ATL

ATL comment on government's response to Children, Schools and Families Select Committee report on the national curriculum

Dr Mary Bousted, Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) general secretary, said:

"We are disappointed the government has turned a deaf ear to the Select Committee's recommendations on the national curriculum, and refused to contemplate any changes.

"We are particularly disappointed that the government has not agreed to give the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) independence from ministerial control. It's high time development of the national curriculum is trusted to education experts who report to parliament through the Select Committee. The national curriculum must stop being the play-thing of ministers and short-term political agendas.

"The government totally ignores the reality of the pressure on schools - from Ofsted and testing - to devote most of school time to the national curriculum and implement the National Strategies' guidance on how to teach it.

"Although the government recognises problems with the transitions between the key stages it has failed to act on this. And despite talking about the importance of research, the government has totally ignored the recommendations of the Cambridge Review on the primary curriculum.

"We continue to believe that many children are too young to start formal schooling at four. And we fear that subjecting the youngest children to testing against developmental targets risks labelling children as failures from the start of their education and condemning them as such for life."

Notes to editors:

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.
2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first-rate research, advice, information and legal advice.
3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). The union is a member of the social partnership - working with the UK government, employers and other unions on education issues. ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.