Not before time
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Not before time
For the first time, a new curriculum has been devised specifically for fee-paying prep schools to give children a better start and prepare them for the demands of secondary education.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... culum.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/ed ... culum.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Not before time
I thought they didn't follow the national curriculum and just used it as a guide line.
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Re: Not before time
I didn't think they used the national curriculum either.
Re: Not before time
I thought that was what we were paying for, to free our DCs from the tedium and lack of challenge that is the National Curriculum.
Re: Not before time
Our son's school didn't follow the national curriculum.
Re: Not before time
I like the national curriculum, it is very broad, not sure where the idea that it doesn;t include much beyond maths and literacy comes from. There are guidelines for all subjects, including PE and art, not just a game of rounders and draw a picture - like it was in my day
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Re: Not before time
We moved our daughter specifically because at the local school the national curriculum essentially meant lots and lots of literacy and numeracy and little else, especially in the run up to yr 6 SATS. This system had left my son at a real disadvantage when he joined a very academic indep secondary school.
Needless to say we feel my daughters move to a prep school free of the NC has massively paid off, she skips out of school every day full of excitement about what she's done. Of course she is still tested regularly on maths, English etc, but the whole process seems a lot less pressured. At primary level it is so nice to be free of league tables and a relatively narrow national curriculum.
Needless to say we feel my daughters move to a prep school free of the NC has massively paid off, she skips out of school every day full of excitement about what she's done. Of course she is still tested regularly on maths, English etc, but the whole process seems a lot less pressured. At primary level it is so nice to be free of league tables and a relatively narrow national curriculum.
Re: Not before time
The national curriculum covers all subjects..
http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stage ... index.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://curriculum.qcda.gov.uk/key-stage ... index.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Not before time
I agree, but the national league tables only publish results for yr 6 in Maths and English, hence the emphasis in some schools on these subjects in yr 6. Not in all schools, but certainly in the one my children went to which was always towards the top of the league tables. I'm sure other schools cover the curriculum more broadly.
Re: Not before time
Totally agree with you Yummiemummie, we took our youngest out of his state primary for exactly the same reason. It was such a shame that when they covered a history or geography topic, the children were asked to do a project during a half term holiday and the occasional art lessons were rushed through with no time for the children to enjoy them or be at all creative. I can't speak for all schools, but this was certainly our experience. He was beginning to fall behind and always said that apart from break and lunchtime, school was boring. However, when he went to his new school, which did not follow the national curriculum, he blossomed and loved school. It was wonderful to see him so happy.