may 2006 qca key stage 3 regional conferences: review update
TRANSCRIPT
May 2006
QCA KEY STAGE 3 REGIONAL CONFERENCES: REVIEW UPDATE
THE STORY SO FAR...
The key stage 3 review is part of a wider programme of 11-19 reform. which includes other proposals from the 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper :
• Specialised Diplomas
• changes to the Post-14 Curriculum
• changes to Post-14 Qualifications
• Functional Skills in English, Mathematics and ICT
• Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills framework
If you would like to know more information about developments within the wider programme go to www.qca.org.uk/11-19reform or alternatively contact the 11-19 Reform Programme Office at:
The wider picture
What QCA is being asked to do
• reduce the overall level of prescription
• place greater emphasis on English, mathematics and ICT
• give more scope for schools to stretch young people
• give more support for those who fall behind expected standards
• ensure the curriculum for all subjects is as coherent as possible
assessment
• tests are to continue in the core subjects, with an
additional online test in ICT……
• there are plans to strengthen teacher assessment in
foundation subjects, with the possible development of a
bank of standardised optional ‘rich’ tasks and support for
cross-moderation.
What’s special about KS3?
Emphasis on:
• consolidating basic skills
• ensuring confidence in self and relationships with others
• developing sound base of knowledge and how it relates
to the world around them
• being inspired by the excitement and challenge of
learning
Phase 1: 2005 ...
• inclusion action plan• review of current aims, values & purposes• development of framework of personal, learning and
thinking skills • evaluation of existing curriculum (subjects and whole
curriculum)• developing effective models of assessment
... leading to December 2005 advice
• rationalise the curriculum as a whole
– coherence, prevent overlap and reduce congestion
• progressive and consistent development of generic skills including functional skills
• backwards compatible
– existing schemes of work, assessment materials
– encouraging schools to incrementally improve their practice
• assessment material bank
• web-based collection of students’ exemplars
• help schools deliver change
Phase 2: January 2006 – July 2007
• consultation with stakeholders and partners (re: how curriculum might be developed) through conferences, seminars and meetings
• establish criteria for revision of PoS
• develop the curriculum (revised importance statements, programmes of study, attainment targets, level descriptions)
• try out aspects of developed curriculum, including embedding good inclusion practice
• consult - informally (Winter 2006/7)
• National Consultation - (Summer 2007)
• curriculum available in September 2007 for first teaching September 2008.
WHAT WE’VE LEARNT...
Our monitoring tells us...
• the curriculum is perceived to be content-heavy
• personal development aspects within the curriculum contribute markedly to
this perception
• MFL has suffered from changes at KS4 and is experiencing decline in time
and resources at KS3
• similar trends are detected for history, geography, music and D&T
• there has been an acceleration in ICT volume and quality
• transfer and transition – KS2-3 and KS3 – 4 -present difficulties
and that ...
• evidence exists for more experimentation in the curriculum and readiness to
exploit existing flexibilities
• more support for teacher assessment would be welcomed
• whole school assessment policies frequently cause subject departments to
develop over-elaborate systems of assessment that can lead to distortion and
congestion of the curriculum
• option choices are severely gendered with stereotyped choices more evident
than ever
• careers education and guidance is generally left until late and is often superficial
and on inclusion and the curriculum ...
• demand for language skills prevents many learners with SEN and EAL accessing those parts of the curriculum that should enable them to progress in terms of cognitive and wider key skills. The pressure for written work in some subjects is often deemed artificial and unnecessary and counter-prodcutive
• the rush to ‘cover’ the curriculum and prepare for testing militates against personalisation and prevents the consolidation of skills and development of higher order skills, working against progression and enhancement for those learners who are gifted and talented.
• tension between flexibility and entitlement leads to the risk of “tracking off” and the restriction of choice on leaving the education system
and ...
• inappropriate pace is often more of a problem than work itself being
too difficult.
• practitioners cite that the language demands across the curriculum
are unnecessarily high for SEN/EAL pupils.
• over 90% of schools rely on teaching assistants and differentiated
work sheets as the main ways to address inclusion.
• less than 30% present activities to pupils in different, active ways eg
maths through drama.
• less than 30% use assessment for learning.
What we’ve heard from students so far:
• more variety in lessons
- practical work
- ICT
- learning from visitors to the school
- visits to places outside the school
- re-visiting important ‘basics’
- fieldwork• clear objectives for our learning• less poor behaviour from other students and more consistency in
dealing with it• parity in homework• topic/subject overload
Year 10 would have appreciated having had:
• more experience of coursework in preparation for KS4• greater curricular continuity in years 9-10• one-to-one careers advice• more taster experiences of the many course options at KS4, especially new
subjectsalso• wider variety of sport and physical activity• more sex and drugs education• more on ‘basic life skills’ in PSHE• more drama, dance, music and ancient history• too much emphasis on English, maths – also, science, RE, MFL, geography• more time for music, PE, PSHE,ICT, art and design
Pupils ‘out of school’ ...
• find practical subjects useful and interesting• encounter barriers to their learning in subjects that
depend on reading and writing if they have specific learning difficulties
• find MFL too difficult and science too heavy• half the sample thought history difficult• a third thought mathematics difficult• perceive PSHE, citizenship and careers education to be
of low status within the curriculum
and ...
