Preparing for National Curriculum reform needs to take into account how changes will affect all year groups and for years to come, says Sue Kirkham.

Seeing the bigger picture

During the question and answer (Q&A) session following his speech to the ASCL Annual Conference, Ofsted boss, Sir Michael Wilshaw, helpfully confirmed ASCL’s advice on managing curriculum reform. He believes that many schools will continue to use the existing National Curriculum levels over the next year (or beyond) and that Ofsted teams would be happy with a transitional approach.

Maintained schools are expected to introduce the reformed National Curriculum to all year groups in Key Stage 3 from September 2014 but it is clear that planning will need to be different for each year group as each will have different gaps in their prior learning. It will not be until September 2016 that Year 7s arrive in secondary schools having followed the new National Curriculum throughout Key Stage 2 and yet current Year 7 and Year 8 students will be taking the new GCSEs (Year 7s in most subjects and Year 8s in English and maths) and its content assumes that students have followed the new National Curriculum throughout their school life.

Planning for curriculum change has to take account of all aspects of the reforms so that issues can be prioritised for the benefit of each year group.

The big picture of the current reforms includes the following:

• new National Curriculum from September 2014
• National Curriculum assessment using levels no longer compulsory from September 2014
• GCSE reform from September 2017 (first teaching of English and maths in 2015)
• Key Stage 4 and post-16 vocational qualification reform already in place (including changes to assessment)
• A and AS level reform from 2017 (first teaching of the first tranche of new A levels in 2015)
• KS4 performance table reform from 2016 (with the introduction of the Progress 8 measure)
• post-16 performance table reform (awaiting final decisions)
• special educational needs (SEN) reform with a new Code of Practice from September 2014
• funding changes for post-16 education that will have an impact on the curriculum offer
• raising of the participation age (RPA), including the need for all students who have not gained at least a GCSE grade C in English and maths to continue to study them 

Full details of all of these reforms can be found in the ASCL Guidance Paper: Managing Changes to Curriculum and Assessment for Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. See www.ascl.org.uk/guidancepaper105

Unfortunately, as we approach the first crunch point of September 2014, many pieces of the jigsaw are not yet in place with some crucial issues undecided. ASCL officers are constantly pressing the Department for Education and Ofqual in these areas and we will keep members updated through the email newsletter and the website. The following questions still have no answers:

• What will be the relationship, in terms of expected progress, between the new KS2 scores and national expectations of GCSE grades?
• What will the new GCSE grades mean and how will they be awarded?
• What will employers, universities and colleges make of them and what will they expect of young people?
• How will employers cope with the fact that for three years young people will have a combination of different GCSE grades and different types of A levels?
• When will we know for sure which GCSEs and which A levels will be reformed in which year?
• When will we be clearer about the expectations for floor standards once the Progress 8 becomes the most important measure?
• When will we see the final version of the new SEN Code of Practice?

Given these gaps, it is essential that you prioritise your planning on those developments where we have more detail, such as the new English and maths GCSEs. It would be sensible to approach the reforms as a whole and plan and prioritise accordingly. Your planning will need to cover the following areas and you should of course make sure that governors are closely involved in the discussions and decisions about structure and funding:

• planning the curriculum structure (including possible changes to KS4 options, post-16 structure and allocation of time for English and maths)
• developing new schemes of work (departments looking closely at A level and GCSE reforms as well as the National Curriculum)
• analysing finance and staffing needs and allocating funding
• reviewing teaching and learning to equip students with the skill set required by the new qualifications
• developing a new assessment process to track progress from KS2 to age 16
• training and preparing the staff
• informing students and parents about the changes

Throughout these changes it is more important than ever that strong leadership in schools and colleges maintains its focus on the needs of the students while managing the delicate balance between the aims and values of the curriculum and the constraints placed upon the leadership.

Sue Kirkham is ASCL's Curriculum and Assessment Specialist

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