Commenting on research on future employment skills from the
National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) which
suggests problem-solving, critical thinking and communication
will become increasingly essential in the next 15 years, Geoff
Barton, General Secretary of the Association of School and
College Leaders, said:
“This research provides more evidence of the need for a review of
the current curriculum. While schools and colleges work very hard
to encourage problem-solving, critical thinking and communication
skills, they are doing so despite rather than because of
government policy.
“The government’s programme of GCSE reform has resulted in
courses which rely heavily on memorisation for a large set of
terminal exams, while the performance measures it uses to judge
schools are overly-focused on a suite of traditional academic
subjects. This has resulted in disciplines such as creative arts
subjects and design and technology, which promote creativity and
innovation, being pushed to the edges of the curriculum.
Furthermore, the school timetable is bulging at the seams trying
to cover all the curriculum content.
“In our Blueprint for a Fairer Education System, we have proposed
the establishment of a curriculum review body to determine a core
national curriculum, focused on a relatively small number of
carefully sequenced key concepts, with time and space around the
core curriculum for all schools to develop their own local
curricula.
“We have also proposed a reduction in the burden of assessment at
16. Taken together, these proposals would allow for fresh
thinking on what knowledge and skills will be needed for the
future, and timetables which are more able to ensure the
curriculum is deliverable and meets the needs of all students.”
