1. New Opportunities The new Secondary Curriculum: A curriculum for the future

2. Develop a modern, world-class curriculum that will inspire and challenge all learners and prepare them for the future

3. WHAT are we trying to achieve? HOW do we organise learning?
Three questions driving curriculum design, development and implementation
WHAT are we trying to achieve?
HOW do we organise learning?
HOW well are we achieving our aims?

4. Why change?

5. Forces for change in society
Changes in society and the nature of work.
The impact of technology.
New understandings about the nature of learning.
Increased global dimension to life, learning and work
The public policy agenda - personalisation, ECM, sustainability, social cohesion, enterprise.
5 forces and the challenges
To provide a structure for our work we have identified 5 forces for change acting upon our curriculum?
Changes in society and the nature of work,
the impact of technology,
new understanding about learning,
the need for innovation within curricula and
the increasing international dimension to learning.
These are all important forces that need to inform our thinking as we shape a modern curriculum. These themes are explored further in our Futures booklet sent to you last week and through the tink-pieces we have commissioned)
The futures programme was launched at BETT by Ken Boston

6. Some curriculum concerns…
QCA Monitoring 2005:
HMI Curriculum Matters 1985:
"There is so much knowledge that is potentially useful or of intrinsic interest that syllabuses are often over laden with factual content built up by unregulated accumulation or tradition. In view of this… schools need to be highly selective when deciding what is taught."
"There is still a perception that the curriculum is overloaded... delegates continued to regard the curriculum as too full. In practice many find it difficult to incorporate newer ideas, including citizenship. The constraining factors include content overload, staffing problems and the perceived narrowness of the standards agenda..."

7. Headteachers say that a curriculum fit for the future should increase the focus on…
competencies and skills
personal development - as the cornerstone of successful learning
flexibility and local ownership – more freedom to innovate.
using knowledge actively.. as a cornerstone for creativity and knowledge creation through ‘communities of learning’.
cross curriculum themes such enterprise and employability, global dimension, and media literacy which are directly linked to wider aims.
a range of learning approaches e.g specialist teaching, cross-disciplinary problem based learning, independent study and coaching.
more attention to AfL - minimise the negative consequences of the WYTIWYG.

8. The basic skills are essential… but we also need young employees who:
What did employers say?
The basic skills are essential… but we also need young employees who:
can take responsibility and show initiative
have good interpersonal skills.. can work in teams
are flexible and adaptable
have ability to solve problems and generate new ideas
have a good mix of qualifications, practical skills and personal qualities
The education system should do more to market the benefits of learning to young people and develop a genuine customer service ethos.

9. What do young people think?
enjoy active lessons where they get involved – a wider repertoire of approaches
We like to create, make, do, find out. We dislike “endless writing”.
There’s “not enough use of technology”
think teachers who make sure they understand and give useful feedback and praise make a difference.
“We need to know what a good one looks like.”
welcome a challenge and not too much repetition.
“Definitely not too easy but not too hard”
recognise the importance of respect. They value an orderly, attractive school environment and the chance to work and socialise with friends.
“We don’t like “bad attitudes” in teachers or other pupils, dislike sarcasm and shouting, want more consistency across classes”
want more choice, more practical life skills, more relevance and coherence.

10. Task 1: What are we trying to achieve?
What will success look like?
In your groups describe the characteristics of a successful learner and confident individual.

11. The new secondary curriculum
Current concerns
Futures agenda
More space for personalisation – challenge and support – improved standards
Less prescription – more innovation
Greater engagement and participation
Securing essentials skills – including wider skills for life and work – personal development
Changes in society
Impact of technology
New understanding about learning
Globalisation
Public policy
The new secondary curriculum
An opportunity for renewal

12. Coherence… for the learner
Subjects
Personal Development
Skills and dimensions

13. So what’s changed?
An increased focus on whole curriculum design underpinned by Aims
Increased flexibility – less prescription but focus on key concepts and processes in subjects.
More room for personalisation and locally determined curriculum
More emphasis on skills –functional and wider skills for learning and life
More emphasis on personal development and ECM
More opportunities for coherence and relevance - linking learning to life outside school, making connections between subjects, cross-curricular themes and dimensions
A real opportunity for renewal and re-invigoration (BSF, Diplomas)

14. The curriculum aims to enable all young people to become:
The Aims
The curriculum aims to enable all young people to become:
successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve
confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives
responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society

15. New subject programmes of study
Rethinking subjects
Range and content
knowledge and understanding
Curriculum
opportunities
contexts for learning
Key concepts
essential ideas
Key processes
skills and ways of thinking
Importance
why the subject
matters
Importance statement: describes important aspects of subject, why it is necessary for learners to study the subject and what they can expect to gain from it. Answers questions such as: why does this subject matter to the world and to me? What makes it stand out?
Key concepts: the heart of each discipline, underpinning the study of the subject; identifying what learners need to learn in order to make progress; metaphorically, they could be described as the roots of the subject tree.
Key processes: essential skills and processes that learners need in order to make progress; could be described as a way in which key concepts can impact on the learner, or a way in which a learner can engage with a key concept.
Range and content: outlines the breadth of subject matter from which the areas of study should be drawn. Metaphorically, could be described as the leaves on the subject tree.
Curriculum opportunities: these identify opportunities that are integral to learning and enhance the learner’s engagement with the subject.

