Curriculum For All: What Schools Need To Know About What The Curriculum Review And The New Ofsted Framework Say About Inclusion

The key thing you need to be aware of with regards to the final report from the government-commissioned Curriculum and Assessment Review is right there in the title: Building a world-class curriculum for all. The writers of the review are at pains to communicate that the biggest change that needs to happen is with regard to inclusivity - a curriculum which works for all children.

This, by the way, tallies with Ofsted's latest inspection framework that has specific headings and statements about how inspectors must look at the extent to which schools' curricula are inclusive. Here's just one page that focuses on inclusion, there are lots more:

The Curriculum and Assessment Review's final report features the words 'inclusive' or 'inclusion' 44 times, 'access', 'accessible' or 'accessibility' 151 times, and the phrases 'for all' or 'all pupils' 82 times. The government's (shorter) response includes these words and phrases a total of 109 times.

The review's first recommended curriculum principle is this:

"The refreshed national curriculum must be an aspirational, engaging and demanding offer that reflects the high expectations and excellence our young people deserve, irrespective of background."

And the government's response begins with this:

"This government’s ambition is for every child and young person to receive a rich and broad, and inclusive and innovative education. A good-quality curriculum should support educational success, ignite curiosity, introduce fresh perspectives and lay the foundations for a rich and fulfilling life and career. Whilst many young people are succeeding through the current system, too many are still leaving full-time education without the essential knowledge and skills they need to thrive and adapt in a rapidly changing world. As this government looks ahead, the challenge is clear: we must ensure our whole education system raises aspirations and standards for every child and young person – without exception. That means that every child and young person has access to a curriculum that stretches, challenges and prepares them to seize the opportunities of the future."

And it ends with this:

"The government is focussed on securing an excellent education for every child and young person, raising aspirations for all. We welcome the recommendations of the Review which share this aim..."

The CAR report talks about inclusion of three overall 'categories':

• SEND

• Socio-economic disadvantage

• Diversity (I assume this is meant to cover ethnicity, sex, gender, country of birth, religion and perhaps more)

The government's response also mentions pupils working at greater depth:

"A good-quality curriculum should also challenge those who are learning at greater depth by allowing them to deepen their learning, exploring concepts in more detail, applying content to different contexts, and making connections between subjects... We will support teachers to identify and challenge pupils who have more to give in the classroom or who are not yet achieving what they possibly could. This does not just mean focussing on a named group of typically high-attaining pupils, but making sure that all pupils are stretched and challenged."

I've already shared loads about how to do this, and indeed, have had calls with the DfE about how they can go about supporting schools with this. see all my blog posts on greater depth here: https://www.aidansevers.com/blog/categories/greater-depth

The focus seems to be firmly on how curriculum and teaching in schools is meeting the needs of all. Teachers have always been trying to do this, but now it is seems to be the focus of resourcing, support and scrutiny, so we need to be ready.

However, this is clearly a job for the here and now, not for later. It's also most likely something you're working on already.

So what can you do to be more inclusive of all pupils right now?

Diversify your curriculum so that it is representative of the children in your school, and of wider society

It should act both as a window and a mirror, allowing children to learn about the lives and experiences of others whilst seeing their own lives and experiences reflected in the content. It should also feature a wide range of historical and contemporary people, events and contributions which are representative of the diversity that exists in British society, and across the world.

The CAR report says:

“The curriculum should reflect the diversity of modern Britain so that all pupils can see themselves and others represented in the knowledge and materials they encounter.”

“A broad curriculum supports pupils to develop a secure understanding of themselves and their place in the world. This includes exposure to a diverse range of voices, cultures, histories and perspectives.”

“Representation should be embedded across curriculum sequences, rather than introduced through standalone events or themed weeks.”

Take a inclusion-first approach to the way that you do things

This includes curriculum development and lesson planning - we really need to think about the hardest to reach, hardest to teach children first when we are planning and teaching. I've written plenty about this already:

• Provision for Pupils with SEND = Provision for All?

• SEND Provision Across The Curriculum: Start and End Points

• A SEND-First Approach... To Everything

• Backwards Planning: What I Got Wrong

• From SEND To Greater Depth: Taking Everyone On The Journey (And Getting Them All To The Destination)

Support this inclusion-first approach with logistics

We can't just go on teaching using 3-way differentiation, set ability groups, 3-part lessons and so on - the way we do things must change if we are to be truly inclusive. There are three things I come back to time and time again when talking to teachers about what supports this way of working:

Planning a whole sequence of learning and having all its resources and tasks ready right from the beginning; the idea of differentiation as a journey: https://www.aidansevers.com/post/ditch-the-lesson-plans-try-learning-sequences

Flexible lesson design that goes beyond three-part lessons and whole-class teaching: https://www.aidansevers.com/post/flexible-lesson-design-a-model-for-responsiveness-and-the-release-of-responsibility & https://www.aidansevers.com/post/ditch-the-lesson-plans-try-learning-sequences

The role of the adult during lesson time: https://www.aidansevers.com/post/what-should-adults-be-doing-when-children-are-working

If you're looking for the way to ensure all pupils' needs are met but that teachers aren't burned out, let's talk. Together we can make this work in your school. Here's you 3-step plan to taking the load off yourself and making that happen:

1. Drop me an email

2. Have a phone call with me to talk about your school

3. We'll work together to empower you and your staff to enhance teaching and to enrich your pupils' lives