Today’s new national curriculum represents a mixture of progress and setbacks, the British Humanist Association (BHA) has concluded. On the plus side, evolution has been added to the primary national curriculum for the first time, and human rights has been retained in citizenship education after being threatened with removal, albeit in a significantly diminished place than the current national curriculum. But on the downside, evolution only appears in year six (when the draft proposed year four) demonstrating a significant U –turn by government, and there has been almost no progress (and in some ways steps back) on sex education – both seemingly in concessions to conservative religious groups.
Another concern is the removal, from the draft, of ‘society and social reform, including the abolition of capital punishment, the legalisation of abortion and homosexuality, and the Race Relations Act’. This was in order to ‘reduce prescription’.
In languages, previously one of a list of seven had to be taught at key stage 2, but ‘Representatives of certain religious groups were critical of the exclusion of languages associated with religious observance (e.g. Hebrew) from the list of foreign languages that can be taught at key stage 2.’ Consequentially this restrictive list has been removed – enabling ‘faith’ schools to teach Hebrew and Arabic (for example) in order to fulfil this requirement.
BHA Head of Public Affairs Pavan Dhaliwal commented, ‘While we welcome that evolution is to be added to the primary national curriculum for the first time, in a number of other areas this new national curriculum represents a step back for what we would want to see. And even the victory on evolution is somewhat soured by the government u-turn by its removal from year four.
‘We will continue to work in order to improve what is taught to pupils, both by engaging with individual schools and local authorities and through lobbying this and future governments for further progress.’
Notes
For further comment or information contact Pavan Dhaliwal, Head of Public Affairs, at pavan@humanists.uk or on 0773 843 5059.
Read the new national curriculum framework: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210969/NC_framework_document_-_FINAL.pdf
Read the previous draft: https://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/National%20Curriculum%20consultation%20-%20framework%20document%20(2).docx
Read the equalities impact assessment: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/210970/Equalities_impact_assessment_-_FINAL.pdf
Read the BHA’s response to the consultation: http://humanists.uk/2013/04/24/bha-responds-to-english-national-curriculum-review/
Read more about the BHA’s campaigns work on:
- Science, evolution and creationism: http://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/science-evolution-and-creationism/
- PSHE and Sex and Relationships Education: http://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/school-curriculum/pshe-and-sex-and-relationships-education/
- Collective Worship: http://humanists.uk/campaigns/schools-and-education/collective-worship/
The British Humanist Association is the national charity working on behalf of non-religious people who seek to live ethical and fulfilling lives on the basis of reason and humanity. It promotes a secular state and equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion or belief.