16. An increased focus on Skills A new framework for Personal, learning and thinking skills
Independent enquirers
Creative thinkers
Reflective learners
Team workers
Self-managers
Effective participators
Functional skills
English, Mathematics and ICT
In POS
Embedded in GCSE and Diploma
Stand-alone qualifications

17. An increased focus on personal development
The new Aims and the PLT skills framework emphasise the importance of personal development and ECM in the curriculum.
New non-statutory programmes of study for
personal wellbeing
economic wellbeing
draw together, in a coherent way, requirements for personal, social and health education, sex education, the social and emotional aspects of learning, careers education, enterprise, financial capability and work-related learning.

18. Cross-curriculum dimensions
The non-statutory cross curricular dimensions reflect the major ideas and challenges that face society and have significance for individuals. They can provide powerful unifying themes that give learning relevance and help young people make sense of the world.
Identity and cultural diversity
Healthy lifestyles
Community participation
Enterprise
Sustainable futures and the global dimension
Technology and the media

19. Bringing it all together in a well designed curriculum
The curriculum, which is the entire planned learning
experience…
…has clear aims and purposes
reflecting learners needs
local priorities
national priorities
…is organised in a way that is likely to achieve the aims
Orchestrates time, staffing, space, approaches to teaching, learning and assessment to best effect
Makes links across subjects, skills and cross-curricular dimensions
…is evaluated and developed in response to changing needs
is self-evolving and improving
1. What are we trying to achieve?
2. How do we organise learning?
3. How well are we achieving our aims?

20. Increased flexibility, coherence and personalisation
locally determined curriculum within a quality national framework
more space for more personalised learning and assessment to better meet individual needs
More opportunity to extend, enrich and challenge
More opportunity to support and focused intervention – especially around skills for life and work
opportunities to increase engagement and motivation by designing relevant and compelling learning experiences – a focus on impact not coverage
Making connections between subjects, skills and cross curricular dimensions can create coherence for learners
new pathways and more choice in qualifications - Opportunity to re-engineer the curriculum as part of BSF and Diplomas programmes
new approaches through ‘disciplined innovation’
The formal consultation on the new curriculum will take place in the spring term 2007.
Schools will receive the final statutory programmes of study in autumn 2007 with a view to beginning implementation in autumn 2008.
It is expected that there will be a three year period for schools to implement the revised programmes of study.
greater impact

21. A structure that offers new opportunities
Key concepts (that underpin the study of mathematics):
Competence
Creativity
Applications and Implications of Mathematics
Critical Understanding
Key processes:
Representing
Analysing
Interpreting
Evaluating
By placing key concepts or key processes alongside each other, teachers and planners have opportunities to see how the curriculum looks from the learner’s point of view, and to plan the curriculum coherently.

22. For its own sake, rigorous and coherent As a tool for problem-solving
Mathematics
For its own sake, rigorous and coherent
As a tool for problem-solving
As a tool for modelling
Greater emphasis on processes
By placing key concepts or key processes alongside each other, teachers and planners have opportunities to see how the curriculum looks from the learner’s point of view, and to plan the curriculum coherently.

23. Timeline for KS3
1 September 2007 – new curriculum on-line and training begins
1 September 2008 – implementation for year 7
May 2011 – first assessments on new level descriptions

24. Functional Mathematics
Functional mathematics is embedded in new KS3 and KS4 PoSs
Representing – Analysing – Interpreting
Process led – learners USE mathematics in realistic and worthwhile contexts
Is this the kind of problem that might occur in everyday life for which thinking with mathematics could be useful?
Level of difficulty depends on four aspects:
Complexity Technical Demand
Familiarity Independence
Performance describes what might be expected at each level
Coverage/range is indicative

25. The Pathways project
Based on recommendations from the Smith report:
Increased participation through engaging and worthwhile mathematics for all learners
Phase 1 identifying possible models
Phase 2 exploring possible qualifications:
Two GCSEs in mathematics on the KS4 programme of study
Post-16 pathways that meet the needs of learners, employers and higher education

26. Time line for GCSE
2007 Trial of two GCSEs
Pilot of two GCSEs
2008 Subject criteria for two GCSEs
2009 Subject Specifications
2010 First teaching of two GCSEs

27. Time line for GCE and FSMQs
2007 trial 4 unit GCEs
pilot 4 unit GCEs and GCSE & GCE ‘Use of Mathematics’
2009 subject criteria for GCEs
2010 subject specifications
2011 first teaching