputersandtheinternetintheclassroom.Thiscanenhancetheteachingprogrammebyprovidingopportunitiesfordifferentiatedlearningapproachesthattargettheindividuallearningneedsofeachstudent.Computersinclassroomscanalsoprovideadditionalopportunitiesforextensionworkformorecapablelearners,aswellasprovidingaccesstoadditionalsupportorresourcesforlearnerswithparticularneeds.Forthesereasons,someschoolsprovidelearnerswithlaptopsortabletsforuseatschool.

Toofferourexaminationsyoumustmakesureyourfacilitiesandprocessesmeetourregulations.TheseregulationsarepublishedintheCambridge Handbook.Wesendahardcopyofthehandbooktoexamsofficersinourregisteredschoolseachyear.Itisalsoavailableonourwebsiteatwww.cie.org.uk/examsofficers

Oneofourrequirementsisthateachschoolhassecureprocessesandstoragefacilitiesforreceivingandstoringexaminationquestionpapersandotherexaminationmaterials,includingcompletedanswerscripts.WerecommendthatyoureadtherelevantsectionsoftheCambridge Handbooktohelpyouplantheintroductionofyournewcurriculum.

www.cie.org.uk/help

www.cie.org.uk/profiles/exams_officers


Leadership

Schoolsofferingourprogrammesoperateusingmanydifferentadministrativestructures.Manyarestatefundedwhileothersareindependent.Someschoolsareproprietaryandcommercialwhileothersarerunbyschoolboardsandarenotforprofit.Relevantinthecontextofthisguidearetheprinciplesandpracticesofleadershipthataremostlikelytosupportthedevelopmentofanoutstandingcurriculum.Thesecanbemadetoworkinavarietyofdifferentstructures.Thischapterprovidesanoverviewofsomeimportantprinciplesandpracticesrelatingtoleadershipofcurriculum,evaluationandprofessionaldevelopment.

Withinthesenioradministrativeteamofaschooldifferentmanagementresponsibilitieswillbeassignedtodifferentindividuals.Leadership,however,shouldbeidentifiedasacollectiveresponsibilityirrespectiveofhowtheadministrativehierarchyoftheschoolisstructured.Leadershipinthiscontextisaprocessratherthanapositionofauthority.Itinvolvescreating,implementing,monitoring,reviewingandrefiningpracticesandsystemssothatstudentlearningisimproved.Strongleadershipisnecessaryforthedesignanddevelopmentofaneffectivecurriculumandoveralleducationalexcellenceinaschool.

Leadershipandmanagementfunctionsrelatingtothecurriculuminclude:

1. Curriculumplanningandevaluation.2. Instructionalleadership.3. Teacherrecruitmentandevaluation.4. Professionaldevelopment(PD).5. Developmentandimplementationofqualityassurancepoliciesand

procedures.6. Managingchange.7. Involvementwiththeschoolandlocalcommunity.8. Managementoftheassessmentprocessandrelationshipswith

Cambridge(examsofficer).9. Timetable(consideredinthepreviouschapter).10.Studentadmissions,progressionthroughtheschoolandguidanceon

tohighereducation.

Curriculum planning and evaluationPlanningthecurriculumhasbeenconsideredinearlierchapters.Periodiccurriculumevaluation,definedhereasevidenced-based judgement with a view to improving practice,isacriticalprocessthatsupportsongoingimprovement.Arigorousevaluationprocess,togetherwithsoundqualityassurancesupportedbyatargetedprofessionaldevelopmentprogramme,willhelpensurethatthecurriculumisaccomplishingitspurpose.Evaluationprocesseswillgenerateimportantfeedbackonwhathasbeenachievedtodateandidentifywhatneedsmorework.SomeofthekeyquestionsthatevaluationsshouldaddressareidentifiedinTable6,althoughthisisbynomeansacompletelist.

Thischapterbrieflyconsiderstheimportantroleplayedbyleadership,evaluationofthecurriculum,evaluationofteacherslinkedtoprofessionaldevelopmentandthedevelopmentofspecificschoolpoliciesandpractices.Theseareallimportanttohelpensurethatthecurriculumlearnersactuallyexperienceisascloseaspossibletothecurriculumtheschoolintendsthemtoexperience.

Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity4

1 Curriculumplanningandevaluation.

2 Instructionalleadership.

3 Teacherrecruitmentandevaluation.

4 Professionaldevelopment(PD).

5 Developmentandimplementationofqualityassurancepoliciesandprocedures.

6 Managingchange.

7 Involvementwiththeschoolandlocalcommunity.

8 ManagementoftheassessmentprocessandrelationshipswithCambridge(examsofficer).

9 Timetable(consideredinthepreviouschapter).

10 Studentadmissions,progressionthroughtheschoolandguidanceontohighereducation.


Manyschoolsusearecognisedevaluation/accreditationframeworktosupporttheprocessofcurriculumandwhole-schoolevaluation.Thesewillprovidetheirownlistofquestions,processesandcriteria.Often

theseareexternal,providedbynationalorinternationalauthorities.Whatisimportantisthattheyleadtoschoolimprovementandthatthewholeschoolcommunityisinvolvedinrelevantevaluationanddevelopmentactivitiessothateveryonetakesownershipoftheprocess.

4. Leadership, curriculum evaluation and building school capacity

Area for review Examples of questions

Curriculum planning Doestheschool’scurriculum:

• deliverthemostappropriateprogrammeofstudytosupporttheschool’smissionandeducationalaims?

• deliverabalanced,coherentandconsistentprogrammeoflearningwithclearandsmoothprogressionroutesdesignedfortheneedsoflearners?

• appropriatelychallengeallabilitylevels?

• recognisethelanguagebackgroundoflearnersandprovidethemwiththesupporttheyneedtoaccessthecurriculum?

• providesufficientopportunityforlearnerchoice?

• providepathwaysthatenablelearnerstoachievetheentranceoradmissionrequirementsforuniversity,highereducationcoursesandemployment?

• provideaco-curricularprogrammethatsupportstheschool’smission?

Quality assurance policies and practices

• Areyourqualityassurancepoliciesandpracticesfitforpurpose,clearintheirintentandeasilyunderstood?

• Howdoyouknowthattheschool’squalityassurancepoliciesarebeingadheredto?

• Whatareasneedadditionalqualityassurancepoliciesandpractices?

Teacher evaluation

Fulfilling Cambridge (and other qualification) subject requirements

Effective delivery of learning and meeting learner needs

• Arethestatedaimsofthecurriculumbeingaddressedwithintheteachingprogramme?

• Areteachersteachingtothesyllabuscorrectly,coveringalltheprescribedcontentandskills?

• Isthereevidencethatteachersareusingavarietyofappropriateteachingstrategiesandlearningactivities?

• Aretheassessmentobjectivesandmethodologyforassessmentbeingrespected?

• Arecourseworkcomponentsbeingcorrectlyimplementedandsupported?

• Isthereevidencethatteachersareusingformativeassessmentappropriatelytoinformtheirteachingpractice?

• Isthereevidencethatteachersaredifferentiatingtheirpracticetotheneedsofindividuallearners?

• Dolearningactivitiesprovideopportunitiesforthedevelopmentofthedesiredskillsandlearnerattributes?

• Howaretheviewsoflearnerstakenintoaccount?

• Isthereaprocessoflessonobservationwithsupportivefeedbacktoeffectimprovementsinteachingandlearning?

• Arelessonssupportedwithsufficientresources,suitableforthelevelofstudy?

• Dolessonsincludetopicsofnationalrelevancebystructuringanddeliveringcontentinlocalcontexts?

Table 6: Curriculum planning and evaluation: Some essential questions




Professional development • Areallteachersengaginginsuitableprofessionaldevelopmentactivitiestoensuresuccessfulimplementationofthedesiredcurriculum?

• Isyourprofessionaldevelopmentprogrammemeetingthespecificneedsofteachersandtherequirementsofthestrategicplan?

• Isthebalancebetweeninternalandexternalprofessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesappropriate?

• Whatevidencedoyouhavethattheprofessionaldevelopmentprogrammeispositivelyinfluencingclassroompractice orlearnerachievement?

