VIEWS
BRITISH EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIERS ASSOCIATION (BESA)
What BESA members want from the Curriculum & Assessment Review Comment by PETER DOYLE, Policy Manager at BESA
As one of the largest representatives of curriculum experts in the country, the curriculum review is as important for BESA as it is for many teachers and subject leaders up and down the country. To help formulate our submission, BESA sat down with some of the UK’s leading experts in curriculum development, many whose products you likely use in your own classroom and the following is a summary of what has come from those discussions. At the heart of our response is a deep concern for the pressures teachers face and the disruptions that curriculum changes can bring to classrooms. We urge the government to adopt a measured and thoughtful approach to implementation. A key recommendation is to allow for a full 18 months for schools and suppliers to prepare for any changes to the curriculum. This timeframe would allow adequate time for the development of new resources and, importantly, for robust CPD that equips teachers with the knowledge to confidently navigate the revised curriculum.
We hope that the Department will consider moving away from the “big bang” approach of simultaneous change across all areas of the curriculum. Our members believe this would minimise disruption and provide schools with greater flexibility in adapting to new requirements. This phased approach would create space for careful consideration and thoughtful integration of new elements into existing schemes of work. There is also an opportunity to review the assessment system which has become bloated and over-burdensome, often failing to provide the kind of information that teachers need to effectively support student learning. Greater clarity is needed around the purpose of the assessment and accountability system to avoid unnecessary distortions and perversive behaviours.
More consideration should be given to measuring ongoing progress, where appropriate, through formative assessments rather than the excessive pressures of so many exams at 16. Too many children leave school and start working life feeling a failure and lacking the skills that employers seek. Such an approach is hugely damaging for wellbeing and self-esteem and is a contributor to the growth of anxiety in our nation’s young people.
We also believe that the current curriculum is too overloaded with content, leaving teachers struggling to cover all the required material in sufficient depth. This pressure to “cover” the curriculum often comes at the expense of genuine student engagement and can lead to superficial learning that lacks lasting impact.
Practical life skills and soft skills such as communication, discussion, critical thinking, resilience should be strengthened and woven through all subject areas at primary to underpin future learning. Digital literacy and technology skills need greater emphasis. Skills such as basic data handling and responsible digital practices should be woven across the curriculum to ensure students gain practical experience from an early age. At secondary, KS3 is content heavy and there is an opportunity to review subject areas and focus on quality over quantity. Science and History are particularly content heavy making it challenging for teachers and students to cover all required topics in depth.
Exam-focused content encourages teaching methods geared towards coverage and passing exams rather than fostering comprehensive understanding, especially in maths where concepts are often repeated across years. This structure can lead to redundancy rather than progression.
BESA’s position on the national curriculum review is guided by a clear vision: to create an education system that effectively prepares young people for a fulfilling and successful future. By working in partnership with schools, policymakers, and other stakeholders, BESA members aim to contribute to the development of a world-class education system that empowers all young people to reach their full potential.
December 2024 BBC TEACH
Protecting children online
This month, BBC Teach Executive Producer ALEX HARRIS looks ahead to Safer Internet Day 2025. He details how BBC Teach can help you with resources and a Live Lesson to enable children to protect themselves and others from scams.
Safer Internet Day takes place on 11 February 2025 with the theme of scams online. Here at BBC Teach, we’re
once again working with the UK Safer Internet Centre and Childnet to create bespoke resources and a special Live Lesson.
For primary schools, there’s a wealth of resources around privacy and security on the BBC Teach website to help you in the classroom. stored on a smartphone and what they need to be aware of when gaming online. For example, we have resources explaining how loot boxes work in the gaming world (for the non-gamers like me, loot boxes are items found within games such as in-game currency, clothes for a character to wear or tools that help a user in the online game with discussion points to get children thinking about
Connected World framework set out by the UK Council for Internet Safety. We provide downloadable teacher resources with lesson
Internet Day Live Lesson. Primary schools will be able to watch the 30-minute programme on the BBC Teach website and on the CBBC channel. It will also be available on-demand on BBC Teach and BBC iPlayer once the broadcast ends. Pupils will learn how to spot sheets ahead of the broadcast to use alongside the lesson. And don’t forget to email your shoutouts to
live.lessons@bbc.co.uk with Safer Internet Day as the subject. You can also get in touch using the we can live during the lesson!
For secondary students, we have resources that you can set as as the dos and don’ts of sharing content. Popular gaming YouTuber, online. He also shares some of the things students can do to protect notes and cross-curricular links.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/teach
www.education-today.co.uk 21
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