NAPE wishes our members and all those passionate in promoting primary education, a very happy Christmas and New Year.
What can we expect next year? The Department for Education in its unswerving determination of change, has made changes to the existing national curriculum and assessment and I quote: A ' New Curriculum to give young people the skills for life and work' and... ' bring the curriculum into the modern day and help young people into the future'. This is going to happen in September 2028. Time and time again primary schools are seeing this 'top down approach'. I would summise this as the ends (qualifications) seems to justify the means (testing, Ofsted and lack of freedom for teachers to plan and teach according to the schools context and strengths). The National Education Union tellingly found in its recent survey that 'Educators should be enabled to use pedagogies they determine most appropriate, rather than being driven by the pressure to rehearse for tests'....that English and Maths has squeezed-out other subjects. Is that going to change? Is Ofsted going to inspect other 'subjects' as rigorously in the future?
I am sure that primary practitioners are not resistant to change as long as primary schools are seen not as 'preparation for secondary education' but acknowledge that primary and early years education is a distinct and separate sector.
Please enjoy your Christmas break.
By: Mike Aylen
On:07-12-2025
