Union warns primary curriculum will 'turn out robots'

In a joint statement sent to Education Secretary Michael Gove, teachers’ unions, professional and curriculum associations, academics and children’s authors call for a rethink on the curriculum, due to come into force in 2014. They believe that it will put unrealistic and age-inappropriate expectations on the children.

The joint statement said, ‘We have serious concerns about the impact that these reforms could have on education in the future if they go ahead. The programmes of study lack relevance to the needs of primary-aged children in the 21^st century, and will not adequately prepare them for the future.’

Dr Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said, ‘We urge the Government to postpone implementation of the draft national curriculum and rethink the aims and content.

‘There is far too much detailed content in the draft national curriculum and much of it is unrealistic and inappropriate for the age of the pupils.

‘We share the Government’s commitment to raise achievement and close the attainment gap, but the current proposals are a retrograde step which risk narrowing the opportunity for many pupils.

‘There needs to be space in the curriculum to foster a passion for learning. We fear disadvantaged children will become disengaged by a curriculum that fails to make connections with their lives.’

The statement recommends a complete revision of the national curriculum to reduce the amount of prescriptive content and allow teachers greater autonomy.

The main concerns are that:

• it is not age-appropriate;
• the emphasis on facts is at the expense of thinking and understanding;
• the failure to provide any information about the methods of assessment and fears it will be target driven;
• teachers are not being trusted to use their professional judgement and expertise;
• and the lack of continuity from the early years foundation stage to the end of secondary education.

The group called on the Government to delay the implementation of the curriculum in September 2014 to give time for the content to be revised and for schools to be able to develop resources and provide high quality CPD. They believe the DfE should work with teachers and academic experts to create a broad, balanced and age-appropriate curriculum to ensure there is greater coherence across the age groups with more emphasis on skills and concepts, a greater focus on oral communication skills, mathematical thinking, reasoning and problem solving, and to revise the history curriculum completely so that it is less focused on Britain.

A full list of the names in the group can be found at http://www.atl.org.uk/media-office/media-archive/Joint-press-release-Primary-national-curriculum-will-damage-children-s-education.asp