A survey of over 1,500 members of the National Education who work
as teachers in primary schools in England, has found that the
proportion of school hours devoted to English and maths is
squeezing out other subjects.
The NEU's analysis forms part of written evidence to the
Government as it conducts a major review of curriculum and
assessment (CAR). The analysis, which is attached, highlights how
teaching hours are distributed, and the impact on learning time
of preparations for Key Stage 2 tests (SATs).
The analysis shows that:
- 58%, or 12 out of 20.5 weekly
primary teaching hours, are now spent on English and maths.
- The high stakes nature of SATs
results for schools means that Year 6 teachers are spending even
more time per week on these subjects – an extra 14 minutes of
English and 20 extra minutes of maths, or 61% overall.
- Both figures are in excess of the
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority's recommendations on what
constitutes appropriate amounts of time to maintain a ‘broad and
balanced curriculum'.
- Some Foundation subjects are
studied for less than an hour per week on average. Some pupils
can go weeks of even half a term at a time without learning any
history at all.
- There may also be health
implications. The most disadvantaged 20% of schools dedicate just
93 minutes a week on average to physical education (PE). This is
15 minutes a week less than schools with the lowest levels of
disadvantage.
- Compared to QCA recommendations
from two decades ago, time dedicated to science in Year 6 has
dropped from 120 to 80 minutes. This correlates with a decline in
England's Pisa ranking in the subject.
Responding to this new analysis, Daniel Kebede, general secretary
of the National Education Union, said:
“For decades the profession has known that SATs and the culture
surrounding these assessments mainly benefit the Government and
the publication of league tables. They do not benefit learning,
and do a great deal to damage the potential for a broad and
balanced curriculum.
“We welcome the Government's intention to move back to a national
curriculum for all schools, including academies, but this is only
effective if we do not suffocate other subjects to serve
Government tests in English and maths. As our survey shows, the
pressures of these high-stakes assessments are clearly
constraining the range that schools can offer. That some are
reporting weeks without history teaching is shocking.
"The aims of the Government's review are to ‘deliver a curriculum
which is rich and broad, inclusive, and innovative.' If schools
are under pressure to use more than half of curriculum time for
English and Maths alone, these objectives risk being undermined.
For the Government to achieve its opportunity mission, the review
must not only address the disparity in access to different
subjects in the curriculum but also face up to the fact that they
themselves are driving schools down this road.
"For the Government's review to work they must not only end SATs
and reduce the burden of assessments in primary schools, so that
they can breathe again and children can thrive.”
Editor's Note
The short survey of 1,698 NEU primary teacher members in
permanent employment was conducted between 15-24 October 2024. A
full breakdown of methodology can be found in the attached
report.
