Curriculum purposes, values and aims

Education influences and reflects the values of society, and the kind of society we want to be. It is important, therefore, to recognise a broad set of common purposes, values and aims that underpin the school curriculum and the work of schools.

Clear aims that focus on the qualities and skills learners need to succeed in school and beyond should be the starting point for the curriculum. These aims should inform all aspects of curriculum planning and teaching and learning at whole-school and subject levels.

The curriculum should enable all young people to become:

• successful learners who enjoy learning, make progress and achieve

• confident individuals who are able to live safe, healthy and fulfilling lives

• responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.

The Education Act (2002) requires that all maintained schools provide a balanced and broadly based curriculum that:

• promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of learners at the school and within society

• prepares learners at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life.

The purpose of having a statutory core to the curriculum is:

• to establish an entitlement. The national curriculum secures for all pupils, irrespective of social background, culture, race, gender, differences in ability and disabilities, an entitlement to a number of areas of learning and to develop knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes necessary for their self-fulfilment and development as active and responsible citizens.

• to establish standards. The national curriculum makes expectations for learning and attainment explicit to pupils, parents, teachers, governors, employers and the public and establishes national standards for the performance of all pupils in the subjects it includes.

• to promote continuity and coherence. The national curriculum contributes to a coherent national framework that promotes curriculum continuity and is sufficiently flexible to ensure progression in pupils’ learning. It facilitates the transition of pupils between schools and phases of education and provides a foundation for lifelong learning.

• to promote public understanding. The national curriculum increases public understanding of, and confidence in, the work of schools and in the learning and achievements resulting from compulsory education. It provides a common basis for discussion of education issues among lay and professional groups, including pupils, parents, teachers, governors and employers.

In particular the curriculum should:

• raise attainment, particularly in English, mathematics, science and ICT

• ensure entitlement for all learners to a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum that offers continuity and coherence and secures high standards

• induct learners into the essential knowledge, skills and discourse of subject disciplines and to develop specialisms appropriate to aptitude

• prepare young people for the world of employment and further and higher education

• make learners more aware of, and engaged with, their local, national and international communities

• encourage learners to take responsibility for their own health and safety, and appreciate the benefits and risks of the choices they make

• contribute to community cohesion

• acknowledge, promote and pass on the core knowledge and skills valued by society to the next generation.

Education should reflect the enduring values that contribute to personal development and equality of opportunity for all, a healthy and just democracy, a productive economy, and sustainable development. These include values relating to:

• the self, recognising that we are unique human beings capable of spiritual, moral, intellectual and physical growth and development

• relationships as fundamental to the development and fulfilment of ourselves and others, and to the good of the community. We value others for themselves, not only for what they have or what they can do for us

• the diversity in our society, where truth, freedom, justice, human rights, the rule of law and collective effort are valued for the common good. We value families, including families of different kinds, as sources of love and support for all their members, and as the basis of a society in which people care for others. We also value the contributions made to our society by a diverse range of people, cultures and heritages

• the environment, both natural and shaped by humanity, as the basis of life and a source of wonder and inspiration which needs to be protected.

At the same time, education must enable us to respond positively to the opportunities and challenges of the rapidly changing world in which we live and work. In particular, we need to be prepared to engage as individuals, parents, workers and citizens with economic, social and cultural change, including the continued globalisation of the economy and society, with new work and leisure patterns and with the rapid expansion of communications technologies.