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Annual Conference 2011
The Curriculum: Lessons to be Learned?
Keele Hall, Keele University - Friday, 15th July 2011
This year’s day conference took place on Friday 15th July in Keele Hall at Keele University. The event attracted a wide range of delegates, including education organisers at national and regional level, academics in further and higher education, managers and advisors in local authorities, school leadership teams and classroom practitioners. For further details, please click on the speaker's name:
Professor Michael Young, Emeritus Professor of Education at the Institute of Education - The Return to Subjects- reflections on the Coalitions Government’s approach to the curriculum
Tim Oates, Chair of the National Curriculum Review Expert Panel - National Curriculum and School Curriculum: difficulties, confusions and understanding demarcation between them
David Peck, Director, The Curriculum Foundation - What will the National Curriculum Review mean for teaching and learning?
Stephen Anwyll, Head of 3-14 Assessment, and Janet Holloway, Head of 14-19 Regulation, Ofqual Senior Management Team - Assessment, qualifications and curriculum - the regulator's view
Mervyn Wilson, Principal & Chief Executive, The Co-operative College - Co-operative Schools - the quiet revolution
Andrew Chubb, Principal of Archbishop Sentamu Academy, Hull - Building a better bac
Michael Young (Emeritus Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London)
The Return to Subjects - reflections on the Coalition Government’s approach to the curriculum
Abstract
My paper will present a sociological perspective on the Coalition government’s proposals for reforming the 14-19 curriculum. It will contrast the ideas articulated by the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove, with the QCDA’s 2007 reforms of the National Curriculum. Following a brief consideration of Michael Gove’s ideas about vocational education, the paper will conclude with suggestions for a more coherent approach to the 14-19 curriculum and some brief comments on its implications for the question of educational equality.
Biography
Michael Young is Emeritus Professor of Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. A former secondary school science teacher, Michael Young is a sociologist of education who specialises in the fields of curriculum and qualifications-with particular reference to post compulsory and professional education. His most recent books are The Curriculum of the Future (1998) and Bringing Knowledge Back In: from social constructivism to social realism (2008); He is currently working on a new book What are schools for? Knowledge, Curriculum and the sociology of education.
Tim Oates (Chair of the National Curriculum Review Expert Panel)
National Curriculum and School Curriculum: difficulties, confusions and understanding demarcation between them
Abstract
There is a tendency in England to try to use the National Curriculum as the vehicle for all pressing educational issues. Issues as diverse as farm visits, knifecrime and healthy eating have seen lobbies arguing for their inclusion, on the basis that ‘..this issue is important, education is the answer, and including it in the National Curriculum will ensure that schools address it….’. But at the same time, there are complaints that the National Curriculum is overblown and unduly prescriptive. Following scrutiny of international evidence on high performing systems and examination of domestic research, the current review of the National Curriculum in England is making a fundamental distinction between the National Curriculum and the School Curriculum. It is exploring the public and private goods which should derive from the National Curriculum, and those which should derive from the wider school curriculum – both taught and untaught elements. The presentation will explore this distinction and outline the way in which this distinction is managed in national policy in other national settings. It will argue that clarity on this issue is fundamental to realising the benefits of a National Curriculum.
Biography
Tim Oates joined Cambridge Assessment in May 2006 to spearhead the rapidly growing Assessment Research & Development division. He was previously at the Qualifications and Curriculum Agency (QCA), where he had been Head of Research and Statistics for most of the last decade.
Tim, who is Group Director, Assessment Research and Development, has produced work which commands national and international respect. His most recent work has been on a new pan-European 8-level qualifications framework. He has advised the UK Government for many years on both practical matters and assessment policy.
He started his career as a research officer at the University of Surrey. He moved to the FE Staff College in 1987 where he helped run the Work-Based Learning project. London University’s Institute of Education then appointed him as NCVQ Research Fellow. In 1993 he joined one of the QCA’s predecessor bodies, the National Council for Vocational Qualifications, as Head of GNVQ Research and Development. Promotion to Director of Research followed two years later, leading to the same position upon the creation of the QCA. He has a first from the University of Sussex in Philosophy with Literature and an MA in Philosophy from the same institution.
David Peck (Director, The Curriculum Foundation)
What will the National Curriculum Review mean for teaching and learning?
Abstract
The whole of the English National Curriculum is being reviewed. To what extent will a change in the curriculum at this level affect approaches to teaching and learning in the classroom? What will the implications be? What is the relationship between the curriculum and teaching and learning? How much flexibility do schools have when we have a national curriculum? How can we make learning exciting, engaging and relevant when we are constrained by the National Curriculum? Is it worth even thinking about the curriculum now when it is all being reviewed anyway?
David will consider the relationship between the curriculum and teaching and learning in the context of the review. He believes that this relationship is fundamental and that it is the crucial factor that enables schools to construct the very best learning for their students.
Biography
David‘s work with the Curriculum Foundation focuses particularly on curriculum design based upon world class curriculum principles to optimise the engagement and outcomes of every learner.
As a School Improvement Partner and Leadership and Management Coach, David has worked with Leadership Teams, governors and teachers in a wide range of schools in the UK and abroad.
His consultancy roles have included engaging with cross-phase groups of schools and colleges, as well as with Local and National Government. He has experience of working at a senior level in relation to 14-19, Education Business Partnerships and Languages.
He is a former Headteacher and leader of a collaborative network of urban secondary schools.
Stephen Anwyll (Head of 3 – 14 Assessment, Ofqual)
Janet Holloway (Head of 14 - 19 Regulation, Ofqual)
Assessment, qualifications and curriculum - the regulator's view
Abstract
It’s the curriculum which defines the territory in which assessments and qualifications are developed but we know, of course, that assessments and qualifications, particularly when they are high stakes, also influence the ways in which the curriculum is interpreted by teachers and experienced by learners.
