Teach-Secondary-Issue-14.5

model similarly saw the abolition of modular assessments and reintroduction of final exams at the end of Y11, prompting a shift in curriculum planning at KS3 in response. Although some schools continue to use Y9 as a preliminary GCSE year, many now defend the integrity of a full three-year KS3, and use it to embed foundational knowledge, build cultural literacy and ensure breadth and balance. In subjects such as history, geography and English, pupils are now expected to engage in extended writing and high-level analysis from Y7 onwards. In history, for example, a Y7 unit might trace the development of the English state from the Norman Conquest to the Reformation, making use of both primary sources and secondary scholarship. This raising of the academic bar has redefined what meaningful curriculum planning looks like. As a middle leader, I’ve seen how department reviews have evolved. Instead of being limited to spreadsheets and progress charts, curriculum scrutiny now asks, ‘Is the content sufficiently challenging?’ ‘Is vocabulary being explicitly taught and reinforced?’ ‘Does the sequencing build long-term memory and deep understanding?’ Quality and coherence The shift has also raised expectations of teachers. As the curriculum became more demanding, it followed that teachers needed to be subject specialists. Schools therefore began to recruit with subject expertise inmind, while increasingly focusing their professional development efforts on deepening content knowledge. Pedagogy remains essential, but the era of ‘teaching skills over content’ is increasingly recognised as being inadequate for serious intellectual development. These curriculum changes have beenmirrored across the inspection regime. Ofsted, once primarily concerned with data, now has ‘curriculum’ at the heart of its 2019 education inspection framework. Inspectors must assess not just outcomes, but also the quality and coherence of the curriculum. These priorities closely align with the values of the post-2015 A Level reforms – that what we teach students matters just as much as howwell students perform on paper. A decade after their reintroduction, linear A Levels have helped us challenge the assumption that rigour and inclusion have to be mutually exclusive, and crucially, reminded us that academic excellence, far from being ‘elitist’, is in fact the most powerful form of social justice we can offer. Consolidate and build There’s evidence that these changes are making a positive difference, with England’s position in international education rankings having improved in recent years. According to the most recent PISA results, England performs above the OECD average in reading, maths and science. In reading, it ranked 13th globally; in science, 13th, and inmaths, 11th – thus indicating a marked improvement since 2018. At primary level, England’s 10-year-olds are ranked 4th in the world for reading in the PIRLS 2021 survey – their highest ever position. Yes, many different factors will have contributed to those outcomes, but it’s difficult to ignore the role played by a more academically robust and coherent curriculum. As we look to the future, the task for school leaders, teachers and policymakers is to consolidate and build on this legacy. That means continuing to invest in curriculum design, subject- specific CPD and high quality resources. It means defending the principle that a rigorous curriculum isn’t a barrier to equity, but rather the best route to it. Above all, it means remaining committed to the idea that knowledge empowers . Every child, regardless of background, deserves access to the best that’s been thought, said and written. It’s our responsibility to ensure they obtain it. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Neil Davenport is a freelance writer and head of faculty of social sciences at a co-ed comprehensive school in Middlesex IN BRIEF WHAT’STHE ISSUE? As the government prepares to ready its long-awaited Curriculum Review, we should remember how the 2015 A Level reforms did much to change KS3/4 teaching for the better. WHAT’S BEING SAID? The current Labour government would seem to agree, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson having publicly expressed her support for a ‘ Deep and rigorous curriculum ’. WHAT’S REALLY HAPPENING? The ‘knowledge-rich curriculum’ model has improved academic outcomes, as shown by England’s PISA and PIRLS rankings, while also refocusing Ofsted’s inspection priorities in a more positive direction, towards the content of what students learn. THETAKEAWAY By refining and building on knowledge-rich approaches, rather than lowering academic standards in the name of ‘inclusion’, we can provide a more equitable experience of education for every student in our class. 13 teachwire.net/secondary H O T TO P I C