Resources and facilities • Arefacilitiesandadministrativeresourcesappropriatetosupportteachingprogrammes?

• Dolearnersandteachershaveaccesstoappropriatelibrary/mediacentreandITresources?

• Areappropriatestudentwelfareandlearningsupportservicesprovided?

• Doyouhaveappropriatefacilitiesforthesecurityofexaminationmaterial?

Formal examinations and qualifications

• DoyouhaveanexamsofficertomanagetheadministrationofanyCambridgeexamsyouoffer?

• IsthereaprocessinplacetomakesuretheexamsofficercarriesouttheirdutiesinlinewithCambridgerequirements?

• AretheCambridge(andnational)examinationrequirementsandproceduresbeingstrictlyadheredto?

• Arethemechanismsforcheckingaccuracyin,andcompletenessof,learnerdatasufficient?

• Arethepoliciesregardingauthenticityoflearners’workbeingfollowed?

• Arethesystemsforentering,storingandexchanginglearnerrecordssecure,withappropriateback-upand retrievalsafeguards?

Communication and evaluation methodology

• Howcanyouimproveyourevaluationprocedurestogetmoremeaningfuloraccurateinformation?

• Howisthisinformationsharedordisseminatedtootherstakeholders?

• Howcantheschoolbecomemoreeffectiveinmakinguseofthisinformationtorefineandfurtherdevelop thecurriculum?

• Isthereeffectivecommunicationandexchangeofinformationwithexternalagencies,forexample,Cambridge,otherqualificationorganisations,ministriesandothergovernmentalagencies?

• Arelearnerandteacherschedules(timetables)andcalendarsofeventsaccurate,clearandinformative?


Largerscaleschool-wideevaluations,iftheyaretobedonethoroughly,areverytimeconsuming.Forthisreasontheyareconductedonlyoccasionally.Itisimportantthatsmallerevaluationcyclesarebuiltintotheregularoperationsoftheschoolsothatevaluationanddevelopmentareseenasacyclicalandongoingprocess.Figure1providesoneexampleofabasicprocessmodelthatfocusesontheareaoftheevaluationanddevelopmentofassessmentandpedagogicalpracticeslinkingthesetoprofessionaldevelopment.


Figure 3: A process model for pedagogy and assessment development

8 Monitoring of practice and review of impact on learner

achievement7 Implement pedagogy and

assessment strategies and practices

1Research and familiarisation with best practice (use of local,

Cambridge and international resources)

2 Collective agreement on what are the appropriate pedagogy

and assessment practices9 Reinforce appropriate current

practice 6 Formulate new ‘best practice’ policies and methodologies

3 Review current pedagogy and assessment policies and

practices including evidence about what is happening in teaching as well as what is prescribed

4 Identify and decide upon professional development needs 5 Identify appropriate professional

development support (provided by Cambridge or another source)

Instructional leadershipInaschooltheprimaryroleofleadershipinvolvesmaintainingaclearfocusonlearningasanactivity.Thisincludescreatingfavourableconditionsandencouragingadialogueaboutlearningtodevelopasharedsenseofleadershipthroughouttheschool,andasharedsenseofaccountability.Thishelpstocreatealearningculturewithclearlyacceptedandunderstoodobjectivesaswellashighexpectationsforbothteachersandlearners.Leadershavetheresponsibilityofbuildingschool

capacityinawaythatcreatestheconditionsnecessaryforteachers’potentialtobefullyrealised.

Atleastsomeofthesenioradministratorsintheschoolshouldbeactivelyinvolvedwithteachers,observingteachingandlearning,andengaginginaprofessionaldiscussionwithteachersaboutwhatishappeningintheclassroom.Thisprofessionallinkcanbecomeavery

Figure 1: A process model for pedagogy and assessment development



powerfulmotivationalforceforteachingprofessionals,andcriticalforsenioradministratorsindevelopingadeepappreciationofwhatisactuallyhappeningintheschool.Thelearnervoiceisalsoveryimportantinunderstandingtheirperspectiveonthecurriculumandthequalityofitsimplementation.

Administratorsneedtosupportteacherssothattheycanconcentrateonstudentlearningandplanningteaching.Therightstructureandtheappropriatenumberofstafftosuccessfullyimplementthecurriculumneedtoberesourced.Rolesandresponsibilitiesneedtobewelldefinedandclearlycommunicated.Ideallyplanningtimeshouldbebuiltintoteachers’schedulessothattheycanworkcollaborativelyinteams(inacademicdepartmentsoryeargroups)ondevelopinglearningactivities.Wherepossibleandpracticalteachersshouldbeencouragedtovisiteachother’sclassandprovidepeersupporttotheircolleagues.Thisisparticularlyimportantindevelopinglessexperiencedteachersandaverycost-effectiveformofprofessionaldevelopment.

Teachersplayaleadershiproleinthattheyareinvolvedincreating,implementing,monitoring,reviewingandrefiningpracticesandsystemssothatstudentlearningisimproved.Nurturingandusingteachertalentinthiswaycreatesavirtuouscircleofmotivation,desiretolearnmore,commitmentandenhancedpractice.Workingcollaborativelytoresolvecollectivechallengescanalsocreateasharedsenseofpurposeandapowerfulinstrumentofchange.

Teacher recruitment and evaluationBecausegoodteachingissuchapowerfulinfluenceonstudentlearningnothingismoreimportantthanensuringteachingisasconsistentlyexcellentasitcanpossiblybe.Teachersshouldberecruitedwhosharetheschool’svisionand,asfaraspossible,displayandsupporttheteacher/learnerattributes.Thoughtful,well-designedteacherevaluationandprofessionaldevelopment,inaculturewhereitisvaluedandunderstood,isthebestwaytoimproveteachingpractice.

Teacherevaluationisaveryimportantqualityassuranceprocess.Schoolswilloperatedifferentsystems,oftenprescribedbynationalauthorities.Whilethesummativeelementofjudgementorappraisalisimportant,the

formativeaspectisevenmoreso.Inourexperiencethemosteffectiveformsofevaluationinvolveteachersinatleastanelementofreflectionagainstclearlydefinedcriteria.Thesecriteriaincludethelearner/teacherattributesaswellastheirperformanceintermsoflearnerresultsandvalueaddedtostudentlearning.Reflectivepractice,oneofthekeyconceptsinthelearner/teacherattributes,isreinforcedwhenevaluationrequiresit.

Manyschoolsalsoinvolvelearnersinprovidingfeedbacktoteachers,whetherformallyorinformally.Learnerevaluationsoftheirclasses,whentheyarecarefullydesignedandnon-threatening,areapowerfulpracticethatprovidesvaluableformativefeedbacktoteachers.

Teacherevaluationshouldbelinkedtotheschool’sprofessionaldevelopmentprogramme.Thisensuresthatareasidentifiedfordevelopmentduringtheevaluationaresupportedbyprofessionaldevelopment.

Professional development Professionaldevelopment(PD)includesawiderangeofactivitiesandpracticesthatsupportongoingandevidenced-basedreflectivepractice(seeFigure2:Thereflectivecycle).Thisinvolvesparticipantsin:

• reflectingoncurrentpracticethroughtheteacherevaluationprocess,whichwillidentifyPDpriorities

• workingwithpeerstoshareideasandtoobserve,recordandgivefeedbackonclassroomexperiences

• reviewingrelevantresourcestointroduceandbecomefamiliarwithnewconcepts

• accessingrecognisedlocalorinternationaleducationalexpertisetoenhanceunderstanding

• planning,trialling,evaluatingandmodifyingnewpractices andresources

• usingcollaborativesupportstructuresandprocesses,includingpeercritiquingandonlineservices.



