1 August 2024
Details of the thrust and focus of the recently announced Curriculum and Assessment Review have been published. Social equity and inclusion come over as central themes of the review, which is great news for the futures of our young people in or about to begin education.
But what effect might the review have on multi-academy trusts (MATs), in terms of the curriculum, its focus and its delivery? And what might assessment and testing look like in the future too?
A major focus of the review is likely to be a move towards a more ‘standardised’ yet even broader curriculum. At the moment MATs have quite a lot of flexibility when it comes to teaching and learning. However, the review aims to bring MATs into line so that they all teach the national curriculum up to the age of 16.
For some Trusts, especially those that have developed a strategy or philosophy that takes a specific or quite unique approach to the curriculum, this may require substantial changes to be made to existing schemes of work. Revisions to content, but also to its delivery, may also require teachers in the MAT to undergo additional training.
The review will consider a new and expanded curriculum with the purpose to deliver to all young people an excellent foundation in reading, writing and maths, as well as provide the opportunity to develop creative, digital, and speaking and listening skills.
That’s a great ambition. If properly delivered all pupils would have the potential to enjoy a well-rounded education and even more relevant pathways to make them ready for life and ready for work. In many ways that is real personalised learning. However, and as a consequence, MATs will need to ensure that their schools are put in the position to be able to offer the wider range of subjects, including vocational, required. To do this will demand a lot of work and more than likely additional costs. New staff from a wider range of backgrounds may be required (6500 won’t be enough!), new resources purchased, new partnerships created, timetables altered and the school day expanded.
Importantly the review includes assessment too and whether the current testing system can be improved for learners and also practitioners. The move towards a more formative, ongoing and fluid view of a young person’s aptitudes and abilities, would certainly be an innovative step change.
Over the past few years, MATs have increasingly centrally procured, administered and monitored testing on behalf of their schools. Now that MATs dominate the school system (in England, anyway) they would be at the forefront of any move towards the successful implementation of a revised assessment system. Perhaps one that provides a more comprehensive and rounded picture of a young person. Evidenced through e-portfolios, regularly updated, as well as digital badges used to capture a wider range of skills and talents, so that successes and performance can be easily and widely shared. Employers and parents would need to be fully on board with and accepting of these new ways of thinking about assessment too, of course, and previous attempts to significantly shift the mood have faltered. No wonder the terms of reference are quick to add that the review will also look to protect the important role of examinations.
MATs will be responsible for introducing any new assessment strategies, and teachers will need to be trained in delivering them as well as observing and recording pupil performance in perhaps innovative and different ways. New types of assessment data might need to be analysed. New technologies and tools might need to be implemented to facilitate the assessment experience and deliver results. Artificial Intelligence it has been argued, could take up much of the administrative, marking and reporting burden, freeing up the teacher properly to focus on identifying a pupil’s most relevant next steps, according to their assessment results.
As well as all of this, it seems we need to throw into the mix that MATs are likely to be inspected in the future too, as well as their schools. We don’t yet know what this might look like, but it’s sure to shine an even brighter light on the role of the trustees, the decisions they make, the strategies they develop, and the relationship they have in supporting but also challenging the CEO and executive team; Anderson Quigley are currently undertaking significant research into this subject, which will be published in September.
That’s a lot of change across all levels of a MAT and its schools, from ‘top to bottom’, in a relatively short period of time.
Finally, for any curriculum and assessment review to work and have real and measurable impact, the recommendations need to be codified and made easily deliverable in the classroom. This is where the role of recruitment, resources and training providers becomes essential. Examples include:
Overall, the Curriculum and Assessment Review presents both challenges and opportunities for MATs. While changes will require significant adjustments in terms of curriculum, assessment, and resource allocation, they also aim to enhance the quality and equity of education provided. By aligning with these new standards and taking on the responsibility for delivering them, MATs will play an even greater and pivotal role in shaping what education looks like in the future.