• more frequently preferred their primary school’s approach to learning
• rated mathematics and ICT as most useful for getting and doing a
job
• consider sports clubs, first aid, anger management, music,
computers and social skills as useful out-of-lesson activities
• value out-of-school opportunities like work experience, managing
money, doing sport and body building, hobbies like shooting, motor
vehicle maintenance building and upgrading computers
OUR PLANS...
Aims
We want the curriculum to enable
all young people to become:
• successful learnerswho make progress and achieve
• confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
• responsible citizenswho make a positive contribution to society.
Purposes of the curriculum
• To raise attainment, particularly in English, mathematics, science and ICT
• To ensure entitlement for all learners to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that offers continuity and coherence and secures high standards
• To induct pupils into the essential knowledge, skills and discourse of subject disciplines and to develop specialisms appropriate to aptitude
• To prepare young people for the world of employment, further and higher education
and ...
• to make pupils more aware of, and engaged with, their local, national and international communities
• to encourage pupils to take responsibility for their own health and safety and to appreciate the benefits and risks of the choices they make
• to contribute to community cohesion
• to acknowledge, promote and pass on the core knowledge and skills valued by society and which it wishes to pass on to the next generation
Personal, learning and thinking skills
Advice to the Secretary of State, December 2005
SUCCESSFUL YOUNG PEOPLE ARE:
• Independent enquirers• Creative participators• Reflective learners• Team-workers• Self-managers• Effective participators
Personal, learning and thinking skills
Selfmanagers
Team
workers
Reflectivelearners Independent
enquirers
Creativeth inkers
Effective partic ipators
functional skills
... core elements of English, mathematics and ICT that provide an individual with essential knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and at work.
functional skills
... core elements of English, mathematics and ICT that provide an individual with essential knowledge, skills and understanding that will enable them to operate confidently, effectively and independently in life and at work. They must:
• offer fair assessment to all candidates (including those with particular requirements) • be derived from agreed national standards that are consistent with National Curriculum
programmes of study, KS3, GCSE subject specifications (English, mathematics, ICT) as well as Key Skills and Skills for Life
be written in such a way that show what a candidate is expected to know, understand
and do, but make no assumptions about how this process of learning should be undertaken.
A CURRICULUM FOR FIT FOR THE FUTURE • Clear design principles
– aims and outcomes – show how the content and approaches to learning relate to these aims– a strong emphasis on skills and personal development (ECM)– value knowledge – linked to creativity, knowledge creation, interconnectedness – be flexible enough to be organised in different ways and have room to innovate
• Dimensions– be relevant and connected to life outside school – the big issues, work, community– encourage a propensity to act – make a difference– have active and experiential learning as key approaches – use technology to extend (when, where, how) learning takes place– have a strong international dimension – and promote global citizenship
• Evaluation– be evaluated against a broad set of outcomes – beyond WYTIWYG.
BUILDING A WHOLE CURRICULUM
local/personal
needs and interests,
school specialism
aims and skills
national in itiatives
big ideas
key processes
CDG
x 15 subje cts
importance statement
Fundamental ideas and concepts
Key
Processes
aims etc
WHAT MIGHT GO INTO THE PoS?
Curriculum development criteria
THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM MIGHT LOOK LIKE:
Importance statement
concepts the fundamental concepts and knowledge that represent an irreducible core of the subject and that may act as signposts to teaching and learning
processes the activities that you must be able to perform if you are going to do the subject eg investigation, evaluation
criteria what schools should bear in mind when constructing their whole curriculum
Level descriptions
EXAMPLES OF CURRICULUM INNOVATION FROM OFSTED
‘The curriculum throughout the school is outstanding. At all levels, it successfully promotes high achievement, and is designed very well to meet the needs and aspirations of all groups of pupils and students.’
‘Each class in Years 7-9 is a mixed-ability “home group”, where children have one teacher for a large proportion of the week. The topics are thematic and cover a range of subjects. As pupils mature, they spend less time in home groups and more time in options which they have chosen. In Year 8 there is an option afternoon, with a choice of about eight different options each half term.’
and
Overall, students achieve well during Years 7 to 9 and very well in Years 10 and 11. This spurt in progress is perhaps associated with a curriculum that is tailored significantly to help them achieve, greater language confidence and increased motivation that stems from being more aware of their future needs.’
The use of video, and the amount of thought which had gone into the subject content, meant that the impact of the trip (to Thailand) was extended far beyond the original participants, and helped to deepen understanding of global citizenship.’
The new curriculum
• Do we agree that the aims should shape the curriculum? - How ?
• Does the proposed template enable this to happen?
• What do we think of the PLTS framework?
• How can this best be embedded in a new curriculum?
• What do we think of the suggested template? – Does it reduce
prescription adequately and enable quality curriculum planning?
• What types of guidance and support will be needed?
CONTACTS:
Sue Horner [email protected]
Tina Isaacs [email protected]
Jeremy Tafler [email protected]
Kate Moorse [email protected]
Alison Sands [email protected]
Key stage 3 review inbox