PDneedsarelikelytospanthefollowingareas:

• subjectandresourcesupport,includingfamiliarisationwithsubjectcontent,learningactivitiesandskillacquisitionanddevelopment

• enhancingtheirunderstandingofpedagogicandassessmentpracticesandtheirplanningandintegrationintoteachingprogrammes

• buildingprofessionalcapacitythroughcollaborationwithotherteachingprofessionalsintheschoolandthroughinter-schoolsubjectclustergroupsornetworking

• opportunitiestoupgradeprofessionalqualifications,withthepotentialtobecometeacher-trainersorexaminers,ortocontributeinotherwaysthatadvancetheintroductionofthecurriculumandtheuptakeoftheassociatednewpedagogyandassessmentmethodology.

PDneedswillbesituational.Teachersnewtotheprofessionand/ortoCambridgeprogrammeswillneedtobecloselysupportedbyexperiencedcolleaguesandattendappropriatelytargetedtraining.ExperiencedteacherswillwanttoimprovetheirprofessionalpracticebycompletingmoreadvancedPDprogrammes,possiblyqualifications,andbecomeinvolvedinprofessionalcommunitiesofpractice.Inthiswayparticipantsreflectontheirexperienceofworkingwithinaschoolenvironmentthroughstimulusfromresources,coursesandprofessionalcollaboration.Thisgivesparticipantsmaterial(bothexperimentalandtheoretical)onwhichtheycanreflectandevaluatetheircurrentpractice.ReflectivePDencouragesindividualstodevelopactionplansandexperimentwithnewstrategies.Thisexperimentationgivesthemadditionalexperiencesonwhichtheycanreflect,andconsequentlymoreopportunitiesforprofessionalgrowth.

PDopportunitiesshouldnotjustbeforteachers.Theschoolleadershipteamandteachingsupportstaffwillalsocontributetothesuccessfulimplementationofthecurriculumandwillthereforebenefitfromrelevantandconstructiveprofessionaldevelopment.

Formoreinformationaboutourprofessionaldevelopmentservicesseethe‘Workingwithus’sectiononpage44andourwebsite.

Developing and implementing quality assurance policies and proceduresPolicies,supportedbyclearprocedures,shouldprovideteachersandlearners(andwhereappropriate,parents)withcleardirectionandguidancederivedfromtheschool’smissionandaims.Theyneedtobeunderstoodbytheschoolcommunityandenforcedthroughqualityassurancepractices,includingteacherevaluation.Partofcurriculumevaluationwillbethereviewanddevelopmentofthesepoliciesaspartofthecurriculumplanningprocess.

Figure 2: The reflective cycle



Inadditiontoteacherevaluationintroducedintheprevioussection,thosethatrelatetothecurriculumusuallyinclude:

1. Language Policy:Everyschoolwillhaveitsownlanguageprofilesoitisimportantthatthisisreflectedinapolicythatrecognisesthelanguageneedsofdifferentgroupsoflearnersandteachers.Itwillconsiderthesolutiontoquestionsincluding:HowwillEnglishasasecondlanguagebesupported?Howwilllearnersbeencouragedtodeveloptheirfirstorbestlanguage?Whatresponsibilitiesdoteachershavetosupportlanguagelearning?

2. Assessment Policy:Howoftenareinternalsummativegradingandreportingconducted?WhatarethegradingproceduresandhowdoesthisrelatetothecriterionsystemusedbyCambridgeand/orotherqualificationstaughtintheschool?Howisassessmentforlearningsupported?Whatcanlearnersandparentsexpectfromteachersintermsofreportinganddetailedfeedbackonspecificassignmentsandoverspecifiedlengthsoftime?

3. Homework Policy:Whataretheexpectations?Howisthisorganisedtoensurethatclassroomlearningissupportedinawaythatisbalanced?

4. Special Educational Needs and Gifted and Talented Policy:Whataretheexpectationsforteacherstodifferentiatesothatalllearnersareappropriatelychallenged?Howdoestheschoolsupportlearnerswithspecificneeds?

5. Co-curricular expectations:Whatdoestheschoolprovideforlearnersbeyondregularclasses?Howdoesthisfitinwithteachercontractsandexpectations?Howdoestheschoolworkwiththelocalcommunitytosupportlearnerparticipationinactivitiesthatitcannotprovideitself,orarebetterprovidedoutsidetheschool?

6. Discipline Policy:Whatisthecodeofconductforteachersandthecodeofconductforlearners?Howisthecodeofconductsupportedandenforced?Whatsupportisprovidedtolearnerswhodisplaydisciplineproblems?

Managing changeIntroducingCambridgecurriculaforthefirsttimewillpresentchallenges,particularlyifteachingstaffarenotfamiliarwiththeprogrammesordonothaveabackgroundofrelevantexperience.Thehighvalueplacedonteachersbecomingcreativeprofessionals,whodeveloptheirownschemesofworkandapplythesyllabustotheneedsoftheirlearnersinthecontextoftheschool,meansthatpreparationisvital.Toalesserextentthisisalsotrueforexperiencedstaffwhowillalsoneedtimetoplanandrefreshtheirlessonplans,recognisingthateveryclassoflearnersisunique.

TeachersnewtoCambridgewillbeinvolvedin:

• becomingfamiliarwithsubjectrequirements,includingassessments,andplanninghowtosatisfythoserequirements

• writingorrewritingschemesofworkandproducingnew teachingmaterial

• accessingandevaluatingsubjectresources,forexample,textbooks,websites,workbooks

• planningandtriallingteachingstrategiesandassessmentpractices.

Schooladministratorsneedtobeawarethatsupportingteachers,sothattheyhaveenoughtimetoprepareproperlyandhaveaccesstoprofessionaldevelopment,willsupportsuccessfulimplementation.Onewayofmanagingteachers’workloadistoimplementthecurriculuminstages.Apreimplementationyearcouldbeusedbeforefullimplementationtogiveteacherstheopportunitytoreview,discuss,prepareandevaluatethenewmaterialandlearningapproaches.Theopportunitytotrialunitsofworkandpractiseassessmenttaskswillhelptobuildteachers’confidenceanddevelopasenseofpurposetowardsthenewcurriculum.

Anotherstrategytohelpmanagecurriculumchangeanddevelopmentismentoringandteamteaching.Experiencedteachershaveanimportantroleinsupportinglessexperiencedcolleaguesandcanalsoleadprofessionaldevelopmentactivitieswithintheschool.Teamteachingisalsoanexcellentwayofsharingexpertise,providingprofessionalsupportandlearningnewskills.Whilethecontentindifferentacademic



disciplinesisdifferent,manyoftheteachingandassessmentprinciplesandpracticesareoftensimilar,sointer-departmentalcollaborationcanalsobeveryproductive.

WorkingwithanotherschoolwithexperienceofCambridgeisanadditionalwaytosupportteachersduringwhatcanfeellikeanunsettlingandisolatingtime.Thisapproachcanbeparticularlyusefulinsmallerschoolswheretheremayonlybeonesubjectteacherateach schoollevel.

Involving the local communityParents,aswellaslearners,needtounderstandthecurriculum,itsrationaleandthechoicesthatlearnersarerequiredtomakeatdifferentstages.Parentinformationsessionswithquestionandanswersessionscansupportschoolpublicationsinthisprocessofcommunication.

Parentsalsoneedtosupportthedevelopmentoflearnerattributesathome.Schoolscanhighlightthisbysendingthesetoparentswithanexplanationoftheirsignificanceandusingtheschoolreportingprocess

tocommentonlearners’progressagainstthesebroaderlearningobjectives.Inthesamewaythatitcanbebeneficialforstaffevaluationtoincludeself-reflection,learnerswillalsobenefitfromanelementofself-evaluationinreporting.

Globalunderstandingisgroundedinadeepappreciationoflocalcontextandculture.Apartfromenrichingthecurriculum,communityresourcesandparticipationincommunityactivitiesmaybenefitstudentlearninginotherways.Forexample,creatinglinkswithlocalbusinessesandserviceorganisationsgiveslearnersaninsightintopotentialcareeroptions.Broadeninglearners’awarenessofpost-schoolopportunitiescaninfluencetherangeofsubjectstheywanttostudy,helpingthemtakeresponsibilityfortheirnextstepsinlearning.Itcanalsoincreasemotivationlevelsandencouragegreaterparticipationinclassroomactivities.Communityservicecansupportthedevelopmentofthelearnerattributesandhelpnurtureasenseofsocialresponsibility.

