This September, a new national curriculum will be taught in schools across England.
Parenting on Female First
Explore Learning has revealed that 62% of parents in England are totally unaware of the changes, suggesting they will be ill-prepared to help their child with their studies and support them in their development.
The research also found that 72% of parents in the UK worry that British children aren’t leading the field in standards of education.
This comes in the wake of the most recent PISA results which found the UK lagging behind their global rivals, failing to make the top 20 in reading, maths and science.
Along with these worrying statistics, a further 66% of parents reveal they have lost trust in the education system.
A parent from Newcastle said: “As a parent, I am very concerned and disappointed that the government and our primary school, has not made us aware of future changes to the primary school curriculum. As parents we also have a responsibility towards our children's education and learning begins at home. This government’s plans for a big society and working with parents, appears to be nothing more than lip service. This approach, a failure to keep busy parents informed, does not give me confidence in the promise to make British education world class. I have totally lost faith in this government on a number of educational issues: post code lottery standards, second class secondary education versus excellent private schools which most of us cannot afford.”
Carey Ann Dodah, Head of Curriculum at Explore Learning commented: “The new curriculum is a response to the feeling that England is slipping behind their international competitors and so there are some drastic changes which for most children and parents will appear more challenging. Many concepts in maths and English will be introduced earlier which will feel like quite a jump when children return to class in September.”
Carey Ann continued: “While the changes to the curriculum are well intended, the implementation is messy and the lack of money or additional time for teaching training or resource development could be troublesome. Transitioning schools to a new curriculum without a clear method of assessment or levelling is confusing at best, and at worst, will leave schools and teachers frustrated and disillusioned with the new system.”
Carey Ann concluded: “There is a definite need for change and as the demands on the UK workforce develop, it’s important that there is a focus on the skills needed in the future. However, parents must always remain a partner with schools in their child’s education and in this respect the lack of information made available to parents about the new curriculum is worrying.”
Explore Learning provides English and maths tuition to children aged five to 14 and has 94 centres located across the UK, teaching over 24,500 children each week.
Any parents unsure should attend information sessions held by their school, check out the government website www.gov.uk/government/collections/national-curriculum or ask for advice from their local Explore Learning centre.
Tagged in Child children School Education Parenting News