Education defends States schools' curriculum
The Education Committee has defended the curriculum in States schools.
It insisted that pupils’ knowledge was now at the centre of the curriculum and distanced local schools from skills-based approaches used in some British jurisdictions which have recorded declining standards in recent years.
Education, Sport & Culture president Andrea Dudley-Owen was replying to rule 14 questions submitted by Gavin St Pier, in which he asked the committee to respond to curriculum weaknesses identified in several school inspections carried out by Ofsted.
‘A series of entitlement documents have been produced by officers and teachers working in partnership. These detailed subject knowledge maps now exist for 14 subjects, with maths being treated differently, and describe the knowledge children should know in each of key stages 1, 2 and 3,’ said Deputy Dudley-Owen.
In 2017, Education introduced a new curriculum, known as the ‘Big Picture’, which prioritised the acquisition of skills. From about 2019, the approach to the curriculum started to change, with more emphasis on subject content and the acquisition of knowledge, alongside the appointment of Ofsted.
‘The work outlining the essential core knowledge to which learners in the Bailiwick are entitled is not a repudiation of the Bailiwick curriculum but a fulfilment of it, and was an intended part of the long-term plan,’ said Deputy Dudley-Owen.
‘The factors affecting attainment are too complex to draw straightforward inferences from a jurisdiction’s official curriculum position. It would appear reasonable, though, to suggest that having a pure skills-based curriculum that ignores the enabling role of knowledge might be one that risks underperformance.
‘Knowledge and skills in combination are vital parts of the learning process. Knowledge is the enabler of skill. Knowledge without skilful application is largely pointless, and skill without knowledge is impossible.’
Deputy St Pier started his questions with extracts from inspection reports of nine local schools which recommended improvements in teachers’ and pupils’ subject knowledge, the structure of the curriculum and how progress was assessed.
Ofsted uses a four-point scale for school inspections – excellent, good, requires improvement and inadequate. The quality of education had been judged as ‘good’ in most local schools.
Deputy Dudley-Owen said that Ofsted’s reports had been ‘taken out of context’ in Deputy St Pier’s questions.
‘Schools in England have been developing detailed curriculums since 2016 and yet still have many “good” schools where there is more work to be done in this regard. Locally, education improvement officers report from their visits to schools that curriculum development is beginning to have significant impact,' she said.
Curriculum entitlement documents are mandatory for geography, history, art, maths and computing. From September, it will be mandatory to teach the content of curriculum entitlement documents in design technology and some aspects of English. Within 12 months, schools will have to teach the content in every subject.
