Imagine an education system where…
• children start school one year later and ready to learn with the language, social skills and resilience they need gained during a pre-Reception year;
• children move to secondary school with greater confidence and deeper knowledge;
• our oldest pupils have more opportunities and time to make meaningful choices about their futures;
• our educational approach embraces the child and childhood, meeting developmental and academic needs at every age and stage.
The challenges facing education during the pandemic have dominated the media, not least the critical issue of children falling behind by many months. A number of post-pandemic ideas are circulating: tutoring, longer school days, summer school, holding back some children. Whilst these ideas are put forward with the best intentions, they do not address the root of the problem – that the status quo is unfit for purpose. These ‘solutions’ add additional strain to an already broken system.
Let’s bestow on our youngest children the time and space to flourish and let’s present to our oldest an opportunity for a second chance. For the children in between, in Years 1 -12, let’s give them a chance to acquire understanding and confidence at the deepest levels. For all children, let’s reimagine their future and rebuild their hope, resilience and trust. How?
• by allowing all pupils to re-do this year;
• by establishing a pre-Reception year for our 4-5 year olds.
Below are the key changes and curriculum foci required to create a transformative and inspirational educational system.
PRIMARY:
3-4 year olds currently at preschool. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Pre-Reception. Curriculum focus: Language/oracy; storytelling, books, songs and rhymes; outdoor learning; plants and food. Additional resources: Access to green space; books; all weather onesies, wellies; food prep kit per child.
4-5 year olds currently in Reception. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year Reception+. Curriculum: Language/oracy; storytelling, books; EYFS curriculum.
5-6 year olds currently in Year 1. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 1+. Curriculum: Language/oracy; stories, books; National Curriculum followed with more time allocated to consolidating and deepening children’s knowledge across all subjects. Ring-fence time for expressive and dramatic arts, outdoor learning, PE, fitness and healthy eating.
6-7 year olds currently in Year 2. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 2+. Curriculum as above with additional focus on reading for fluency and pleasure.
7-8 year olds currently in Year 3. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 3+. Curriculum as above.
8-9 year olds currently in Year 4. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 4+. Curriculum as above.
9-10 year olds currently in Year 5. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 5+. Curriculum as above.
10-11 year olds currently in Year 6. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 6+. Curriculum Sept – Feb: RWM + curriculum accelerate and catch-up. Feb: SATs exams reading, writing, maths. March – July : Research projects; community service, fundraising for residentials/trips, outdoor learning, drama/dance/music productions. Additional resources: Amazon UK sponsored £20 book voucher for each child to spend on books for their independent research project.
How will the Pre-R year be staffed and managed?
Where? On existing primary school or preschool sites. Headteachers/EYFS leaders, preschool managers, local authority advisors and trusts to collaborate within geographic areas to arrive at optimum solutions.
How? Portacabins, temporary classrooms. Empty classrooms utilised as well as village halls, churches.
Staffing?
Overall responsibility for delivery and quality of teaching & learning: Headteachers, EYFS leaders.
Day-to-day teaching & learning: Early Years trained teachers, Early Years HLTAs, teachers returning to the workforce or existing teachers seeking new challenges and opportunities.
Support staff: Early Years teaching assistants.
Trainee staff: School and university leavers; teachers returning to the workforce.
Tremendous employment opportunities are created for school, college and university leavers as well as teaching staff returning to the workforce.
Typical timetable for Pre-Reception year?
9:00-9:30 registration, stories/books, sharing.
9:30-11:00 Outdoor play/learning, vocabulary and language focus.
11:00-12:15 Early lunch UFSM, outdoor play.
12:15-1:00 Language and oracy, books and stories.
1:00-2:30 Food prep for shared tea: sandwich, raw vegetables, fruit; gardening/PE/fitness.
2:30-3:15 Shared afternoon tea; books, stories and tidy up.
This simple pre-R curriculum and timetable is designed to have an impact on three areas: language and social skills; reading/storytelling for pleasure; outdoor play, healthy food.
SECONDARY:
11-12 year olds currently in Year 7. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 7+. Curriculum focus: Year 7 curriculum with deeper knowledge, understanding, language/oracy; stories, books; residentials/trips. Additional resources: Pooled online learning materials for catch-up*.
12-13 year olds currently in Year 8. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 8+. Curriculum focus as above and relevant to Year 8.
13-14 year olds currently in Year 9. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 9+. Curriculum focus as above and relevant to Year 9.
14-15 year olds currently in Year 10. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 10+. Curriculum focus as above and relevant to Year 10, begin Year 11 curriculum.
15-16 year olds currently in Year 11. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 11+. Curriculum focus: Catch-up, accelerate GCSE provision and preparation for GCSE exams brought forward to March. April-June: Independent projects or work experience.
16-17 year olds currently in Year 12. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 12+.
Options:
1. Re-do Year 12;
2. Fast-track A levels and BTechs and sit in June 2022.
17-18 year olds currently in Year 13. Proposed school year 2021-2022 Year 13+.
Options:
1. Re-do Year 13, sit A levels/BTecs in June 2022;
2. Take up university place;
3. Take up apprenticeship;
4. Enter workforce;
5. Apply for school-supervised independent project;
6. Apply for government-funded travel grant.
*A tremendous opportunity exists for schools’ best online materials to be collated and pooled to create a bank of ‘catch-up’ and extension materials for independent study.
In conclusion, the pandemic presents us with a unique opportunity to create an education system which better serves our children – both coming out of the immediate crisis and in the long-term. Fear of change and resistance to funding education properly must not be factors holding us back from reimagining and rebuilding an education system of which we can all be proud.
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