Keynote 2 - The Cambridge Primary Review Final Report: What Now? Professor Robin Alexander, Director of the Cambridge Primary Review

1. THE CAMBRIDGE PRIMARY REVIEW: WHAT NOW? Robin Alexander University of Cambridge

2. www.primaryreview.org.uk www.routledge.com/education www.teachersfirst.org.uk/cpr

3. THE FINAL REPORT Editor Robin Alexander Authors Robin Alexander Michael Armstrong Julia Flutter Linda Hargreaves Wynne Harlen David Harrison Elizabeth Hartley-Brewer Ruth Kershner John MacBeath Berry Mayall Stephanie Northen Gillian Pugh Colin Richards David Utting ‘ The formal conclusions and recommendations of the Cambridge Primary Review have been agreed by the 14 authors of this report. They are fully supported by members of the Review’s Advisory Committee other than those whose observer status requires them to remain neutral.’ Report, p xvi

5. There’s a simple test of the changes announced in the June 2009 white paper, and of the wider democratic reforms promised in the wake of the May 2009 parliamentary expenses scandal: will this final report from the Cambridge Review be dismissed in the same summary fashion as its 31 interim predecessors - and indeed those many other contributions to the educational debate which were constructive and authoritative but ‘off message’ or ‘not invented here’? Children, their World, their Education, p 514

6. THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE (DCSF press release, 16.10.09) It's disappointing that a review which purports to be so comprehensive is simply not up to speed on many major changes in primaries. The world has moved on since this review was started. If every child making progress and reaching their potential is what matters then Professor Alexander’s proposals are a backward step. We're already putting in place the most fundamental reforms for decades following Sir Jim Rose's primary review – to make the curriculum less prescriptive and free it up for teachers. He suggests a school starting age of six but this would be a completely counterproductive – we want to make sure children are playing and learning from an early age and to give parents the choice for their child to start in the September following their fourth birthday. Our expert group on testing said it would be a backward step to scrap English and maths tests at 11 and we are piloting a School Report Card, which will give parents a far broader picture of how schools are doing. The report is at best woolly and unclear on how schools should be accountable to the public – we're clear that it would be a retrograde step to return to days when the real achievements of schools were hidden. And he completely fails to mention [the Williams report, the ‘expert group’ on assessment and] our own major review to transform SEN education and support for parents. We completely refute the claim that primary standards have not risen across the board. Independent Ofsted inspections shows there have never been so many outstanding and good primary schools, and Key Stage 2 results show huge progress over the last decade – a tribute to the outstanding quality of teaching, training and heads.

7. … The Cambridge Primary Review is for the longer term, not the next election; and as an exercise in democratic engagement as well as empirical enquiry and visionary effort its final report is not just for transient architects and agents of policy. It is for all who invest daily, deeply and for life in this vital phase of education, especially children, parents and teachers. Children, their World, their Education, p 514

18. MATTERS FOR DEBATE: THE CURRICULUM ‘PROBLEM’ As seen by the Rose Review ‘ How can we best help primary class teachers solve the “quarts into pint pots problem” of teaching 13 subjects, plus religious education, to sufficient depth, in the time available? The QCA, with the help of subject experts, is on the case and we will do our best to solve it by the time we get to the final report.’ As seen by the Cambridge Primary Review As children move through the primary phase, their statutory entitlement to a broad and balanced education is increasingly but needlessly compromised by a ‘standards’ agenda which combines high stakes testing and the national strategies’ exclusive focus on literacy and numeracy. The most conspicuous casualties are the arts, the humanities and those kinds of learning which require time for talking, problem-solving and the extended exploration of ideas. Memorisation and recall have come to be valued more than understanding and enquiry, and transmission of information more than the pursuit of knowledge in its fuller sense. Plus - The detachment of curriculum from aims … Prescription and micro-management … A divided curriculum: the ‘basics’ and the rest … The pernicious dichotomy: standards vs breadth … A muddled discourse: subjects, knowledge and skills …A nettle ungrasped: expertise, staffing and training. Rose is a tidying-up operation rather than the promised root and branch reform … The debate about the purposes, content and quality of the primary curriculum remains wide open.

27. www.primaryreview.org.uk www.routledge.com/education www.teachersfirst.org.uk/cpr