Ofqual, now legally established as the independent regulator of qualifications, examinations and assessments in England, has specific duties and objectives. We have set out the key criteria which must be met by statutory assessments and examinations – validity, reliability, comparability, minimising bias and manageability. At later stages these criteria are expanded to identify the requirements of specific qualification types, for example GCSEs, and in some instances the requirements of specific subjects within a qualification type, e.g. GCSE Science. We are developing proportionate and targeted review activity which will help to promote these criteria in relation to the current national curriculum and to its next manifestation.
This session will explore the interdependent relationship between curriculum and assessment and what Ofqual is doing to ensure that this relationship produces qualifications, examinations and assessments that are valued and trusted by learners, users and the wider public.
Biographies
Stephen Anwyll
Steve is the Head of 3-14 Assessment and leads on work to regulate national assessment arrangements from the Early Years Foundation Stage to Key Stage 3. He started his career as a primary teacher and then moved into Local Authority work as an advisory teacher, adviser and Ofsted registered inspector with a particular focus on literacy and English. He joined the National Literacy Strategy as a Regional Director when it was established in1998 and worked with Local Authorities across the country. He became National Director for Literacy in 2001. He returned to Local Authority work as Head of a School Effectiveness Service and then joined QCA in 2006 where he worked on national curriculum reviews, the development of materials to exemplify national standards, teacher assessment and national moderation. Steve joined Ofqual at the start of 2011.
Janet Holloway
Janet is Head of 14-19 Regulation. She is responsible for the team that develops and implements regulatory policy for 14-19 qualifications including general qualifications, diplomas and functional skills. Janet taught chemistry and other sciences in comprehensive schools and colleges in England and abroad before joining one of AQA's predecessor organisations, the North West Regional Examinations Board offering CSE examinations. She has had several senior roles managing the development of new qualifications and their delivery to centres. Her most recent post before joining Ofqual involved being responsible for the majority of AQA's qualifications including GCSE, GCE, Diploma, Functional Skills and the AQA Baccalaureate.
Mervyn Wilson (Principal & Chief Executive, The Co-operative College)
Co-operative schools – the quiet revolution
Abstract
As the school system in England goes through a radical transformation with the ending of the central role of the local authority, a quiet revolution has seen the rapid growth of co-operative schools. Using a variety of models, from specialist schools, trusts, sponsor academies and converter academies, a new network, now comprising of over 150 schools, has emerged. What is meant by a co-operative school? How does being co-operative school affect the pedagogy, the curriculum, and the governance of schools? Can a co-operative school sector provide a mutual alternative to the creeping privatisation of the state education system? What lessons can be drawn from the extensive co-operative schools network in many other parts of Europe?
Biography
Mervyn Wilson is Chief Executive and Principal of the Co-operative College and has worked in the co-operative sector for over thirty years. He has worked with co?operatives throughout the world including Co-operative Colleges in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Mervyn has led the work to develop a distinct co-operative element in the state education sector. The resulting co-operative model for schools has proved popular, with over 130 co-operative trust schools by April 2011, an co-operative academy model under development and a national network, the Schools Co-operative Society, building links with co-operative schools throughout Europe and beyond.
Mervyn is a mentor on the recently announced Cabinet Office Pathfinder programme for new mutuals in the public sector – working on the development of a co-operative model for the Further Education sector, as well as exploring co-operative and mutual models in other parts of education support services.
Mervyn is a co-chair of the global Human Resources Committee of the International Co-operative Alliance, a Trustee of the Co-operative Heritage Trust and the Reddish Vale Trust, and a Fellow of the RSA.
Andrew Chubb (Principal of Archbishop Sentamu Academy)
Building a better bac
Abstract
The introduction of the E-Bac has provoked widespread criticism in the educational world. Distinguished voices have questioned the relevance of the choice of subjects, its limited appeal to a broad cross-section of students, and its likely impact on schools’ and academies’ curriculum development plans.
Meanwhile, there has been near universal condemnation by Headteachers for its retrospective introduction as an accountability measure.
Since January’s announcement of the E-Bac, Archbishop Sentamu Academy has been working to develop a “better baccalaureate” with a number of educational partners. This has led to the creation of the “Better Bac” coalition, which includes The Curriculum Foundation, Whole Education, ASCL, Archbishop Sentamu Academy and a range of other partners.
Drawing on the success of other baccalaureates world-wide, the coalition is developing a baccalaureate in the true meaning of the word, which aims both to recognise a far broader range of young people’s achievements, and enable them to aim for a qualification that will equip them well for further study, work, and long-term citizenship.
The E-Bac has also raised broader questions however, such as the extent to which schools should follow policy diktat that has the potential to work against students’ interests. The talk will examine these tensions, in addition to discussing the latest stage of development of a “Better baccalaureate”.
Biography
Andrew has been principal of Archbishop Sentamu Academy in East Hull since September 2008. He is currently working with the Curriculum Foundation and other educational partners to develop an alternative baccalaureate to the E-Bac.
He places his determination for delivering educational excellence within the wider context of the Academy’s responsibility to facilitate a deep and lasting social transformation in the area. To this end, he is leading two further system-wide projects; the establishment of an association of local primary school linking to the academy, all mutually accountable to each other and sharing the same improvement partners and; the establishment of an “Eden Team” of volunteers who will work with students, their families and two local churches on a long-term social regeneration project.
Prior to taking up post in Hull, Andrew was Headteacher of Campion School in Leamington Spa.
Andrew's presentation will be available shortly
