So here is the good news. The British National Curriculum, although floored, is still an extremely valuable document. It clearly outlines what our students must acquire in order to successfully enter British universities. What parent wouldn’t want their child getting a place at Oxford or Cambridge? The detailed objectives outlined in the curriculum go a long way in illuminating the kind of skills that are indeed critical to mastering the subjects that most schools typically offer. The strategies and programmes of study that have often accompanied the curriculum give teachers great food for thought. The many reviews into the curriculum along with their reports and recommendations provide a wealth of knowledge.
I am fortunate enough to work at a private school. A school that has taken the British National Curriculum and over time worked hard to adapt it to fit its own particular circumstances. We are driven by our desire to provide a curriculum that best meets the unique needs of our students. I believe that by subscribing to the British curriculum we are letting parents know that over the duration of their school life their child will, as a bare minimum, receive from us the knowledge that is covered in the curriculum. Their children will be given the best possible shot at receiving a university place of their choice.
But my school is offering more than this. They are looking deeper into the meaning of learning and drawing on both past and present research findings in order to come up with a more holistic approach. It is not a question of replacing the curriculum. It is about developing a framework that extends the realms of possibilities.
For those following my scribbling, I will in coming articles be looking at how we can use what we now understand about the brain in ways to improve learning and teaching. I found it necessary to look back at the history of the British curriculum before considering how it might fit within a new framework. For me this was a prerequisite to my journey into a new way of doing things. I hope my purpose has been understood.