Head of Education Steve Beegoo comments on the Curriculum Review, which delivers recommendations for state education in England
The curriculum review by Professor Becky Francis and her team came out this month.
The government’s stated ambition is, “for every child and young person to receive a rich and broad, and inclusive and innovative education”. Many educationalists have welcomed the review’s recommendations which are also being welcomed by the government. The review panel has clearly listened carefully to teachers and other professionals, and has thankfully avoided recommending the promotion of further LGBT ‘inclusivity’.
However, amongst the wisdom there are several aspects which should lead us to lament. The loss of Christian values and Christian teaching, combined with a lack of parental engagement with their children and the growth of an increasingly ‘parental’ state, has clearly led to a struggling and educationally failing cohort of children.
Wisdom
The approach of the team seems genuinely to have been to listen to the wisdom of teachers up and down the country. It is clear there were many areas to address with how poorly the education system was functioning. These had been highlighted by teachers for years. Issues such as financial education, oracy, sequencing in Maths teaching and excessive testing have all been helpfully addressed amongst many other issues.
Signs
But anyone with a knowledge of the pathologies of our society, can see the evidence of this in the report’s recommendations on curriculum. Teachers are already expected to solve many of the ills of society, and the increasingly larger state, which wants parents to be at work providing taxes for its failing economic model, continues to continually expect more of our state teachers; for them even to take the place of parents. There is a reason why Education Support’s Teacher Wellbeing Index, published this week, found that 36 per cent of teachers surveyed are at risk of probable clinical depression and 77 per cent experience symptoms of poor mental health due to work. What most parents once took responsibility for is now expected from professionals who simply do not have time for the numbers of children in their care and their multiple needs.
Parents
The Bible teaches that divorce is something the Lord hates (Malachi 2:16). The statistics show the poor educational and mental health outcomes for those children from what were once called ‘broken’ homes, despite the often Herculean efforts of many single parents. The Bible teaches that parents should take responsibility for their children, God’s creation, taking time to ‘impress’ upon them the Lord’s ways (Deuteronomy 6). British society has come to expect that the welfare state should do almost everything for us, including raising taxes to educate all our children on our behalf. It cannot be relied upon to do so effectively, and Christian parents would be wise to be especially wary of this assumption.
Oracy
The recommendations regarding teaching children to be able to speak and to listen are very necessary, but a sad indictment. As parents no longer spend time with their children and many do not have a father and mother at home, children are engaging much less in communication with loving adults and peers. Their mobile phone and social media becomes their main communication method. According to Ofcom, one in five 3-5 year olds now use their social media accounts independently and have their own mobile phone.
The isolation of the lock-down during the pandemic also contributed to the decline in young people’s confidence and communication skills. This has all led to a huge societal issue with the failing basic oracy skills of our children and young people, which the review highlights.
The states’ lever of the National Curriculum is sought to be adjusted to make up for this societal deficit, and so a focus on oracy skills will be put into place, inevitably removing other aspects which could be taught to those children who can already speak and listen well. This will lead to a ‘dumbing down’, for example in a reduction of the teaching of grammar, but does attempt to address a key basic skill. Oracy must now be systematically and more regularly taught by teachers in state schools.
Gaps
Such recommendations are also an indication of our state’s need to constantly focus resources on ‘addressing the gap’, between the lowest attainers (often from poorer backgrounds, chaotic families, or with SEND) and those who can still achieve and improve at the expected rate.
If you are a parent who regularly speaks with your child, reads with your child, teaching them the basics, then what you and your children will gain from their school experience five days a week will continue to decline. This is a direct impact of our statewide devaluing of motherhood and fatherhood, and the loss of the Christian view of the importance of parents educating children as part of family life, and supported by the extended family of the church.
Aspirations
The government’s admirable aspiration states that, “A new oracy framework will support primary teachers to ensure their pupils become confident, fluent speakers and listeners by the end of key stage 2, and our new secondary oracy, reading and writing framework will enable secondary teachers to connect and embed all three of those vital skills in each of their subjects as part of a whole school strategy.”
There are so many primary school children who cannot even speak now, that the review team recommends that, “the Government should find a way to do phonics tests for primary school children who do not speak”.
Additionally, because parents no longer have the basic skills themselves nor the expectation to teach their children to speak and read, “We are building on our Best Start in Life Strategy to raise standards in the early years, boosting access to high quality early education and care, and supporting families to develop children’s language and learning at home through our Best Start Family Hubs”, while also providing 30 hours free child care to working parents from nine months of age; wrap around care from the state away from their parents.
