ED BALLS LAUNCHES PLAN FOR CHILDREN

The continuation of yesterday's post ...this taken from the press release today:

• a root and branch review of the primary level curriculum to help smooth the transition from early years, free up space in the school day for more time on the three Rs and time for a foreign language. The review will consider how best to ensure a smooth transition from play-based learning in the early years into school, particularly for summer born children. Sir Jim Rose will lead the review;

• building on the £144m already allocated to fund the Every Child A Reader and Every Child Counts programmes, £25m will be allocated to fund the Every Child A Writer scheme to offer intensive one-to-one coaching in areas of writing that children find hard to master;

• that children should be taught according to their “stage not age”, including expanding the “testing when ready” assessment method nationally. Whilst national testing will remain, this could lead to an end to the key stage tests in 2009 but only if the pilot sites have proven to work and the system has been rigorously evaluated;

It is this bit that worries me most of all : free up space in the school day for more time on the three Rs

... and in Scotland:

Teachers defend Standard Grades

It looks as if major changes are also afoot ... I thought Curriculum for Excellence had only just come of age.