Government opens national conversation on the curriculum
This week, the government published a call for evidence for its curriculum and assessment review. Pupils, parents, teachers, headteachers and senior leaders, the wider school workforce, and local authority officers, among others, are encouraged to share their views of the current system. The consultation will run for 8 weeks and close on 22 November. An interim report will be published in spring next year, whilst the final report and set of recommendations will be published in autumn 2025.
Professor Becky Francis, chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF), has been appointed as chair of the curriculum and assessment review. She confirms a key issue the review will focus on is the progression of disadvantaged children and those with other vulnerabilities, including special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Francis says that the current exam system continues to ‘fail the third of our young people who do not achieve five GCSEs at grade 4 or above […] resulting in a stymieing of life chances.’
The review will consider the balance of knowledge and skills taught through the curriculum, as well as the quality of post-16 and vocational education. Additionally, Francis recognises the ‘urgent need for a sufficient supply of high-quality teachers.’ It is her aim that the reviewed curriculum and assessment system will be flexible and fit for purpose to improve the experience of the classroom teacher, which may help to improve retention.
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Plans to open 300 new school-based nurseries by next September
In a speech at the Labour Party’s annual conference, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson announced that 300 new or expanded nurseries will open in England’s schools by this time next year, coinciding with the government’s pledge to deliver 30 hours of free childcare for children aged nine months and above by September 2025.
Primary schools will be invited to bid for a share of £15 million capital funding from next month to utilise spare space. The spare capacity in schools is a result of declining birth rates. The government’s long-term plan is to eventually convert over 3,000 classrooms into early years provision at an average cost of £40,000. Schools will receive funding from April 2025.
Bridget Phillipson says that this policy will help to boost ‘life chances for children and work choices for parents.’ This announcement has been warmly received by schools and the early years sector, however experts have raised concerns about the issue of recruitment. Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, explains that whilst increasing physical capacity is essential to meet rising demand, ‘such action can only ever be effective if we have enough educators to deliver these places.’ He therefore calls for a comprehensive recruitment and retention strategy, alongside funding to meet the costs of delivering high-quality early education in the long term.
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Schools with lower Ofsted ratings see fall in pupil numbers
Nationally, state-funded primary pupil numbers have fallen by 1.5% since 2017-18, the equivalent to around 70,000 pupils. However, analysis by the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) reveals that the problem of falling pupil rolls is not being felt equally across the primary school sector.
In 2017-18, schools rated ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted were operating at 95% capacity. By 2022-23, there had been no change. During the same time period, schools rated ‘Good’ went from operating at 91% capacity to 88%, largely in line with the national average. Yet, schools rated ‘Requires Improvement’ or ‘Inadequate’ saw marked drops in pupil numbers, the former falling from 87% to 82% capacity, whilst the latter fell from 84% to 79%.
When schools experience sharp drops in numbers, they could reduce class sizes, which could help to improve pupil outcomes. However, analysis shows that schools often reduce the total number of classes, rather than reducing the number of pupils in each class. Researchers say this is likely due to the financial challenges schools face when they are not operating at capacity. The research also indicates that falling pupil rolls has led to more schools going into deficit.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), says the government must take the opportunity to reduce the size of classes in English schools, highlighting that ‘class sizes have grown substantially since 2010 and England now has more than one million pupils taught in classes over 30.’ To achieve this and avoid possible school closures, he encourages ministers to create a mechanism for planning school places for a local area.
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