VII. A. Read the article "Parent's Guide to the Curriculum" by Judith Puddick.

Parents often profess to being bemused by the modern school curriculum particularly when their children come home talking about PSHE, DT and ICT. Many children, however, say nothing at all about school or tell you they have been playing all day, so it can be quite a surprise for parents when a school report comes home listing all the different subjects taught during the year. This ar­ticle covers three questions about the curriculum commonly asked by parents: Who decides what should be taught at school? What are the National Literacy and Numeracy strategies? Why does the curriculum vary in different schools?

Who decides what should be taught at school?

Until 1988 schools were free to decide what they taught their pupils, with religious education being the only compulsory subject. This obviously gave rise to great variation amongst schools so in order to ensure all pupils had access to a balanced education the National Curriculum was devel­oped listing the subjects to be covered, detailing what should be taught and stating the standards or levels expected by pupils at age 7, 11 and 14.

For primary pupils, aged 5-11, other than those educated privately, the National Curriculum is a statutory requirement. It currently consists of three core subjects - English, maths and science; and seven foundation subjects - design and technology (DT), information and communication tech­nology (ICT), history, geography, art and design, music and physical education (PE). Additionally schools have to teach religious education (RE) according to a locally agreed syllabus, although par­ents may choose to withdraw their children from these sessions.

While many skills such as playing a musical instrument are subject specific, six skills are con­sidered key to helping pupils improve their learning and performance in education, work and life.

These six key skills of communication, application of number, information technology, working with others, improving one's own learning and performance and problem solving are embedded in the National Curriculum and taught across it.

Other statutory requirements are that the curriculum should promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development across all the statutory subject areas. These may also be covered more specifically in your child's school during religious education, collective worship, personal, social and health education (PSHE) and lessons in citizenship.

The Literacy and Numeracy Strategies

To assist teachers in delivering two of the core subjects, English and mathematics, two national strategies have been developed and although non-statutory the majority of schools in England deliver daily literacy hours and numeracy lessons. Both strategies are built around detailed frame­works of teaching objectives laying out term-by-term exactly what should be taught. There has also been a massive national training programme detailing how these two subjects should be delivered.

These two strategies have given rise to much of the 'educational jargon' your children may use. Whole class teaching is often delivered using an overhead projector (OHP), numeracy lessons begin with skill practice that is not written down (oral and mental starter), letter sounds are known as phonemes, reading may be shared, guided or independent and lessons conclude with plenaries. You may also hear about lesson objectives that outline exactly what is to be taught, and hopefully learnt, during a session.

Why does the curriculum vary in different schools?

Although the National Curriculum lays down what must be taught it is up to individual schools to decide how and when each subject is covered. Schools may also include additional subjects and experiences in order to reflect their own aims and ethos and this is what makes every school unique.

Government guidelines suggest that about 60% of the total teaching week (minimum of 21 hours KS1; 23.5 hours in KS2) is spent on the core subjects and although your child will probably be taught English and maths every day, science might only be taught once a week. Schools may choose to deliver foundation subjects weekly or to block teaching time and perhaps cover history during one term and geography in another. Some schools prefer to link subjects through a topic so when teaching a unit such as The Vikings, aspects of history, geography, DT, art, music and ICT may all be covered.

The organisation of subject teaching may also vary greatly between schools. Children in one school may be taught by their class teacher all day for every subject while in another teachers with a specific area of expertise may teach one subject to several different classes in turn. In order to address the needs of all pupils, although every child will be studying the same subject areas, children with special needs or those who are very able may be taught separately for some of the time by another teacher or may be supported by a teaching assistant. Sometimes, particu­larly in larger schools, children may be organised into different ability sets for some or all of the core subjects.

Assemblies, playtimes, registration and lunchtimes, although not included as part of the teach­ing time each week, are often used by schools to enhance the curriculum. Chess clubs, football

• All the exams have two or more papers and a coursework component. Modern Languages and English include oral / aural assessments, while other subjects include a practical component.

• Information Technology, Physical Education, Religious Education, sex education and ca­reers guidance are also mandatory and run alongside GCSE studies.

Grades:

• Pass Grades are awarded from A* to G.

• A* is awarded to the very highest band of A grades.

• Mainly the old 0 Level pass and students will be pushed to gain a C if at all possible.

• Students who are not expected to achieve a G grade may earn a Certificate of Achievement.

Schools usually hold 'mocks' at some time in Year 11 (often just before or after Christmas, or around the February for historical reasons, the C/D borderline is an important one (it is seen as the equivalent to half term), which give students valuable examination practice, enable them to see 'real' GCSE papers and crucially allow them to see the aspects that they need to work hardest on before the real exams in May and June.

Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced Level

A Levels are the final set of exams that may be taken at secondary school (if the school has a Sixth Form), or at college. They are the traditional entry requirements to university. Recently the courses were updated. Now students can follow a course of study at an Advanced level for one year only and gain a recognised qualification (AS) at the end of it, whilst simultaneously studying for A Levels. This broadens the academic range of students: for example, someone study­ing three sciences to A level can also study History for a year. Universities welcome students with a greater breadth of knowledge and it also provides a more balanced diet of study for those heading for employment or training.

Timing of the exams:

• Examinations (modules) may be held at various fixed times throughout the two-year A Level period.

• Most students enter for the AS modules (A 1) during the first year and the second part of the A level (A2) at the end of the course.

• Some students sit both Al and A2 at the end of two years, like the old A Levels. General National Vocational Qualifications

Part One GNVQ develops general work-related knowledge and skills for students. It is designed to be studied alongside GCSEs or other qualifications and is now generally available in schools and colleges. It is available at Foundation and Intermediate level in various vocational areas, including Business, Leisure and Tourism and Manufacturing. Two thirds of the final grade is based on a portfolio of work built up over the course. Part Two GNVQ runs parallel to A Level courses along the same lines. GNVQs at higher levels can be studied at Further Education institutions.

> Notes:

Rite of passage - a special ceremony or action that is a sign of a new stage in someone's life. Covet - to have a very strong desire to have something that someone else has.

Acronym - a word composed of the initial letters of the name of something, especially an organization, or of the words in a phrase. Bearing - influence. Mandatory - compulsory, obligatory.

A mock examination - is one that is intended to be like the real event so that people can prac­tise and prepare themselves for the real event.

Portfolio - a set of items that represent someone's work.

Read the article “The Terrible Truth about Truants” (from ‘English Learner’s Digest’, № 20) and write a gist of the text.