Towards a balanced and broadly-based curriculum was the theme of the National Association for Primary Education conference in March 2021. The keynote lecture was given by Dr. Tony Eaude.

This is a follow up Q&A taken from a subsequent Facebook live event.

Tony suggested four main arguments for a balanced and broadly-based primary curriculum:

• that the law states that schools must offer this (as it does) and that Ofsted expect this (at least from 7 years old);
• one based on how children create coherent, robust and flexible identities, enhancing their well-being and founded on a sense of agency;
• one based on a conception of democratic citizenship in which children are increasingly enabled to deal with complex ideas right from the start; and
• a social justice one that such a curriculum will open up opportunities from which many children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, will otherwise be excluded.

Questions & comments from our delegates

Retired Headteacher

• Dr Eaude’s argument for a balanced and broadly based curriculum is compelling. Moving forwards, is it possible for schools to work with the current National Curriculum Framework to achieve this? 
• Do Academies, rather than Local Authority schools, have the most potential and freedom to develop such curriculum experiences?
• Where (in England) is curriculum innovation to be found at present?
• What is the National Association of Primary Education’s role in this argument?

As a student in my final year of an undergraduate course, I am currently working on an assignment about my own educational philosophy which very much aligns with Dr. Eaude’s Schiller speech. Embarking into my NQT year in September I know the best way to change this is starting in my own classroom. However big questions arise with that:

• What can I do beyond that? If there is not enough support or like-minded colleagues,
• How can I reach out to ensure this way of teaching the curriculum is opened up on to all the children in the community?
• Where can I find more support?

For more information about Dr. Tony Eaude please visit his website https://edperspectives.org.uk/

More information about NAPE is available at https://nape.org.uk/

To find out more about Christian Schiller HMI please click on the link below

https://nape.org.uk/publications​

The Schiller Book, published by NAPE, ‘In His Own Words’, can be purchased for only £5.

Towards a balanced and broadly-based curriculum was the theme of the National Association for Primary Education conference in March 2021. The keynote lecture was given by Dr. Tony Eaude.

He suggested four main arguments for a balanced and broadly-based primary curriculum:

• that the law states that schools must offer this (as it does) and that Ofsted expect this (at least from 7 years old);
• one based on how children create coherent, robust and flexible identities, enhancing their well-being and founded on a sense of agency;
• one based on a conception of democratic citizenship in which children are increasingly enabled to deal with complex ideas right from the start; and
• a social justice one that such a curriculum will open up opportunities from which many children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, will otherwise be excluded.

Schiller was an inspector in Liverpool in the 1920s, a role very different from that of inspectors now – more to advise and encourage than to evaluate. Schiller’s concern at the desperate squalor and poverty which he witnessed there – his humanity – and the narrow and inappropriate curriculum on offer comes through very strongly in what he said and wrote (Schiller, 1979).

His main concern was for children’s basic needs to be met, in terms of being properly fed, clothed and cared-for but he also believed passionately that children in the elementary schools he saw should have a broader, richer and more suitable range of experiences – with his emphasis being on physical activity and the arts. While Schiller 2 went on to work in other roles, supporting primary headteachers and teachers, this early experience was formative and remained with him for the next fifty years or so.

In his lecture Tony suggests that the humanities should be seen fluidly as including history, geography, religion, philosophy, literature, languages and culture, more generally; and fulfil a central role in how children construct and weave together their multiple identities into a coherent identity.

The Humanities 20:20 manifesto (www.humanities2020.org.uk) summarizes why the humanities matter, arguing that they enable children to:

1. consider questions about the meaning and purpose of their lives;

2. explore their own identities, values and beliefs and concepts such as time, space and faith;

3. develop skills and habits associated with critical and creative thinking;

4. extend their cultural and imaginative horizons;

5. learn to empathise with people who are different, as well as those who are similar, thereby celebrating diversity and challenging stereotypes;

6. learn about democracy, global citizenship and sustainability;

7. strengthen a sense of care for themselves, each other and the planet in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

To find out more please visit Dr. Tony Eaude’s website https://edperspectives.org.uk/

More information about NAPE is available at https://nape.org.uk/

Other interviews between Dr. Tony Eaude and Mark Taylor can be found at:

https://www.educationonfire.com/education-on-fire/066-re-humanising-primary-education-dr-tony-eaude/

https://www.educationonfire.com/national-association-for-primary-education/nape033/

Teach the Future is an inclusive, well organised and persistent campaign by secondary and tertiary education students to greatly improve education on the climate emergency and ecological crisis in the UK.

In this episode Robson Augusta chats to Mark Taylor about how it is never too early to start learning about how the climate emergency can be positively affected by our primary aged children.

Teach the Future are campaigning for change across the whole of the UK, but education in the UK is a devolved matter, meaning there are different education ministers and education laws in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. A lot of our work is relevant across the UK, but we also have specific campaign branches in Scotland, Wales and England:A student lead organisation who believe our education system needs to be reformed to reflect the urgency of the climate crisis.

https://www.teachthefuture.uk/

Twitter @_TeachtheFuture

National Association for Primary Education publish their professional journal ‘Primary First’ 3 times a year.

If you would like read a past issue of the Primary First journal you can receive a FREE e-copy by visiting nape.org.uk/journal

Mark Taylor (Vice Chair of National Association for Primary Education) talks to Penny Borkett. Penny wrote an article for the Primary First Journal issue 29 entitled:

Who are you? – The importance of building identity in the early years and the place of culture within this.

Penny has spent many years working as a teaching assistant in a variety of schools. She decided to study as a mature student for a degree which focused on children in the early years. After completing that degree she decided to continue studying and completed her MA. At the time she was working as a Portage worker in a Children’s Centre in a multi-cultural area so became very interested in inclusion and working with communities from other parts of the world.

She then worked for a while as a Children’s Centre Co-ordinator before moving to Sheffield Hallam University to teach.

Penny’s book Cultural Diversity and Inclusion in Early Years Education reveals how cultural diversity can be celebrated in every early years setting. Acknowledging the impact of culture on a child’s development and identity, the book demonstrates the need for practitioners to appreciate cultural difference, value diversity and ensure inclusive practices.

Alongside comprehensive discussion of current and historical policy relating to multiculturalism and relevant sociocultural theory, the book provides practical guidance and resources to support practitioners in responding to the challenges of working with families and children from diverse cultural backgrounds. Chapters focus on topics such as:

• policy and the role of the practitioner
• sociocultural theories relating to child development
• building working relationships with families
• the impact of culture on a child’s identity
• enabling environments and inclusive strategies.

Including case studies, reflective questions and suggestions for further reading and research, this essential book will help early years practitioners and students to embrace the varied cultural heritages of the children in their care.

National Association for Primary Education publish a professional journal called Primary First 3 times a year. It is FREE to NAPE members or can be purchased for £5 from the National Office.

NAPE are creating a series of podcasts from Primary First contributors to hear from the people and organisations behind the written word.

If you would like read a past issue of the Primary First journal you can receive a FREE e-copy by visiting nape.org.uk/journal

To purchase issue 29 and read Penny’s article please contact https://nape.org.uk/