A new world for the curriculum

The new coalition government is inviting ‘new providers’ refers such as “parents, teachers and charities” to set up their own schools. There are already adverts on ‘Google’ from firms of lawyers offering to help you set up one of these ‘free-schools’. But what should our response be as professionals within the system, or people with a deep interest in education? Should we resist all change? Fight to keep schools within local authority control? Or do we work to ensure that any new school has the best possible curriculum for its learners?

We must certainly stand up for the integrity of education, and for a broad and balanced curriculum that enable all young people to enter adulthood with the confidence, ability and desire to make the world a better place. We must resist any attempt to narrow the curriculum, or to take it down dark alleys of partisan interest.

All young people have the rights set out in Article 29 of the UN Charter:
“The education of the child shall be directed to:

• The development of the child’s personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their full potential
  
• The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations
  
• The development of respect for the child’s patents, his or her cultural identity, language and values, for the national values of the country in which the child is living, the country from which he r she may originate, and for civilizations different from his or her own
• The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society in the spirit if understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of the sexes and friendship among all peoples
  
• The development of respect for the natural environment

Surely these should remain at the heart of any curriculum, however ‘free’ a school becomes.

But might allowing parents, teachers or charities to set up their own schools allow an even better curriculum to develop? What should our position be then? Clearly, the very best curriculum should be available to all young people, not just those who happen to be where a group of people have decided to, and are able to, set up a ‘free’ school.

And what should the curriculum of a ‘free-school’ be? What would you do with the curriculum if you had total freedom? What would go? What would remain? What would come in?