New opportunities

The new curriculum provides a common entitlement across the country for all pupils aged 11-16. There is less prescribed content in order to provide sufficient flexibility for schools to design their curriculum so that it matches the needs of learners, and the local context. The flexibility can be used to help pupils who need additional support, especially with literacy and numeracy, and to provide others with more in-depth study and challenge.

Teachers will be able to:

• personalise the curriculum, designing their own subject curriculum to meet individual needs and engage all learners

• provide focused support and greater challenge where needed, helping to ensure that all learners have the opportunity to make progress and achieve, particularly in the key areas of English and mathematics

• design coherent learning experiences that are relevant and meaningful to learners by making connections between subjects, events and activities

• use a variety of teaching and learning approaches to engage and motivate learners, and to maximise impace on learning.

The curriculum aims will be the focus for curriculum design at school, local and national level. This will enable schools to design a curriculum around the specific needs, capabilities and aspirations of their learners, and help them to achieve the outcomes of Every Child Matters. Schools will be able to show the value they place on learners' personal development by making it a focus for learning experiences across the curriculum.

Development of personal, learning and thinking skills will become an integral part of enhancing learners’ knowledge and understanding across the curriculum, giving teachers greater opportunities to help all of their learners secure the skills they need for life and work.

Increased flexibility will give greater time and freedom for teachers to use their professional judgement to decide how to assess their learners. They will be able to personalise assessment, ensuring that it supports learning and enables all students to make progress and achieve. They will also be able to help learners recognise the progress they are making within, across and beyond subject disciplines, broadening the measures of success.

The impact

Schools should consider how the opportunities provided by the new secondary curriculum could allow them to design a curriculum that learners find is more relevant, provides the support and challenge they need, and better meets their interests and aspirations. Greater relevance can increase engagement with learning, and help to raise standards. If learners enjoy school more their behaviour and attendance is likely to improve, their progress through school will be smoother and more are likely to move on to further and higher education.

The strong focus on the curriculum aims should help to ensure that young people leave school equipped with the knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes to cope with life and work in the 21st century. In particular, they will be more able to meet the demands of employers, who are looking for young people with good functional skills in English, mathematics and ICT, are flexible and are able to work well in teams, solve problems and make decisions.

Greater focus on assessment for learning will increase learners’ engagement, enable them to show what they can do and open doors to higher achievement. With more ways to demonstrate progress and more pathways to choose from at key stage 4, including the new diplomas, learners are likely to find something that motivates them, continue learning for longer, and gain the qualifications they need to progress into further and higher education and secure employment.