Teachers should be 'empowered' to provide national curriculum alternatives

Too many teachers are at risk of becoming 'de-skilled' as a result of the current national curriculum requirements, the Commons Schools Select Committee has warned.

In the latest report issued by the cross-party group of MPs, it has been claimed that the existing curriculum is being interfered with too much, with politicians, rather than teachers, choosing what pupils should learn.

As such, schools run the risk of being turned into little more than 'franchises' for a central educational policy.

According to the committee's recommendations, national curriculum learning should be capped at under half of all teaching time in primary schools, with teachers then free to make up the remainder how they see fit.

Barry Sheerman, the group's chairman, stated: "We need a simpler, more coherent curriculum. Poor transitions from one key stage to the next create disruptions which damage the educational experience of pupils.

"We need to trust schools and teachers more and empower teachers to do what they do best."

It was also claimed that the proposed primary school reforms recently set out by Sir Jim Rose are "unnecessarily complex".

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