KEIS helping you to implement an ambitious curriculum that’s
right for your school.
What is meant by the term ‘curriculum framework’ and how do you create a
good one?
The term curriculum framework or progression model (both terms can be used
interchangeably) provides the underlying structure of your whole school curriculum. It is a
model that sets out the learning journey, from the start point to the end point, for each
primary curriculum subject and the curriculum as a whole.
Why do primary schools need a curriculum framework?
In the not-so-distant past in nearly all primary schools, children’s progress was measured
using levels, then age-related expectations or other arbitrary measures put in place by local
authorities. The goal was to show the ‘expected progresses of every child and group of
children, no matter how small or statistically meaningless. To summarise, expected progress
does not exist. Progress is not linear but is multi-faceted.
Using the curriculum as a progression model simply means that we judge progress based on
how much the children have learned of the curriculum. The more carefully we have
specified what we intend to teach, the more easily we can assess whether children have
learned it.
The more carefully we have specified what we intend to teach, the more easily we can
assess whether children have learned it.
How to write your curriculum framework?
Knowing what a good curriculum framework looks like is one thing. Creating one that works
is another. If this is a task that you are preparing to undertake, you should know that it will
require lots of patience (as you try different combinations) and, as I mentioned earlier,
excellent subject knowledge. It is also crucial that, as a curriculum leader, you don’t work in
isolation. Working in isolation often leads to subject progression frameworks being written
in silos, an inconsistency in style, and major disconnection from other curriculum subjects.
In contrast, working on the framework in multi-disciplinary teams ensures you make the
most of those subject interconnections. You’ll also provide a more rounded approach to
children’s understanding of the key concepts set out in your curriculum.
The following five simple steps, drawn from the experience of writing a
curriculum framework.
• Step 1 Identify your overarching curriculum aims
To know your curriculum aims, ask yourself, ‘What values do we hold dear at this school?
What type of citizens do we want our children to be? What do we want them to know and
appreciate about the world by the time they leave us?’ Asking these types of questions often
help to clarify your overarching curriculum aims. If you’re wondering why this is important
to your curriculum framework, in simple terms, establishing your overarching aims will help
you shape everything else you include in your curriculum and may help you make tough
decisions about what to prioritise in your curriculum framework.
• Step 2 Identify subject concepts
Once you’ve established your overarching curriculum aims, subject leaders should consider
how these aims are represented in their subjects. For example, let’s take the big idea of the
environment.
If we want children to become knowledgeable about environmental issues, we need to
ensure these opportunities are prioritised within each subject discipline. Each subject leader
should, therefore, set out which subject-specific concepts that link to that big idea. As this
work is done, it will start to build your curriculum framework.
• Step 3 Map the programmes of study
When we know how each big idea translates into subject specific concepts, we can begin to
match national curriculum programmes of study to each strand. As mentioned, you’ll need a
solid knowledge of the national curriculum to achieve maximum coverage and appropriate
placement of specific programmes of study. In summary, you should plot the programmes
of study for each subject against your emerging framework.
• Step 4 Map out your progression statements
When you have mapped out the programmes of study as described above, the next task is
to map out your progression statements. These statements should set out the smaller
component parts or stepping-stones that will help children to progress through the
curriculum. Each strand of your progression framework should begin to build a robust and
well-connected learning narrative.
• Step 5 Common misconceptions about curriculum frameworks/progression models
Disappointingly, too many people still believe that a curriculum framework should be a list
of things for children to ‘do and learn’ that can be ticked off.
There are many issues with the tick list approach to the curriculum framework. The first is
that if a framework has thousands of very detailed objectives, there simply won’t be enough
curriculum time to teach them. Having a list of very detailed smaller statements that
children must ‘cover’ puts pressure on the daily timetable, teachers’ planning, and the
children themselves.
Giving teachers a mass of detailed statements to tick off also removes their ability to use
their professional judgement in doing what is best for a child, group or cohort. By providing
broader skills and knowledge statements, teachers are better placed to adapt and refine
them, detailing the smaller steps an individual child or group might need to make progress.
Final word
If I could give one last piece of advice about this whole process, it would be to
know your school well. Know it inside out. Know it back to front. Know what
your overarching curriculum aims are and how they are taught in the
classroom. Make sure that every member of staff knows their part in the
greater sequence of learning. Make sure that they understand how their work
builds on what has gone before and prepares children for what comes next.