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History and geography to be axed in primaries
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent8 Dec 2008
TRADITIONAL subjects such as history and geography will be scrapped in a radical overhaul of primary education.
Theme-based lessons on topics including healthy living and the environment will be introduced alongside more time for children to play under the plan.
The Government believes teachers need extra freedom to help pupils manage their emotions and develop good attitudes in a dramatically slimmed-down national curriculum.
The plan comes amid growing evidence that progress in raising standards in the "three Rs" has stalled. One in five 11-year-olds leaves primary school unable to read, write and add up properly despite billions spent on education in the last decade.
Ministers hope the sweeping reforms will reinvigorate primary education and give teachers more time to focus on English and maths.
But critics will seize on the plans as marking a return to the trendy, child-centred teaching methods of the Sixties and Seventies, when education experts believed that children would learn if they were left to explore topics for themselves.
From 2011, six areas of learning will replace the 11 compulsory subjects which make up the primary school national curriculum under the plan.
The new themes are: understanding English, communication and languages; mathematical understanding; scientific and technological understanding; human, social and environmental understanding; understanding physical health and well-being; understanding the arts and design.
The plan was drawn up by Sir Jim Rose, a former Ofsted director of inspection. Ministers ordered him not to review Sats, despite concerns that children spend too long preparing to take the tests.
Publishing his interim proposals ahead of a final report next year, Sir Jim said the primary school curriculum must be less prescriptive. "If we are to establish a world class, high quality curriculum, we must face the reality of prescribing less so that teachers can better teach and children can better learn," he said.
"Good primary teaching deepens and widens children's understanding by firing their imagination and interest in learning. The primary curriculum needs to be forward-looking.
"Advances in technology and the internet revolution are driving a pace of change which we could not have imagined when the national curriculum was introduced 20 years ago." Schools Secretary Ed Balls, who commissioned the Rose Review, said he wanted to "create fresh momentum in our primary schools that will ensure that all children reach their potential".
But the Conservatives condemned the plan and warned that abandoning traditional subjects such as history and science would undermine standards.
Shadow children's secretary Michael Gove said: "The move away from subject areas towards topic based learning will lead to a further erosion in standards. The danger is especially acute in science and maths where the World Economic Forum says we're 47th in the world. We need more rigour in the curriculum, not less."
Under the plan, schools will be expected to give children more opportunities for play, especially in the first years of primary education. Children born in June, July and August could also start primary school part-time a year early - after their fourth birthday.
Reader views (25)
I feel it un necessacary that the goverment feels it needs to axe these subjects of the curriculum, as a student going into primary teaching via drama, I use drama as a medium to teach subjects regularly; Why cant this be the case? Instead of art and design, why can't they use art to teach some of history? Would it make a child a worse of artist to draw an egyptian tomb rather than a flower pot? simple things like that would make it easy to keep them in the curriculum but also give teachers space to develop their own ideas.
- Sarah Vincent, lancaster, 14/12/2008 15:52
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How can you learn from history if you never learn history? It was always a good one for practicing the skills of reading and writing in my day too.
As for geography, as the world shrinks it is surely more important to understand it as a whole, together with the issues of global warming which I would have thought came in here.
What is the point of adding the word 'understanding' to a load of subjects taught at school? Understanding is obviously the whole aim of education as opposed to straight learning, but I don't think it needs to be in the title. That smacks of yet more dumbing down to me.
- Deborah, London, 09/12/2008 13:37
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It amazes me that "one in five 11-year-olds leaves primary school unable to read, write and add up properly" yet just 5 years later, when these children reach 16 and are taking GCSEs and, year on year, the grades they are achieving reach record levels, we are seriously expected to believe that there is no dumbing down in the examination levels or grade inflation! Or is it simply that the standard of teaching miraculously improves between the ages of 11-16??
- Grumpy, London UK, 09/12/2008 10:56
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I appears the Prime Minister loved the way the Chinese did things at the Olympics. He has a fascination with control and manipulating events to ensure everything always appears sparkly. Now he is taking things further by planning to create a generation of Eloi - dumb, subservient beings who will question nothing and obey everyone. If you think about it, this is radical Islam and Communism by stealth. And the Russians didn't have to fire a single gun! Time to leave the country, but where to?
- Vision Aforethought, Oxford, 09/12/2008 10:45
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I suppose their thinking assumes that every person in the country will be a bureaucrat by 2015, so the use of computers to fill in Forms will be the main skill required.
This process is going rather well in the NHS, which will be nurse-and-doctor-free much sooner than that, the cleaners having already been laid off.
Who needs to know who Clement Attlee was? Or Newton?
I doubt if the governments of India and China will pay us for our skill in office-work and wasting time and money, so where will the money come from?
- Alex Mckenna, Manchester, 09/12/2008 10:13
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It's called social engineering. Labour have been doing it for years. Suppress free thinking, make everybody automatons, that way they will vote for whoever we tell them to.
- Frank, Home Counties, England, 09/12/2008 09:40
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This must be Nu-Labour and their multiculturalism project at it's worst. Erase history and geography, and turn the future population into open armed sausages. Start thinking of a new name for Britain, cos sure as Hell "Britain" is going to be a dirty word in 20 years time if nothing is done.
- Jock, London, 09/12/2008 00:41
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I bet the educationalists in India and China aren't teaching this namby-pamby nonsense; at this rate our children will be putting their garbage out for a living.