Student admissions, progression through the school and guidance on to higher educationAtCambridgewearecommittedtoensuringthatourqualificationsareinternationallyrecognisedandhelplearnersgainadmissiontothewholerangeofcollegesanduniversitiesaroundtheworld.

OurRecognitionteam,basedinCambridgeandkeylocationsaroundtheworld,strivestoensurethatuniversitiesarefullyfamiliarwithCambridgequalifications,sothatlearnerscangaintheplacesandacademiccredittheydeserve.

Formoreinformationpleasevisitthe‘Universities’areaofourwebsitewhereyoucansearchourdatabasetofindoutwhichuniversitiesacceptourqualifications.

Administering our assessments (exams officer)Theexamsofficeris‘thepersonappointedbytheHeadofCentretoactonbehalfoftheschool,withspecificresponsibilityforadministeringCambridgeexams’.Weprovidedetailedsupportandtrainingforexamsofficersmanagingourassessmentprocesses.Formoreinformationpleasevisit www.cie.org.uk/examsofficers


Tohelpyourteachingteamunderstandandeffectivelydeliverourprogrammes,andtomeettheirprofessionaldevelopmentneeds,weofferarangeofsupportmaterialsandservices.TeacherscanaccessthissupportwhetheryourwholeschoolcurriculumisbuiltonCambridgecoursesorwhetheryoucombineCambridgecourseswithothernationalorinternationalqualifications.

Wecanprovidethreemajorareasofsupport:

• curriculummaterialsandresourcestosupportteachersinthedeliveryofsubjectcurricula

• professionaldevelopment

• localadvisoryanddevelopmentservices.

Curriculum materials and resourcesSecure online support

Teacher SupportAnonlineresourcebankandcommunityforumwhereteacherscanaccessthousandsofCambridgesupportresources,exchangelessonideasandmaterials,andjoinsubject-specificdiscussionforums.

Assessment toolsWeprovidededicatedonlinesupporttoschoolsregisteredtoofferCambridgePrimaryandCambridgeSecondary1.Teacherscan downloadprogressiontestsanduseresultsanalysistoolstomonitorlearners’progress.

Ask the Examiner seminarsThesesessionstakeplaceonTeacherSupportafterexamresultshavebeenreleased,givingteachersanopportunitytoaskexaminersanyquestionstheyhaveabouttheseries.

Formoreinformationgotowww.cie.org.uk/teachers

Working with us5Thischapterhighlightstherangeofsupportservicesandresourcesweoffertoschoolsworkingwithus.Itwillgiveyouanoverviewofdifferenttypesofsupportavailableandpointsyoutowhereyoucanfinddetailedinformation.TheendofthechapterdetailswhattodonextifyouarethinkingofbecomingaCambridgeschoolorexpandingtherangeofCambridgequalificationsorprogrammesyoualreadyoffer.

www.cie.org.uk/teachers


Teaching resourcesSyllabus (or curriculum framework) Themostimportantdocumentsteacherswilluse.Theydescribewhatlearnersneedtoknow,whattheymustbeabletodo,andhowtheywillbeassessed.WeprovidecurriculumframeworksforCambridgePrimaryandSecondary1subjectsandthensyllabusesforCambridgeSecondary2andCambridgeAdvancedsubjects.

Schemes of workAmedium-termplanthatgivesideasonhowteachersmightdeliver the course.

Teacher guidesSomesubjectshaveteacherguideswhichprovideextraguidanceonplanningandteaching.

Textbooks and publisher resourcesWepublishlistsofresourcestosupportteaching,includingtextbooksandwebsites.SomeoftheseresourcesareendorsedbyCambridgeInternationalExaminations,whichmeanswehavequalitycheckedthemandjudgethemtomatchthesyllabuswell.

Example candidate responses (standards booklets)Realcandidateanswersareshownalongsideexaminercommentssoteacherscanseethelevelofperformanceneededtoachieveeachgrade.

Exam preparation materialsPast question papersWepublishpastpapersforeachsubject.Greatforgivinglearnerspracticeatansweringdifferenttypesofquestion.

Examiner reportsOurprincipalexaminerswritedetailedreportsdescribinglearners’overallperformanceoneachpartofthequestion.Thereportsgiveinsightintocommonmisconceptionsshownbylearners,whichteacherscanaddressin lessons.

Grade thresholdsTheseshowtheminimumnumberofmarkslearnersneededtoachieveinordertobeawardedaparticulargrade.

Mark schemesThesehelpteachersunderstandhowmarksareawardedforeachquestionandwhatexaminerslookforwhentheymark.

Formoreinformationgotowww.cie.org.uk/teachers

5. Working with us

Teacher GuideEnglish

Cambridge International General Certificate of Secondary Education 0580 Mathematics June 2012

Principal Examiner Report for Teachers

© 2012

MATHEMATICS

Paper 0580/11 Paper 11 (Core)

Key Message To succeed in this paper candidates need to have completed full syllabus coverage, remember necessary formulae, show all necessary working clearly and use a suitable level of accuracy. General comments Many candidates made a good attempt at answering this paper. As in previous years, this paper was fairly straightforward with many part questions worth only 1 mark. With those parts that carried more marks, workings needed to be shown in order to access the method marks if the final answer given was incorrect. Along with this request for workings to be shown, candidates must check their work for sense and accuracy. Candidates must take notice that, if a question asks for the answer to a fraction calculation as a mixed number then a vulgar fraction is not correct. On this paper there were two questions that had answers as sums of money. Money should be given to the nearest cent if not a whole dollar amount. Candidates should be made aware of what kind of answer needs to be rounded and which should be left unrounded, for example 87.5% (Question 1) and 2.25 (Question 8) should be left unrounded as they are exact values. The answer to Question 10 should be given as 23.2(cm) not as 23 as many did. The number from the calculator in Question 4, 495.3648008…, is not exact so needs rounding. Moreover, as this is money it should be rounded to 495.36 (euros) The questions that presented least difficulty were 2(a), 5, 8, 9(a), 17(a) and 18(c). The questions that proved to be the most difficult were 3, 6, 7(a), 9(b), 18(a), 20(b) and 20(c). The greatest number of part questions that were left blank were all in Question 20. Time does not appear to have been an issue over the whole paper as blank responses were scattered, in much lower numbers throughout the paper. These blank responses point to areas of the syllabus where candidates have difficulty. Apart from Question 20, the part questions over the whole paper that were the most often omitted were 9(b), 15(b), 17(c) and 18(a). Comments on specific questions Question 1 Often candidates who found the required 87.5% rounded this to 87% or 88%. A common wrong answer was

80.64 from the erroneous calculation 1009684×

. Also seen were 0.875 (the decimal form) and 84 (from the question). Answer: 87.5 Question 2 The occasional answer of ‘equal triangle’ was not given credit. The number of lines of symmetry was given as 1 or 2 with the majority of candidates giving the correct answer of 3 lines. Some candidates matched their answer to part (a) of isosceles with 1 line of symmetry but this was not awarded credit as the question stated the triangle had 3 equal sides. Answers: (a) Equilateral (b) 3

1

www.cie.org.uk/teachers


Professional development

Weofferawell-establishedandcoherentprogrammeofprofessionaldevelopment(PD)forteachersinCambridgeschools,designedtomeettheneedsofteacherswhohavedifferentlevelsofexperience.PDofferingsincludecoursesandresourcesaimedatdevelopingtheknowledgeandskillsteachersneedtodeliverspecificprogrammesandqualifications,andothersthataremoregeneral,aimedatdevelopingteachingstrategies,skillsandreflectivepractice(seeFigure3).

Weoffercourses,seminarsandeventsfacetoface,onlineandviawebinartechnology.OuronlinecoursesaredeliveredviaourvirtuallearningenvironmentandhelpteacherstobuildlinksandexchangeideaswithotherCambridgeschoolsinternationally.

Teaching Cambridge programmes and qualificationsWeofferprogramme-andqualification-specificPDontwolevels:

Stage 1CoursesprovideanintroductiontoCambridgesyllabusesandkeydocuments.TeacherswilllearnthestandardsrequiredintheassessmentofCambridgesyllabusesandbegivenpracticalactivitiestohelp withmarking.

