Commenting on Professor Becky Francis as the leader of a new
Government review of the curriculum, Daniel Kebede,
General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“Professor Becky Francis has an important role now to shape and
improve the future of education. Having recently participated in
the NEU-organised Education Renewed conference, she will
appreciate there is a wide consensus that there is a lot to be
done.
"Making the curriculum more modern, engaging, inclusive and fit
for the future, whilst ensuring that all students have access to
the full breadth of subjects, is absolutely crucial. For too long
these aspects of the curriculum have been eroded. It has
contributed to student disengagement and to their not being
properly prepared for their future.
"Assessment in England, across the phrases, is fundamentally
broken. It is designed for accountability, rather than teaching
and learning.
"We are pleased to see the review will consider how any changes
would affect staff. The previous government's changes were rushed
through at an unmanageable pace and caused significantly more
teacher workload. This review must learn the lesson from previous
reforms.
"We have had productive conversations with Labour about the need
for a review of the curriculum and assessment. Teachers are
experts in their field, designing curricula and assessing their
students every day. Their involvement in this review to improve
the educational experience of children and young people is
essential."
