Who should write the curriculum?

By Kristy Turner2016-02-02T09:00:00

Source: © iStock

Should the national curriculum be taken out of the hands of the government and constant political tinkering?

Should independent experts write the curriculum? It’s an attractive idea: an impartial body to define a curriculum free from ideological whim and constant political tinkering. Just what teachers want, right?

At a recent debate at the ASE annual conference the response from the floor was a resounding 'yes'. Although, given the time constraint, not much of a debate actually took place.

Thinking about this afterwards, I found myself always coming back to that term – independent – and its lack of definition. This one loose thread has led me to the 'no' camp.

Is there such a thing as an 'independent expert' and if not where does that leave us?

Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.

A photograph of a teacher standing in a white lab coat, speaking with a class of children in a laboratory, is superimposed on a colourful background. Text reads "Teach Chemistry means support for classroom and staff room".

Register for Teach Chemistry for free, unlimited access

Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.

Get all this, plus much more:

unlimited access to resources, core practical videos and Education in Chemistry articles
teacher well-being toolkit, personal development resources and online assessments
applications for funding to support your lessons

Set up your Teach Chemistry account

Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.

Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.