Government’s decision not to “thrust” a “random vision” for education upon the profession is “refreshing”, the chair of the curriculum and assessment review has said.
Professor Becky Francis believes education secretary Bridget Phillipson’s approach means her review will not “tip the sector over”.
Francis made the comments at the Festival of Education this morning in response to a question on whether Labour has a “strong vision” similar to that of the Conservatives in 2010.
The last curriculum review, undertaken by the coalition government in the early 2010s, resulted in a greater emphasis on knowledge, an approach promoted by the then education secretary Michael Gove and long-serving schools minister Sir Nick Gibb.
‘An evidenced approach’
“I think that while it’s completely legitimate to ask, whether the government have a sort of vision of education… it’s really refreshing that there isn’t some random vision being thrust upon us as a profession,” Francis said.
“Instead, [the review has been] invited to take an evidenced approach to improvement that capitalises on the work that’s been done over time.”
Francis, also the CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, noted the “cautious approach” of her review has been “welcomed”.
But it “does set out the determined guardrails around securing breadth and depth and entitlement and enriching the curriculum for all and best supporting people’s life chances”.
While it’s “not an environment of revolution”, there are “really important signals” in the review’s terms of reference “that we need to attend to social justice”.
“But I guess I’m also really grateful that I’m not need[ing] to do a review where we tip the sector over because of the pressing challenges,” Francis added.
