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Excellence and Enjoyment: A Strategy for Primary Schools
In launching the Primary Strategy document (May 2003), Charles Clarke, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, introduced the strategy as follows:
Excellent teaching gives children the life chances they deserve.
Our system must not fail any child. High standards — especially in literacy and numeracy — are the backbone of success in learning and in life. Our primary education system must not write off any child through low expectations.
Enjoyment is the birthright of every child.
But the most powerful mix is the one that brings the two together. Children learn better when they are excited and engaged — but what excites and engages them best is truly excellent teaching, which challenges them and shows them what they can do. When there is joy in what they are doing, they learn to love learning.
I want every school to drive its own improvement, to set its own challenging targets, and to work tirelessly to build on success. However good our schools are, for the sake of our children they can always be better.
The Primary Strategy encourages schools to use the freedoms they already have to suit their pupils and the context in which they work.
The goal is for every primary school to combine excellence in teaching with enjoyment of learning. Schools will:
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Develop the distinctive character of the school, building on existing strengths (e.g. sport or music) or working closely with the community
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Take ownership of the curriculum
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Be creative and innovative in how they teach and in how they run the school
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Use tests, targets and tables to help every child develop their potential and measure school performance
The DfES will:
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Support innovation and offer more scope for school autonomy
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Keep a strong focus on standards and maintain the target for 85% of primary pupils to reach Level 4 at KS2 as soon as possible
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Change the local target-setting arrangements: schools will set the targets to begin, with LEAs following
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Provide schools with better performance data
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Maintain high standards at KS1, but trial a new approach to assessing 7-year-olds (read the KS1 page for an update on this trial)
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Recognise the achievement of all children, by improving value-added measures
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Look into changing the performance tables to include a school's character as well as performance
What happens to the Literacy and Numeracy
strategies?
The Primary Strategy takes these under its umbrella and fosters
further support of these strategies.
What about the rest of the foundation
subjects?
This strategy extends the sort of support hitherto given to Literacy and
Numeracy to other subjects: modern foreign languages, PE, and Music. The arts
and creativity will be stressed, and teachers will receive support to use ICT
towards successful learning and teaching.
What should people working in schools
know?
There are a few basic changes and pledges:
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Every school will have the chance to be part of a wider school network
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A new 'Leading Practice' programme will build on the beacon school initiative
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Every LEA will have a Primary Strategy Manager to help schools
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LEAs are being asked to use their consultants to support the strategy
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Schools will need to commit to a programme of professional development for all their staff
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Schools should look at what other schools do to learn from them and exchange expertise
What about the National Agreement?
Primary schools are already making great strides on workforce reform.
The Workforce Agreement is reducing teachers' workload. This will
facilitate the integration of the Primary Strategy, because teachers will have
time to focus on raising standards and teaching children to enjoy their
education.
The result?
Excellent education tailored to each child's needs, setting them up to
engage with their schooling and succeed in secondary education. And for
teachers? Continuing professional development, interesting new challenges and a
better working environment.
Read the complete document or order a copy from the Teachernet online publications pages.
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