- Squiz, Islington, 08/12/2008 19:52
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I think the public should hear from an actual child.I really enjoy the way my school,the City of London Boys,teaches History and Geography.Don't get rid of them!
- H.J.Jones, London UK, 08/12/2008 19:34
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I think the public should hear from an actual child.I really enjoy the way my school,the City of London Boys,teaches History and Geography.Don't get rid of them!
- H.J.Jones, London UK, 08/12/2008 19:34
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History is vitally important subject so that the youth know who they are and where they came from. But for a government set on handing this once great and independently minded nation over to a Galactically corrupt EU and bureucratic EU to loose this nations identity this plan will probably serve their purposes well.
- Jas, Camberley UK, 08/12/2008 18:40
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Gordon Brown and his other Communist chums can announce what they like, but all will be reversed when the Tories win the next general election. .
I hate this Government with all my heart, and soul.I will party when they are finally booted out of office. If I had my way they would all be sent to the Tower and tried for treason, for the outrages they have inflicted on the British peoples.
- Charles Bailey, Mitcham, SW London., 08/12/2008 18:24
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What about 'Black History month'?
- Ted, London, 08/12/2008 18:17
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No history or geography will mean a generation who do not know where they come from or where they are going.
- Dee, London, 08/12/2008 17:48
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More Social Engineering.
When Slavery teaching includes :
1 the White Slave raids made on England
2 the fact that African and Arab slavers were (and probably still are) the biggest slavers
3 children were still being sent down the pits and into mills whilst the Politicians were more interested in abolishing slavery here and abroad
.....then I'll cheer correct teaching.
When children are taught that Racial Predujice is a Black as well as white problem, then I'll cheer correct teaching. (according to my Punjabi sister-in-law, she's suffered far more racial abuse from non-whites than whites)
I don't feel guilty for being white English, so NuLabour has to work on the children !
- Cap, london, 08/12/2008 17:31
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Oh good, that means less competition for my privately educated children.
- Tom, Watford (UK), 08/12/2008 16:27
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Clearly, the socialist's work is not yet done. Adults are still able to recognize this rubbish for what it is. More social engineering, more 'change' experimentation in education - or perhaps they are just trying to leave a mess for the Tories when Labour gets kicked out as seems increasingly inevitable with each new pronouncement from GB's crew.
- Rogan, Irving, 08/12/2008 16:16
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This is not the answer. However the existing methods of teaching dry subjects such as History and Geography has to change. Even at Secondary school level, children must be taught relevant, interesting subjects suited to the world we live in. Teaching the Tudors or Tectonic Plate Erosion to anyone without an interest is pointless. Teach modern history i.e. things they can relate to and they will be enthralled rather than bored.
- Adam, Harrow, UK, 08/12/2008 15:32
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Absolutely bonkers and true to form from this failed Labour Government.
- Douglas, Bristol, 08/12/2008 15:32
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This just proves that academics and politicians are wholly unsuited to judge on what is suitable for our children. Their plan not to concentrate on the basics is putting the cart before the horse. It is like the West pushing for African Aods patients to have sophisticated drugs without ensuring that basic diets are nutritious enough to support immune systems. As every horse knows, it is easier to pull thasn push.
- With Smoke Coming Out Of My Ears, London NW11, 08/12/2008 15:06
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Completely nuts...what more would you expect from Browns Bonkers Britain?
- Rick Of Leeds, Leeds, 08/12/2008 13:43
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Why is anyone surprised by this Labour proposal. History would teach the children about when Britain was GREAT, before Labour began to erase our past and re-engineer the message in the same way Russia and China does. Geography would teach people that Great Britain/UK is actually an island and can exist independently of the European superstate that Labour is so keen to drag us into.
- Malcolm, London, 08/12/2008 13:35
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Gasp! Horror! Disbelief! A conspiracy for mediocrity. As a product of a child of state primary education in the 70's - I cannot believe that these new proposals are reverting back to the days of mindless play, random teaching of trendy subjects and ultimately creating even more sink schools. I can distinctly remember at the age of 7 being intensely bored with unstructured games and very poor quality teaching. This was the time of my life when I was like a sponge and hungry to learn and absorb knowledege. We needed structure, direction and guidance. Exploring topics on our own, as is being proposed, left us 'rudderless' and ultimately drifting into poor exam results and low achievement. Not being given an appreciation of subjects like history, geography and a solid grounding in maths was a definate hindrance later in life and frankly made secondary education a struggle. If you have a child at this age - be afraid, very afraid. We are destined to become a nation of numb-nuts. Very aware of our feelings but with little substance to navigate our way through life and compete in an increasingly changing world. What these people fail to notice is that we have to exceed and aspire to over achieve and have the skills to rapidly adapt to change. For that we need an education system that is not only broad but deep. This is less about educational revolution and more about 'Garbage IN and Garbage OUT'
- Sara, Richmond, 08/12/2008 13:08
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Don't be fooled,this is a plot and perfect opportunity to rewrite history.Don't forget we have a hell of a lot to answer for as our 'diverse' population will confirm.
- Steve, London, 08/12/2008 12:49
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Oh no, This is disaster!! Has those think tank people gone mad? The education system in last decade had gone downward rapidly. Please, I beg those law/policies maker do not going with this route.
- Soc, London, 08/12/2008 12:38
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