Schools get 'tough' with new curriculum

New school curriculum

13:38 01 September 2014

Five-years-old returning to school this week will learn fractions and computer coding, while those in early secondary school will study at least two Shakespeare plays.

 

Under a national curriculum, which takes effect starting this school term, all local authority primary and secondary schools are required to teach five-years-old fractions and computer coding, while those in early secondary school will have study at least two Shakespeare plays. 

 

The Department for Education said that the aim is to prepare children for “life in modern Britain.”

 

A spokesman said the government wanted "all children to learn the core knowledge in key subjects - the ones universities and employers value the most".

 

The new curriculum is not compulsory for academies.

 

The curriculum, which was described by the prime minister as “rigorous, engaging, and tough” put a strong emphasis on skills such as “essay writing, problem-solving, mathematical modeling, and computer programming.

 

Former education secretary Michael Grove said that it will help England to keep pace with the most successful education systems in the world.

 

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, warned that there could be difficulties.

 

"One of the mistakes in the implementation of the curriculum is that it's all being implemented at once," he said.

"In maths you need to learn the early concepts before you learn the later concepts, so there is a problem that there will be children who have not learned the earlier concepts before being expected to learn the more demanding ones."