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Primary pupils could be rated on lifestyle in lessons shake-up
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent23 Sep 2008
Primary schools could assess children on healthy lifestyles and attitudes towards sex, instead of traditional academic subjects, under a radical plan by ministers.
Schools Secretary Ed Balls has ordered an overhaul that is expected to see the number of subjects slashed to make room for "concept-based" lessons.
The review team said many teachers and parents believed the new primary curriculum should give children's "personal development" equal status to English and maths.
Former Ofsted director of inspection Sir Jim Rose is leading the project and is due to send his interim report to Mr Balls next month.
The Schools Secretary ordered the review to examine whether primary education should be slimmed down, with more room for play for five- to seven-yearolds. The final plan could mean an end to separate lessons in history, geography, music, design and technology, and RE.
Officials conducted 60 seminars across England earlier this year, involving 1,500 teachers, council staff, parents and pupils. The report on the events said literacy, numeracy and personal development were seen as three crucial pillars for the new curriculum.
"Delegates recognised that personal development must be the central driver of planning and accepted that skills, values and attitudes needed to be integrated, taught discreetly and also permeate the whole of learning. There was a majority view that personal development should be assessed and reported to parents," the report says.
Aspects of personal development that were important for children to learn included "healthy lifestyles, sex and relationships education, drugs and alcohol education, philosophy, self-esteem and helping children to understand multiple cultural identities".
Primary school had become too crowded with academic subjects, delegates said.
The secondary curriculum for 11- to 14-year-olds has already been reformed to make it more flexible. Such a plan for primary schools would delight many in the teaching unions. Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "The topic-based approach was excellent primary practice for many years. Subjects don't come in boxes. Our geography affects our history and putting these together seems to me absolutely sensible."
But Diana Watkins, chairman of the Independent Association of Preparatory Schools, said: "What I think would be very dangerous would be to just go back to a skills-based curriculum."
She said she was "absolutely determined" that the curriculum for prep schools would remain rigorous but exciting and flexible.
"Children really need specialist music teachers, sports and languages teachers," she added. "Often specialists are really passionate about their subjects and that is what sets children alight."
Reader views (11)
Less assessment and testing. More teaching.
- Mick, London, England, 24/09/2008 09:54
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They won't be learning a thing then will they? Good grief, it beggars belief what this bunch of cretins will come up with next!
- Wen, Oxford, England, 23/09/2008 19:56
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Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "The topic-based approach was excellent primary practice for many years. Subjects don't come in boxes. Our geography affects our history and putting these together seems to me absolutely sensible."
So NuLab education policy is going round in ever decreasing circles. The problem is that Ministers need new initiatives so they can spin. The people who actually have to implement these changes and the children patients etc suffer from a constant state of flux. No sooner have they sorted one set of changes than the next is already being proposed.
- Dave, London, 23/09/2008 19:11
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For gods sake! If ever I need a reason to teach my children from home this will be it. Can these people not see that all the pc changes to the education system under nu labour have churend out lazy, uneducated, pscyhopaths. Go back to basics, even to whatever influenced the buppies back in the 80's, anything is better than what we have now and what we have been getting for the past 20 years.
- Melissa, London, 23/09/2008 17:16
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So sex ed & multiculturalism is more important in the primary grades than learning science, history, and geography?
No wonder more and more British families are choosing to homeschool their children!
- Crimson Wife, San Francisco Bay Area, Caliornia, USA, 23/09/2008 17:05
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Oh, well, that's really going to stand them in good stead when they look for jobs a few years down the line, isnt it? What idiots come up with these pathetic ideas?
- Shirley, London, 23/09/2008 15:54
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A cretinous plan from a slimy cretinous government minister. Appalling. No wonder our children are so badly eeducated and we have to be talked down to like 12 year olds on the evening news - we're educating the next generation of shoe shine boys and girls for the Chinese and Arabs. Crazy.
- James, LONDON, 23/09/2008 13:39
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Why do we pay idiots to sit around all day and come up with these daft ideas. The 3 Rs are a good starting point for child education!
- Michael, London, 23/09/2008 13:38
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Just let them be CHILDREN !!
- Sarsfields Ghost, London , England., 23/09/2008 12:17
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I am sick and tired of the indoctrination of our youth. Sex and relationship education indeed. The country at large would be better served by teaching them respect for their elders and less of a sense of ego than the current curriculm teaches them.
- Jane Bewick, London, 23/09/2008 10:24
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Excellent idea, the nu-labour kids of tomorrow will be better equipped to socially interact with each other at the benefits office.
- Tom, Watford UK, 23/09/2008 10:05
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