The Bookseller.com

11th October 2008

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Balls unveils curriculum review

11.12.07 Caroline Horn

Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said today that his "Children's Plan" will make this country "the best place in the world for children and young people to grow up". Balls' Children's Plan, supported by £1bn of funding over three years, includes a "root and branch" review of the primary level curriculum to give a sharper focus to English and Maths, time to learn an additional language, and greater flexibility for teachers. Sir Jim Rose, who has already reported on teaching children to read, will lead the review.

The government's goals were also set out, including "at least 90% of children" developing well across all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage profile by age five, and at least 90% of children reaching at or above expected levels in English and maths by the age of 11.

Primary schools will be able to build on the £144m Every Child A Reader and Every Child Counts programmes with a further £25m of funding for the Every Child A Writer scheme, offering intensive one-to-one coaching in areas of writing that children find hard to master.

There are also plans to review the national SATs testing to adopt a "testing when ready" assessment method nationally. Whilst national testing will remain, the government believes the review could lead to an end to the key stage tests in 2009, providing the pilot sites are proven to work and the system has been "rigorously evaluated".

A further £18m will be invested to provide additional support for specific groups of children with special educational needs and disabilities.

Balls also announced that schools in the future would be designed to be "central to their communities" with effective links with the NHS and other services. "Child health services, social care, advice, welfare services and police will where possible be located on the same sites, making services more integrated and more convenient for children and their families," he said. There is also a package of measures to support families and help parents take a more active role in their children's education.

Caroline Horn children's Schools Ed Balls