The National Curriculum.

Let’s start with the biggie, the National Curriculum.

This is the only statutory document in the teaching bundle.

I won’t bore you with the history of the National Curriculum (NC) all you need to know is that there have been several revisions since it was first introduced and the consensus amongst English teachers is that the latest one (published in 2007) appears to be the most user friendly.

So what is it?

In a nutshell, the National Curriculum sets out the subjects that will be taught in schools in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

It lists the knowledge, skills and understanding required in each subject.

It also sets out the standards or attainment targets in each subject and shows how teachers can use these to measure pupils' progress and plan the next steps in their learning.

The range and content of the NC is quite exhaustive and you can find out the details here. It has been divided into four key areas, Speaking & Listening, Reading, Writing and Language structure and variation. Overall, the study of English should enable pupils to apply their knowledge, skills and understanding to relevant real-world situations.

There are a number of key concepts that underpin the study of English at key stage 3  and 4 and promote pupils’ progress in speaking and listening, reading and writing. They are known as the Four Cs

Competence

Creativity

Cultural Understanding

Critical Understanding

You can find out how these apply to the study of English here.

So how does this work for English teachers? Let me explain how it works in the classroom because, despite the prescriptive nature of the NC, teachers do still have a great deal of freedom.

For example the NC dictates that in their writing pupils should develop ideas, themes, imagery, settings and/or characters when writing to imagine, explore and entertain.

I have just planned a unit of work taking the topic of Gothic Tales. By using films, poems, stories and journals my Year 7 group will develop their own ideas, the themes of Gothic writing, use of imagery, and settings and explore these in their own writings which will be imaginative and entertaining. I have also lined up a poet who specializes in the Gothic genre to pay us a visit.

So don’t worry, once you get your head around the NC it really can be quite fun!