Food
Similar comments could be made about the recommendations regarding food and nutrition. Parents no-longer seem to be expected to be responsible for the feeding of their children. With the advent of earlier drop offs, and the growing expectation for all children to be fed breakfast at ‘clubs’ by the state on weekdays, there is an increasing need to teach about food. What expectations remain that parents should eat with their children, teach their children about nutrition, or how to cook? Children and young people, it seems, have no idea. The report explains, “We recommend renaming ‘Cooking and Nutrition’ as ‘Food and Nutrition’ and drafting a new set of subject aims so that young people receive a thorough grounding in practical cooking skills, as well as a broader understanding of concepts such as food hygiene and sustainability.” When surveyed this year, nearly a third of school staff say that, as part of additional support beyond teaching, they provide food for pupils and students when they do not have any at least once a week- up from 13% in 2019.
SEND
SEND stands for Special Educational Needs or Disabilities. Many children are arriving at school with issues that could have been avoided, such as poor mental health, behaviour issues or communication challenges. These are now often classified as SEND needs resulting from unstable home environments or the damaged caused by limited parental involvement in their education and care. As a result, teacher training must increasingly focus on SEND, since a growing proportion of the children in their classes have the resulting very low levels in basic skills. This training is a further, and important recommendation from the review. It is clear however that the state school system is not coping for the needs of so many, even where parents are very actively supporting their children with SEND.
Religious Education
Many Christians and RE Teachers are attuned to the subtleties in the recommendations which might result in a decrease in the teaching about the Christian faith in some schools, where currently it should still make up the majority of the RE teaching. Local Authorities must currently ensure that the agreed syllabus for their area is consistent with Section 375(3) of the Education Act 1996, which requires the syllabus to reflect that the religious traditions of Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain. The review recommends adding Religious Education to the National Curriculum through a two-step process. Firstly, developing subject plans in collaboration with faith groups, teachers, and other stakeholders. Secondly, consulting the public on these plans.
This approach seems to be cautious and collaborative, aiming to avoid disruption while improving variable provision. Many schools illegally do not teach what is required without consequence. Including RE in the National Curriculum could close gaps where schools currently avoid teaching it, and create opportunities for improved teacher training and subject knowledge.
However, significant questions remain about governance and influence. The review emphasises “sector consensus” rather than the currently expected direct input from religious groups in a Local Authority, which could shift control away from local faith communities exercised through Standing Advisory Councils for Religious Education (SACRE). While this may promote much needed consistency, it raises concerns about secular or multiculturalist agendas, relativising belief, potential promotion of the confusing ‘Religion and Worldviews’ paradigm, and overshadowing Christianity’s historical and currently statutory role. If implemented, some state Christian schools may lose freedom over what they teach in RE.
Citizenship
Citizenship teaching is emphasised in the recommendations. With a greater focus on teaching children to be good, conforming, members of the state, what will this include related to being fully ‘inclusive’? This is unclear. Will free speech thrive in schools on controversial issues such as sex, sexuality, gender and religion?
The government has said, “The Review has recommended that we ensure that pupils in primary school are taught essential citizenship content through a new statutory requirement to teach citizenship in key stages 1 and 2.” This could mean 5-year-olds will be systematically taught in school about how to be a conforming ‘state citizen’ who should align with Fundamental British Values, possibly more than their family have the time to teach them to love God, to obey their parents and serve their neighbour in response to the true king.
Voting
It is of note that:
“The Review, in particular, highlighted the opportunity that is presented by the preparations for lowering the voting age to 16. In implementing the changes to citizenship proposed by the Review, we will make sure that young people have access to the information that they need and look at how schools can capitalise on the greater relevance and engagement that the change in voting age will bring... We will take the opportunity to enhance the climate education content which is already present in the national curriculum, in the subjects of geography, science and citizenship. We will also include sustainability within the design and technology (D&T) programme of study and sustainable practices within the citizenship primary curriculum.”
It is certain that the Green Party should be delighted, with the increased time on Citizenship from age 5, the integration of so much teaching on climate change and sustainability embedded across the new curriculum; the teaching of the importance of voting; and all at the time when the voting age is being reduced to 16.
Conclusion
Amongst the very welcome wisdom coming through the recommendations, thoughtful Christian teachers and parents are provided with much to deliberate over in prayer. There is also much to lament in the educational circumstances of so many children, yet we are also grateful for the lack of the further ‘inclusive’ promotion of LGBT themes present.
Support
Christian Concern is working hard in the sphere of Education to support Christians across all areas. We have developed a website with over 100 resources for teachers, parents and church leaders. We have recently published our booklet, ‘How to start an independent Christian School’, and we are now taking bookings for our annual ‘Education Revolution’ event to be held at Westminster Chapel on Sat 25th April next year. Our legal team at the Christian Legal Centre is also regularly supporting Christians facing issues regarding schools and education.
Please do sign up to receive our emails about all of our work, and pray that the wisdom of the Lord will pervade our school curriculum decisions, and that parents and churches will take their responsibility in educating children in line with his word and ways.