Stage 2Tutor-ledcoursesfocusinmoredepthonteachingstrategiesandassessmentissues,withmorepracticalmarkingexperiencedevelopingadeeperlevelofunderstandingaboutstandards.Stage2coursesaredesignedforteacherswhohavebeenworkingwithCambridgeforatleastoneyear.

Foralistofforthcomingcoursesanddetailsofhowtoenrol,goto www.cie.org.uk/events

Professional development qualificationsTeacherscanalsotakeaCambridgeProfessionalDevelopmentqualificationatcertificateand/ordiplomaleveltodemonstratetheirgrowingexpertisethroughapractice-basedassignment.Thequalificationsaredesignedtoenableteacherstoapplytheirprofessionallearningintheirday-to-dayteaching,andleadtoqualitativeimprovementsfortheindividualteacherandtheirinstitution.

Forfulldetailsofourprofessionaldevelopmentprovision,goto www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/teachers

5. Working with us

Advanced course

zz Intermediate course

zz Introductory

zz Launch

Teaching Cambridge programmes

and qualifications

Plan Reflect

Do

Analyse

Improving professional practice

Professional development qualifications

Cambridge Teachers’ Conference

Ongoing professional development

Leading inCambridge schools

School leadership

Administering examinations

Coursework assessment

Examining and training for CambridgeBecoming a Cambridge examiner

Becoming a Cambridge trainer

Figure 3: Our professional development cycle

www.cie.org.uk/events

www.cie.org.uk/qualifications/teachers


Local supportWecanprovidelocalsupportandguidanceforteachersandschoolleadersinvolvedinimplementingtheCambridgecurriculum.Byworkingwithyouwewillbeabletorespondtoyourspecificneedsbyprovidingamorepersonalisedexperience.Wecanalsohelpidentifysolutionsorprocessestoaddressanyproblemsorchallengesyoumayexperience.Ifyouneedlongertermsupportwecanworkwithyoutodevelopandimplementamoreformalisedprogramme.

Ifyouareinterestedinlocalsupportpleasecontactusat [email protected] with‘Localcurriculumsupportrequest’intheemailsubjectline.

Becoming a Cambridge school or expanding your Cambridge offerIfyouwouldliketotakeonadditionalCambridgequalificationsandprogrammes,andyouarealreadyaCambridgeschool,pleasecontactususingthedetailsbelow.IfyouarenotaCambridgeschool,youneedtoregisterfirst.Registeringwithusissimpleandwewillguideyouthrougheachstep.

CambridgeInternationalExaminations1HillsRoad,CambridgeCB12EU,UnitedKingdom

Tel:+441223553554Fax:+441223553558Email:[email protected]

5. Working with us

Youcanfindmoreinformationonourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk/startcambridge

mailto:[email protected]

www.cie.org.uk/startcambridge


Griffin,P.,McGaw,B.andCare,E.(Eds.).(2012). Assessment and Teaching of 21st Century Skills. London,UK:Springer.Seealsowww.atc21s.org

Schleicher,A.(2011).Thecasefor21stcenturylearning. OECD Education Directorate.Accessed11thNovember2012.www.oecd.org/general/thecasefor21st-centurylearning.htm

Vygotsky,L.S.(1978). Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge:MA:HarvardUniversityPress.USA.

References

www.atc21s.org

www.oecd.org/general/thecasefor21st-centurylearning.htm


Curriculum planningEnglish, F. (2010). Deciding what to teach and test: Developing, aligning and auditing the curriculum. 3rd Ed. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

Addressesthefundamentalsofcurriculumdesigninthecontextofastandards-basedenvironment,withguidanceandusefultools,e.g.forcurriculummappingfromaUnitedStatesperspective.

Flinders, D. and Thornton, S. (2009). The Curriculum Studies Reader. 3rd Ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Acomprehensivesurveyofhistoricalandcontemporarykeynotewritingonthecurriculum,balancedwithconcreteexamplesofinnovativecurriculumandanexaminationofcontemporarytopics,e.g.globalisation.

Kelly, A. V. (2009). The Curriculum: Theory and Practice. 6th Ed. London: SAGE.

Summarisesandexplainsthemainaspectsofcurriculumtheory,andshowshowthese

canandshouldbetranslatedintopractice,inordertocreateaneducationalanddemocraticcurriculumforallschoolsatalllevels.

Law, E. and Nieveen, N. (Eds.) (2010). Schools as curriculum agencies: Asian and European perspectives on school-based curriculum development. Rotterdam: Sense.

Contemporaryconceptsofschool-basedcurriculumdevelopmentandcasestudiesofpracticeinarangeofAsianandEuropeannations,exploringcommonalitiesanddifferences.

McCormick, R. and Paechter, C. (Eds.) (1999). Learning and Knowledge. London: SAGE.

Learningasknowledgeconstructionandtheimplicationsofthisforthenatureofknowledgeandforthewayitisacquired,e.g.learningwithindomainsanddifferentsubjectperspectives.

Thisguidehaspresentedanoverviewoftheissuesandquestionsthatyouwillneedtoconsiderindevelopingyourcurriculum.Inthissectionweidentifyafewtextsandotherresourcesandlinksforschoolsinterestedinexploringideasfurther.Werecommendthesebecausetheyarerelevant,research-based,obtainableandreasonablypriced.Theyaregoodstartingpoints,fromwhichyoucanfollowyourparticularinterests,butrepresentonlyafewofthewiderangeavailable.WeencourageschoolstoshareanyliteratureandresourcematerialtheyhavefoundusefulthroughtheTeacherSupportcommunity.

Annotated bibliography and other resources

Marsh, C. J. (2009). Key Concepts for Understanding Curriculum. 4th Ed. Abingdon: Routledge.

Anevaluationofmajorinternationalcurriculumconceptsandpracticesincludingplanning,developmentandmanagement,teachingperspectives,collaborativedesignandinvolvement,andideology.

Westbury, I. and Milburn, G. (2007). Rethinking Schooling. Abingdon: Routledge.

AcriticalselectionofseminalarticlesfromtheJournal of Curriculum Studiesbyinternationalexperts.Themesincludeclassroomsandteaching,pedagogy,scienceandhistoryeducation,schoolandcurriculumdevelopment,andstudents’livesinschools.

Wiggins, G. and McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by Design. 2nd Ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Adesignprocessinwhichthecurriculumplannerstartsbyidentifyingclearlearningoutcomesandrelevantfacetsofunderstanding,



andmakesexplicittheessentialquestionstobeexplored.

Effective schoolingBrighouse, T. and Woods, D. (1999). How to improve your school. Abingdon: Routledge.

Focusesonhowideasandintentionscanbeturnedintodirectactionsthatwillhelpaschoolimproveitsperformanceandeffectiveness,lookingateffectiveschoolsandhowtheyhaveachievedtheirgoals,leadershipwithinschools,teachingandlearningeffectively,makingcriticalinterventionstosecureimprovementandhowschoolsinvolveotherstosupportimprovement.

Brighouse, T. and Woods, D. (2008). What makes a good school now? London: Continuum.

Drawsuponextensiveworkonschoolimprovementoverthelast15years,andissetintherealcontextofthemanychangesandnewagendasthatareafeatureof schoolstoday.

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A Synthesis of over 800 Meta-Analyses Relating To Achievement. Oxford: Routledge.

Hattieandcolleagueshaveresearchedthemostpowerfulinfluencesonachievementinschools.Thisbookpresentsasynthesisofover800meta-analysesandisoneofthelargestcollectionsofevidenceaboutwhatworksinschoolstoimprovelearning.

MacBeath, J. and Mortimore, P. (Ed.) (2004). Improving School Effectiveness. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Reviewsfindingsfromseminalinternationalworktoanalyseschooleffectiveness,itsmeasurement,andimpactforteachers,parentsandpupils.

