State schools allowed to relax national curriculum

Ministers plan to allow most state secondary schools to relax the national curriculum. Schools will have the freedom to ditch chunks of the compulsory curriculum, which was introduced 18 years ago.

Ministers plan to allow most state secondary schools to relax the national curriculum. Schools will have the freedom to ditch chunks of the compulsory curriculum, which was introduced 18 years ago.

Stephen Twigg, the minister for school standards, said that many schools found the national curriculum stifling and teachers had no opportunity to introduce innovation. They could scrap much of the written work in science lessons and concentrate on allowing pupils to conduct more experiments. In music, they could abandon some of the written work in the compulsory timetable, allowing more time for the playing of instruments.

Teachers would be allowed to decide for themselves how to approach a subject, rather than stick to rigid lesson plans.

Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State for Education, is also encouraging more schools to introduce streaming, teaching children in different sets according to their ability in individual subjects.