English schools curriculum faces radical overhaul

The English schools curriculum faces radical changes but will retain traditional subjects at its core. That was the message from Ken Boston, chief executive of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), outlining future plans at Lord's cricket ground. The venue may look odd at first sight as it is the traditional home of English cricket but Lord's has also seen massive improvements in recent years and now hosts floodlit twenty overs a side matches. As a metaphor for a marriage of tradition and modernity it was the ideal setting for the biggest overhaul of education in England for nearly twenty years.

The curriculum will be slimmed down and teachers will have greater flexibility in the classroom. And despite pledging to introduce a host of new subjects, Mr Boston and new Schools Minister Ed Balls both insisted traditional subjects would retain their importance.

A less rigid curriculum also fits in with the government's policy of personalised learning for every child.

'Are we going to teach the Battle of the Nile or are we instead going to concentrate on how to take out a mortgage and manage it and use the school time for that purpose?' asked Mr Boston.

'By cutting duplication and clutter in the curriculum, teachers will have more time to concentrate on what is vital,' said Mr Balls.

Changes on the way include: newspapers and websites featuring alongside Shakespeare and Dickens in English, personal spending and how to open bank accounts would form part of Mathematics, genetic engineering, nuclear power, healthy eating, the effects of drugs and sexual health would come under Science and languages like Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, Russian and Urdu would join French and German in Languages.

The plans received a broad welcome from teachers, educationalists and politicians but their impact on pupils will not be clear for some time yet.

• Ask Our Experts: Our Education Expert
• This Week's News
• What Our Members Are Discussing Today