Measures of Effective Teaching project (MET) www.metproject.org/reports.php

Anumberofresourcesareavailableonthewebsite,primarilyfocusedonmeasuringteachingeffectiveness.ResearchbaseentirelyintheUSA.

Mercer, N. and Hogkinson, S. (Ed.) (2010). Exploring Talk in School. London: SAGE.

Classroomtalkisessentialforguidingthedevelopmentofunderstandingandforlearnerstounderstandtheirteachersandtheirpeersinconstructingknowledge.Thisbookconsidersthepracticalstepsteacherscantaketodevelopeffectiveclassroominteraction,lookingat:classroomcommunicationandmanagingsocialrelations;talkinscienceclassrooms;usingcriticalconversationsinstudyingliterature;exploratorytalkandthinkingskills;talkingtolearnandlearningtotalkinthemathematicsclassroom;the‘emergingpedagogy’ofthespokenword.

Rudduck, J. and Flutter, J. (2004). How to Improve Your School. London: Continuum.

Focusesonthosewhoaremostaffectedbychangesineducationpolicyandsystems–thelearners.Baseduponanddistillingempiricalevidencefromanumberofresearchprojects,thisisanaccountofcontemporaryschoolingfromthelearners’perspective.Theresearchindicatesthatweneedtoseepupilsdifferently,tore-assesstheircapabilitiesandreflectonwhattheyarecapableofbeinganddoing.

Bilingualism and learningBaker, C. (2011). Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism. 5th Ed. Bristol: Multilingual Matters.

Acomprehensiveintroductiontobilingualismandbilingualeducation,coveringallthecrucialissuesinbilingualismatindividual,groupandnationallevels.

Chadwick, T. (2012). Language Awareness in Teaching: A Toolkit for Content and Language Teachers. Cambridge: Cambridge International Examinations and Cambridge University Press.

AimedprimarilyatthosewhoteachlearnersforwhomEnglishisnottheirfirstlanguage,thisToolkithelpsteacherstodeveloplanguageawarenessandsupportthroughclassroomapproachesandcoordinationwithotherteachers.

www.metproject.org/reports.php



Coyle, D., Hood, P. and Marsh, D. (2010). CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

ThisisacomprehensiveoverviewofCLIL,fromtheorytopractice,forbothlanguageandcontent-subjectteachers,providingguidanceonthedevelopmentoflearningactivitiesandmaterials,teachingapproaches,assessmentandevaluation.

Cummins, J. and Early, M. (2011). Identity Texts: The Collaborative Creation of Power in Multilingual Schools. Stoke on Trent: Trentham Books.

Identitytextsdescribesavarietyofcreativeworkbychildren,ledbyclassroomteachers:collaborativeinquiry,literarynarratives,dramaticandmultimodalperformances.Thisbookshowshowidentitytextshaveprovedtobeaneffectiveandinspirationalwayofengaginglearnersinmultilingualschoolsaroundtheworld.

García, O. (2009). Bilingual Education in the 21st Century: A Global Perspective. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Providesanoverviewofbilingualeducationtheoriesandpracticesthroughouttheworld,andextendstraditionalconceptionsofbilingualismandbilingualeducationtoincludeglobalandlocalconcernsinthe21stcentury.Garcíaquestionsassumptionsregardinglanguage,bilingualismandbilingualeducation,andproposesanewtheoreticalframeworkand

alternativeviewsofteachingandassessmentpractices.

Mehisto, P. (2012). Excellence in Bilingual Education: A Guide for School Principals. Cambridge: Cambridge International Examinations and Cambridge University Press.

Thefirstguideavailabletofocusonthedevelopmentandorganisationofabilingualeducationprogrammefromtheperspectiveoftheschoolleader,providinginternationalperspectivesonplanningandpartners,leadership,learners,teachersandparents.Thisisapracticalguidetosupportimplementation,andevaluationandimprovementofpractice.

Mehisto, P., Marsh, D. and Frigols, M.-J. (2008). Uncovering CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning in Bilingual and Multilingual Education. Oxford: Macmillan.

ThishandbookgivesmanypracticalinsightsintoCLIL,ateachstageinthecycleofreflectivepractice,helpingteacherstoknowwhyandhowtofacilitateCLIL.

Leadership for learningFullan, M. (2007). Leading in a Culture of Change. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Howleadersinalltypesoforganisationscanaccomplishtheirgoalsandbecomeexceptional

leaders.Drawsonthemostcurrentideasaboutandtheoriesofeffectiveleadership,withcaseexamplesofchange,andanalysesfivecorecompetenciesforsuccessfulleadershipofcomplexchange:attendingtoabroadermoralpurpose;keepingontopofthechangeprocess;cultivatingrelationships;sharingknowledge,andsettingavisionandcontextforcreatingcoherenceinorganisations.

Macbeath, J. and Cheng, Y. C. (Eds.) (2008). Leadership for Learning: International Perspectives. Rotterdam: Sense Publishers.

Considerstheimpactofglobalisationonschoolleadershipandtheimportanceofdistributedleadershipmakingschoolsintolearningorganisations.Examplesaretakenfrom12countriesindifferentpartsoftheworld.

MacBeath, J. and Dempster, N. (2009). Connecting Leadership and Learning: Principles for Practice. Abingdon: Routledge.

Fivekeyprinciplesforpractice,testedbyteachers,schoolleadersandlearners,acrossculturalandlanguageboundaries,areexploredinschoolandclassroompractice:afocusoflearning;anenvironmentforlearning;alearningdialogue;sharedleadership;internalandexternalaccountability.

Wise, C., Bradshaw, P. and Cartwright, M. (Eds.) (2013). Leading Professional Practice in Education. London: Open University with SAGE.



Focusesonleadinglearningandlearnerleadership,changeprocessesanddistributedleadership,andleadingprofessionaldevelopment,exploringtheapplicationoftheoryinauthenticpracticeinarangeof schoolcontexts.

Assessment and assessment for learningBlack, P. et al. (2003). Assessment for Learning: Putting it into Practice. Maidenhead: Open University and McGraw-Hill.

Basedonatwo-yearresearchprojectinvolving36teachersinUKschoolsinMedwayandOxfordshire,thespecificassessmentforlearningpracticesthatteachersfoundfruitfularedescribed.Theunderlyingideasaboutlearningillustratedbythesedevelopmentsareexplored.Theproblemsthatteachersencounteredwhenimplementingthenewpracticesintheirclassroomarediscussed,withguidanceforschoolmanagementaboutpromotingandsupportingsuchchanges.

Gardner, J. (Ed.) (2006). Assessment and Learning. London: SAGE.

Acomprehensiveoverviewofassessmenttosupportlearning,practice-basedtheoryonassessmentforlearning,andformativeassessmenttosupportindividualdevelopmentandmotivatelearners.Research-informed

insightsandpracticalexamplescomefromawidevarietyofinternationalcontexts.

Harlen, W. (2007). Assessment of Learning. London: SAGE.

Acriticalreviewofhowlearners’achievementsareassessedforarangeofpurposes,fromreportingprogresstoselectionandqualification.Itconsiderstherelationshipbetweenlearningoutcomesandassessment,theuseofassessmentfortargetsettingandevaluation,andtheroleofteachers’judgements.

James, M. et al. (2007). Improving Learning How to Learn. Abingdon: Routledge.

Focusesontheconditionswithinschools,andacrossnetworksofschools,thatareconducivetothepromotion,inclassrooms,oflearninghowtolearnasanextensionofassessmentforlearning.

Swaffield, S. (Ed.) (2008). Unlocking Assessment. Abingdon: Routledge.

Thisbookexploresthevalues,principles,researchandtheoriesthatunderpinourunderstandingandpracticeofassessment.Itprovidespracticalsuggestionsandexamples,andaddresseskeypointsaboutthefuturedevelopmentofassessment.Complexbutcrucialideasandissuesaremadeaccessible,sothatteacherscanbemoreconfidentand

proactiveinshapingassessmentintheirclassrooms,inwaysthatsupportlearningandavoidunintentionalharmfulconsequences.

Weeden, P., Winter, J. and Broadfoot, P. (2002). Assessment: What’s in it for Schools? Abingdon: Routledge.

