Education White Paper - Curriculum

Looking at the changes in store for the primary and secondary curriculum, journalist Mike Baker explores the coalition government's plans for education laid out in the November 2010 white paper.

With The Importance of Teaching focusing on a "rigorous and stretching curriculum", Education Secretary Michael Gove has laid out plans to slim down the curriculum to focus on 'essential knowledge'.

For primary schools, this means support for synthetic phonics; a reading check for six year olds and a review of Key Stage 2 tests.

Secondary schools also face big changes, as the new curriculum will have a greater focus on "subject content" and will prescribe the "essential knowledge and understanding" that pupils must gain.

A new award - the English Baccalaureate - will measure how many pupils achieve good GCSE passes in English, maths, the sciences, a modern or ancient foreign language and a humanity, such as history or geography.

Mike also reports on what the changes mean for schools and education leaders.