ATL Comment On The Interim Primary Curriculum Review

8 December 2008

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL), said:

“A review of the primary curriculum has been long overdue. We support Jim Rose’s plans for a slimmed down national curriculum which focuses on skills rather than facts for their own sake, understanding rather than rote learning, and cross-curricular topics rather than separate subjects, as a way to transform teaching and learning in our primary schools. But to bring about this transformation, as Rose points out, the Government must deal with the elephant in the room – a testing system which narrows the curriculum.

“Teachers have waited a long time to be allowed to use their professional skills and expertise to really engage all children in learning. The areas of learning outlined in the report will enable teachers to inspire their pupils to become active, engaged, lifelong learners, and to shape a curriculum which is relevant to the local area and school.

“We strongly support Jim Rose’s plea to regard the primary curriculum as part of continuous teaching and learning from early years to secondary. We think moving to subject based teaching at the end of key stage 2 will enable pupils to make a smooth and confident transfer to secondary school.

“Many schools have already tried to make similar changes. These changes will involve extra work for many teachers, but they are likely to do this happily because they want these changes, in marked contrast to many imposed tasks which do nothing to improve children’s learning.”

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