Showshowtheorycanbestbeputintopractice,usingaslittlejargonaspossible.Issuesdiscussedinclude:howskillsofreflection,self-evaluationandpersonaltargetsettingcanimpactonlearning;howfarlearnersareabletoevaluatetheirownperformanceandwhatschoolscandointheshort,mediumandlongtermtopromotemore effectivelearning.

Wiliam, D. (2011). Embedded formative assessment. Bloomington: Solution Tree.

Wiliamoutlinesfivekeystrategiesofformativeassessment:clarifying,sharingandunderstandinglearningintentionsandcriteriaforsuccess;engineeringeffectiveclassroomdiscussions,activitiesandlearningtasksthatelicitevidenceoflearning;providingfeedbackthatmoveslearnersforward;activatinglearners’instructionalresourcesforoneanother;activatinglearnersastheownersoftheirlearning.Throughasummaryoftheresearchevidenceheshowstheimpactofeachoftheabovestrategies,andoffersmanypracticaltechniquesthatteacherscanusetoincorporatethestrategiesintotheir classroompractice.



Wylie, E. G. et al. (2012). Improving formative assessment practice to empower student learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin SAGE.

Thispracticalguidecanbeusedbyindividualteachersorcollaborativelyasastudyguideinaprofessionallearningcommunity.Casestudiesprovideexamplesofformativeassessmentinpractice,alongwithexamplesofteachersimplementingchangesintheirpractice.Readersareencouragedtoselectaspecificaspectofformativeassessmenttoinvestigate,explorerelevantpersonalpracticerelevanttothataspect,implementnecessarychanges,reflectonthosechanges,andcontinuethechangeprocess.

School evaluationHopkins, D. (1989). Evaluation for School Development. Buckingham: Open University Press.

Providesapractice-focusedguidetoschoolevaluation,itsmethods,approaches andimpact.

MacBeath, J. and McGlynn, A. (2002). Self-Evaluation: What’s in it for Schools? London: Routledge Farmer.

Makesschoolself-evaluationaccessible,andthroughcasestudieshelpsschoolsandteacherstodevelopself-confidenceinworkingwithevaluationtools.Discussestheconcernsandissuesofschoolstodaytoproposechallengingideasforthefuture.

Ofsted (2012). School Inspection Handbook (UK). www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/school-inspection-handbook (page23ff).

InPart2,theevaluationschedule,gradedescriptorsforeachofthekeyareas:theachievementofpupilsattheschool,thequalityofteachingintheschool,thebehaviourandsafetyofpupilsattheschool,thequalityofleadershipin,andmanagementof,theschoolaregiven.Thismightformthebasisfromwhichaschoolcoulddevelopitsownself-evaluationschedule. Professional developmentCraft, A. (2002). Continuing Professional Development: A Practical Guide for Teachers and Schools. 2nd Ed. London: Routledge Farmer

Forteachersandschoolleaderstodevelopunderstandingofprofessionalandinstitutionaldevelopmentandoftheprinciplesofappraisalandreview;toreviewtheirownprofessionaldevelopment;developandapplycriteriaforevaluatingthequalityandvalueofprofessionaldevelopment;andidentifyappropriateareasforfuturedevelopment.

Hargreaves, A. and Fullan, M. (2012). Professional Capital: Transforming Teaching in Every School. New York: Teachers College Press.

Presentsactionguidelinesforclassroomteachersandschoolleaderstotransformthecultureofteachingandteacherdevelopment.

Moon, J. (2004). A Handbook of Reflective and Experiential Learning. Abingdon: Routledge Farmer.

Guidetounderstandingandusingreflectiveandexperientiallearning,withpracticalideas,tools,activitiesandphotocopiableresourcesforclassroompractice.

Pollard, A. et al. (2008). Reflective Teaching. London: Continuum.

Thetextbookforreflectiveclassroomprofessionalism,summarisinglatestresearch,analysingkeytopicsandprinciples,andprovidingresourcesforcontinuingprofessionaldevelopment.

Pollard, A. (Ed.) (2002). Readings for Reflective Teaching. London: Continuum.

Thisbookisa‘portablelibrary’of120essentialreadingsforthereflectivepractitioner,concerningteachingandlearning.

www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/school-inspection-handbook

www.ofsted.gov.uk/resources/school-inspection-handbook


Glossary

Active learningLearningwhichengagesstudentsandchallengestheirthinking,usingavarietyofactivities.

Assessment for learningEssentialteachingstrategiesduringlearningtohelpteachersandstudentsevaluateprogressintermsofunderstandingandskillacquisition,providingguidanceandfeedbackforsubsequentteachingandlearning.

Backwash effectTheimpactofanexaminationonteachingandlearning,byinfluencingthedesignofthelearningprogrammeandactivities.

Balanced curriculumAschoolcurriculumwithacomplementaryrange,combinationandweightingofsubjects.Thisnormallyincludesmathematics,languages,sciences,technology,humanities,creativeartsandphysicaleducation.

BenchmarkingMeasuringperformanceagainstanestablishedstandard.

Bilingual educationTeachingandlearningintwoormorelanguages,developingbothsubjectandlanguageknowledgeandskills.

Broad curriculumEverystudentexperiencesawiderangeofdifferentsubjectsandlearningactivities.

Cambridge communitySchoolsusingCambridgeeducationalprogrammes[currentlyabout9,000schoolsworldwide,locatedinapproximately160countries].

Cambridge HandbookTheofficialdocumentdetailingtheregulationsforrunningCambridgeexaminationsandassessments.ItdetailstheresponsibilitiesofCentres

andformspartofthecustomers’contractwithCambridge.

Co-curriculum Valuededucationalactivitiesthatsupportlearningbeyondtheschoolcurriculum,whichtheschoolencouragesandsupports.

ComponentAcomponentisanassessablepartofasubjectexamination,notcertificatedasaseparateentity,e.g.awrittenpaperorapractical.

Content and language integrated learning (CLIL)InaCLILapproachtobilingualeducation,studentsdeveloptheirsubjectknowledgeandlanguageskillsatthesametimeusingspecificteachingandlearningstrategies.

Core subjectPAsubjectwhichisanessentialpartofthecurriculum,typicallyEnglish,MathematicsandScience.

Analternativemeaningisasubject[likeglobalperspectives]whichbecomesafocusoflearninginothersubjectsenhancedbyinterdisciplinaryapproachesandconnectionswithothersubjects.

CourseworkClassroomassignmentsundertakenbylearnersasprescribedinthesyllabus.Normallyassessedbythelearner’steacheraccordingtocriteriasetbyCambridge.TheworkismoderatedwithintheschoolandthenbyCambridge.

Creative developmentEnablinglearnerstodeveloptheirimaginationandoriginalthinkinginsolvingproblemsandproducingideas,images,artefacts,performancesandactionswhichhavevaluetothemselvesandothers.

Critical thinkingTheability,underlyingallrationaldiscourseandenquiry,toassessandevaluateanalyticallyparticularassertionsorconceptsinthelightofeitherevidenceorwidercontexts.


Glossary

CurriculumAnoveralldescriptionoftheaims,content,organisation,methodsandevaluationofthelearningprogrammeandthefactorsinfluencingthequalityoflearning.

The term curriculum is often used in different contexts and different ways [pleaseseepage3forexamples].

Curriculum frameworkThesystematicstructureofthecurriculumassetoutindocument(s)specifyingthewayinwhichlearningandassessmentistobeorganised.

Curriculum mappingDocumentsalltheinterrelationshipswithinthecurriculum,e.g.whatistobelearned,howandwhen.

Differentiated learningAdaptingone’steachingtosuittheneedsofdifferentlearnersfortheircurrentlevelofunderstandingandperformance.,byprovidingappropriatelearningactivities,support,andassessment,sothatallstudentsinthegroupcanlearneffectively.(see‘Scaffoldinglearning’)

Directed studyLearninginwhichtheteacherasexpertauthoritysetsoutandtransmitstheknowledgetobelearned.

Dual qualificationsCambridgeandnationalqualifications.

