Last updated: 18 May 2007

F: QCA perspective

English has a higher level of disagreement than other subjects about whether the existing programme of study (PoS) 'helps develop pupils' enjoyment of, and commitment to, learning'.

The revisions of the PoS, as a result of the secondary curriculum review, give QCA a real opportunity to address this issue, and for some time we have been working with our partners to ensure that it does so.

How can QCA further signpost our commitment to helping develop pupils' enjoyment of, and commitment to, learning'? In addition, although more than half the schools in our survey agree that the PoS for English 'helps give pupils the opportunity to be creative, innovative and enterprising', QCA believes that there is room for improvement and has raised the profile of creativity at both key stage 3 and key stage 4 by making them key concepts in the revised PoS as part of the secondary curriculum review.

Our next phase of review will see the exemplification of good practice in these areas, so that success can be more widely disseminated. We will also be asking what kind of continuing professional development activities and materials will be most useful in supporting teachers in planning changes to their PoS.

Subject leaders for English have clearly indicated that they value comprehensive teacher assessment guidelines and materials for assessing pupil progress. With the launch of the assessing pupil progress materials, in association with the secondary national strategy, QCA is clearly signalling that this is our priority and we believe that these materials will help to support day-to-day and periodic assessment in English as they are firmly based on the principles of assessment for learning. The materials include a handbook for implementation, a set of guidelines for assessing ongoing work and a standards file containing pupil examples.

At the end of 2005 the four key concepts - competence, creativity, cultural understanding and critical skills (the four Cs) - were first talked about at the 'Taking English forward' conference, which was a culmination of the work put in, and views received, during the English 21 project.

The evidence received by QCA since then indicates that there is some variation in emphasis of the four Cs between the key stages, although all are incorporated to some degree. As a part of our next phase of review we will be asking why there are shifts in emphasis of these key concepts, whether or not we need to consider ways of addressing these imbalances and if the same pattern is emerging in the primary phase?

With the review of the secondary curriculum placing these concepts at the forefront of the English curriculum, it is also essential we that we revisit these issues to judge the impact of the proposed changes.