Changes to the National Curriculum 2015 LITERACY OVERVIEW AND IMPLICATIONS

Why the big curriculum change?  The main aim is to raise standards, particularly as the UK is slipping down international student assessment league tables. Inspired by what is taught in the world’s most successful school systems, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Finland, as well as in the best UK schools, it’s designed to produce productive, creative and well educated students.  Although the new curriculum is intended to be more challenging, the content is actually slimmer than the current curriculum, focusing on essential core subject knowledge and skills such as essay writing and computer programming. It also follows on from similar curriculum revamps in Scotland and Wales, which were implemented in 2010 and 2008 respectively and have a similar focus on excellence and core skills.ScotlandWales

So what are the key changes to the English curriculum?  Stronger emphasis on vocabulary development, grammar, punctuation and spelling (for example, the use of commas and apostrophes will be taught in KS1)  Handwriting – not currently assessed under the national curriculum – is expected to be fluent, legible and speedy  Spoken English has a greater emphasis, with children to be taught debating and presenting skillsdebating

Main changes within the key stages  English – KS1  Only phonic reading strategies required  No specific mention of group work or drama strategies  References to ICT/typing removed  Learning of poetry (including reciting poetry) introduced  Specific spellings, e.g. days of the week  Joined writing expected in Year 2  Proof-reading of own writing

Importance of phonics Phonics fast and first The key shift in government policy on reading has in many ways already happened, since the government published the 'Importance of Teaching' White Paper back in Autumn 2010, insisting that all children should be taught to read using this method above all others. The phonics funding initiative followed, as did the Phonics reading test for 6 year olds, and the requirement for schools to publish their results through the RAISE database. With the new curriculum, synthetic phonics officially passes into the programmes of study at every year.'Importance of Teaching' White Paper

Changes to assessment Reception  There will be a short baseline assessment at reception.  The EYFS Profile will no longer be compulsory. Key Stage 1  There will be a Phonics check towards the end of Y1.  There will be externally set tests at the end of KS1 in maths, reading and spelling, punctuation and grammar but these will be internally marked.  There will be no tests in writing, speaking and listening and science but teachers will be expected to assess children in these subjects. The writing assessment at KS1 will partly be informed by grammar, punctuation and spelling test.  Teacher Assessment will be against one of several new performance descriptors in mathematics, reading, speaking and listening and writing. There will be a single performance descriptor for science.  The government will be looking to work with schools and Ofsted on improving the moderation of teacher assessment at the end of Key Stage 1.

Years 3-6  English – KS2  Phonic decoding expected to be secure by Y3  No specific mention of group work, drama strategies or use of ICT  Learning of classic & modern poetry (including reciting poetry) introduced  Specific spelling rules to be taught  Précising and dictation  Greatly increased expectations in grammar and punctuation (detailed appendices)

Is it all just about grammar?  Reading for pleasure While there is a perception that the new curriculum is a little dry and technical, this view overlooks the new curriculum's clearly stated intention that children should read widely and voraciously for pleasure and for meaning. While the old curriculum also stipulates that children should experience a range of literature and non-fiction and non-literary texts - the new curriculum highlights the pivotal role of schools in ensuring that reading takes place beyond the school gates, stating 'they should provide library facilities and set ambitious expectations for reading at home.'  Recitation and debate Where the old curriculum uses drama as an important vehicle for children to explore and convey a range of situations, characters and emotions, the new curriculum relegates drama to ‘role-play’ as part of a wider assortment of oral performance that includes presentation, improvisation and debate. There is more emphasis on structure and convention: the new curriculum seems to go in stronger on children being able to organise their thoughts and ideas for the purposes of debate, discussion, explanation and narration. There is also more around social awareness: the new curriculum pulls out ‘gaining, maintaining and monitoring the interest of the listener(s)’ as a separate objective.

Assessment  Key Stage 2  The externally set and marked tests at the end of KS2 will be in mathematics, reading and grammar, punctuation and spelling.  There will be teacher assessment against one of several new performance descriptors for writing and a single performance descriptor for mathematics, reading and science.

SPaG – a closer look Focus on the fundamentals There’s a much deeper focus on learning grammar explicitly. Where the old curriculum requires that pupils be taught ‘some of the grammatical features of written standard English’, and learn to ‘consider’ language structure when composing their own texts, the new curriculum contains a long list of often complex grammatical concepts, punctuation and spelling rules that children will have to identify and label as well as use.