Educational aimsStatementsofthebroadpurposesorintentionsofthecurriculumorlearningprogramme.

E-learningLearningthattakesplaceusingelectronicmedia,forexampleonline.

ESOLEnglishforspeakersofotherlanguages.

Exams officerThepersonappointedbytheprincipaltoactonbehalfoftheschoolwithresponsibilityfortheday-to-dayadministrationofitsCambridgeexaminationcycle.

Experienced curriculum Whatstudentsactuallylearnfromtheirwholeeducationalexperience,includingbothplannedandunintendedoutcomes,asaresultofalltheiractivitiesinthelearningenvironment.

First languageThelanguagethatthelearnerorteacherusesmainly,fromchildhoodandathome.

Formal assessmentPlannedandstructuredmeasurementoflearning.

Formative assessment Providesstudentswithdevelopmentalfeedbackontheirprogressduringthelearningprogrammeandinformsthedesignoftheirnextstepsinlearning.

Guided learning hours Theaverageamountofteacher-learnercontacttimeaschooltypicallyneedstoallocateforstudentstobewell-preparedforaqualification.

Higher educationCoursesinuniversitiesandcollegesbeyonduppersecondaryschool,e.g.degrees.

Interpersonal skillsSkillsusedtointeracteffectivelywithpeopleonadaytodaybasis,e.g.communication,empathy.


Glossary

Intrapersonal skillsSkillsusedtoreflecton,manageanddevelopyourownthinking,behaviourandprogress.

Management cycleAniterativeprocessinwhichschoolleaderssetgoals,implementactions,monitorandevaluateprogressandoutcomesinrelationtotheschool’sstrategicplan.

Mission statementAformalstatementoftheeducationpurposeoftheschool.

Moderation Theprocessofcheckingthatassessmentstandardshavebeenappliedcorrectly,consistentlyandfairly,andmakingadjustmentsifnecessarytoensurethatallassessmentsarealignedtothestandards.

Multi-levellingAssessmentsspecificallytargetedatdifferentlevelsofability.

Multilingual curriculum SpecifiessubjectsthatwillbetaughtineitherEnglishofthenativelanguage(s).

Non-staged assessmentAlltheassessmentcomponentsaretakeninoneexaminationsession.

Partnership in learningActiveandsustainedcooperationbetweenindividualsandbetweeninstitutionstoachieveclearsharedaimsandobjectives.

Pedagogy Thetheoryandpracticeofteachingandlearning.

Pre-university qualificationsProvidethepreparationandrecognitionforentryintohighereducation,e.g.CambridgeInternationalAlevels.

Professional development (PD)Teacherscontinuouslyandsystematicallyreflectonandimprovetheirprofessionalthinkingandpractice,engaginginappropriatelearningopportunitiestoimproveandupgradetheirknowledgeandskills.

Programme of studyAplannedscheduleofteachingandlearningactivities,relatingtothecurriculumframeworkandqualification.

Progression routeMovementofthestudentfromonestageoflearningtoanotherinasystematicandplannedsequence.

Psychomotor developmentLearninganddevelopingskillsincorporatingphysicalmovementandcoordination.

Qualification Theformalcertificatedrecognitionofastudent’sachievementatendofaparticularcourse,basedonsuccessfulperformancedemonstratedthroughassessedevidence.

Reflective practiceTheprocessthroughwhichtheteachercontinuouslylearnsfromtheexperienceofplanning,practice,assessmentandevaluationandcanimprovethequalityofteachingandlearningovertime.

Scaffold learning Theteacherprovidesappropriateguidanceandsupporttoenablestudentstobuildontheircurrentlevelofunderstandingprogressivelytoacquireconfidenceandindependenceinusingnewknowledgeorskill.

Scheme of assessmentThesetofexaminationcomponentsthroughwhichalearner’sachievementinrelationtoaparticularqualificationisdetermined.


Scheme of workAsetofplannedunitsoflearningrelatingtoatopic,subjectorstage.

School curriculum Referstothecombinationofsubjectsstudiedwithinaschoolyearandinsequentialyearsasthelearnermovesthroughtheeducationalsystemprovidedbytheschool.

Second languageAlanguageotherthanthenationalorofficiallanguageofacountry.

Shared subject curriculumStudentsstudyselectedsubjectsinboththefirstlanguageandinEnglishwhichcouldleadtotheawardingofbothnationalandCambridgequalifications.

Spiral approachAreasoflearningarerevisitedsystematicallywithinaplannedcurriculumsothatthelearnercanengageinmoredepthanddetailandacquirerelatedknowledgeandskills.

Split curriculumStudentsstudytwocurricula,somesubjectsarestudiedaspartofthenationalcurriculumandothersaspartofaninternationalcurriculum.

Staged assessmentAssessmentsarearrangedthroughouttheperiodoflearning.

Student-centred learning Indesigningthelearningactivities,theteacherfocusesontheneeds,abilitiesandinterestsofthelearnerinrelationtothelearningoutcomes.

Subject curriculum Thecontentandskillscontainedwithinasyllabusappliedacrosssequentialstagesofstudentlearning.Thesestagesnormallyrefertoschoolyearlevels,andthereforeaparticularageoflearner.

Summative assessment Typicallyend-of-learningassessmenttaskssuchasexaminationsandtests,tomeasureandrecordtheleveloflearningachieved,forprogressiontothenextlevelorforcertification.

Supplementary subjectAsubjectcoursechosentoprovidebreadthandbalanceinthecurriculuminsupportofthecoresubjects.

SyllabusAcompletedescriptionofthecontent,assessmentarrangementsandperformancerequirementsforaqualification.Acourseleadingtoanawardorcertificateisbasedonasubjectsyllabus.

Teacher SupportTheframeworkofcourses,resourcesandguidancethatCambridgeprovidestohelpteachersdeveloptheirunderstandingofandpracticewithCambridgeprogrammes.

TimetableAschedulelistingthetimesanddurationsoflessonsacrossaspecificperiodoftime,oftenaweek.Thisissometimesreferredtoastheteachingschedule.

VisionTheschool’svisionisacompellingsenseofthefuturedirectionoftheschoolthatshouldbewidelysharedandinspirecommitment.

Zone of proximal developmentThedifferencebetweenwhatalearnercanachievewhentheyreceiveexpertsupportandwhattheycanachieveindependently.

Glossary


Age UK school year system

Malaysia school year system

New Zealand school year system

Pakistan grade system US grade system

0–4 Nursery/Pre-school Pre-school playgroup Early childhood education Pre-school Pre-kindergarten 3-4

4–5 Reception Kindergarten Early childhood education Pre-school Pre-kindergarten 4-5

5–6 Year 1 Kindergarten Year 1 Grade 1 Kindergarten

6–7 Year 2 Standard 1 Year 2 Grade 2 Grade 1






12–13 Year 8 Form 1 Year 8 Grade 8 Grade 7






Inthisguidewerefertoschoolyears.Thetablebelowgivesyouanideaofhowtheseschoolyearscorrespondtolearneragesfromasampleofschoolsystemsindifferentcountries.

School years and age ranges


Cambridge Secondary 2 subjects with alternative courses

Thelistbelowdetailsthesubjectsweofferwithanumberofalternativecourses.Forexample,inmathematicsweofferaCambridgeIGCSEwithcourseworkandonewithoutcoursework.Thisflexibilitymeansyoucanselectthecoursethatbestmeetsyourlearners’needs.Someofouralternativesubjectcourseshaveparticularrestrictions(barredcombinations)whenitcomestotheexams(seepage24formoreinformation).

ForafullllistthesubjectsweofferacrossourprogrammesandqualificationspleaseseethelatestCambridgeprospectus,availablefromourwebsitewww.cie.org.uk

Cambridge IGCSE science courses

CambridgeIGCSECombinedScience

CambridgeIGCSECo-ordinatedSciences(DoubleAward)

CambridgeIGCSEBiology

CambridgeIGCSEChemistry

CambridgeIGCSEPhysics

CambridgeIGCSEPhysicalScience

CambridgeIGCSETwenty-FirstCenturyScience

CambridgeIGCSEAgriculture

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