Wednesday 6 April 2011

A broad and balanced curriculum

I have remarked before that talking to some home educators is rather like passing through the looking-glass with Alice and entering a world where everybody thinks and acts in the opposite way that they would in the real world. Take the expression 'a broad and balanced curriculum' in connection with the education of children. Over the last few days I have been asking people whom I meet in the course of my everyday life whether or not they think this is good thing and something which all parents should hope that their children receive. I have asked the women at the checkout in the local supermarket, a couple of people at bus stops, friends, colleagues, home educating parents and various other people. I have to report that every single person to whom I spoke thought this a good and desirable idea and nobody could think of any bad points to it.


The reason that a 'broad and balanced curriculum' is thought to be a good thing is that without it, a child's education might become lopsided. I see this in the orthodox Jewish community in Stamford Hill. There are some good schools, such as the Lubavitch place, but many children study nothing at all but scripture. Most of feel that this is unhealthy and that the kids would do better to be learning about a few things other than what the Bible said about mixing linen and wool fibres in your clothing. One of the most important cases for home educators, that which helped define what we mean by a 'suitable' and 'efficient' education, came of course from this community; R v Secretary of State for Education and Science, ex parte Talmud Torah Machzeikei Hadass School Trust.


Certainly for my own daughter, I thought it very important to provide such a curriculum; to ensure that she studied art as well as literature, music as well as science, that she swam and rode as well as learning about algebra. As I say, most people feel that way. I was therefore astonished to see Fiona Nicholson, formerly of Education Otherwise, objecting strongly to the inclusion of this passage in the Department for Education's section on home education;


'parents do not have to follow the National Curriculum. However, parents should deliver a broad and balanced curriculum'


Apparently a barrister, of all unlikely people, is now working on this and the hope is that the DfE will stop encouraging parents to ensure that their children receive a broad and balanced curriculum in their education. This renders all comment superfluous and simply confirms that many home educators are actually thinking and acting in a way that is completely at odds with practically everybody else in modern British society. No wonder the DfE feels minded to introduce new regulations without reference to their sensitivities if this is the sort of mindset from which they work.

28 comments:

  1. Which barrister is this, do we know of him already?

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  2. 'Which barrister is this, do we know of him already?'

    It is of course Ian Dowty, whose own son was home educated from the age of eight.

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  3. Ian Dowty is trying to stop the DofE encouraging parents to offer a broad and balanced curriculum? It sounds unlikely. What evidence do you have to offer?

    Maybe it was the 'curriculum' part that was the problem? That would be understandable. It's a word which could lead to confusion, with people thinking they had to teach a published curriculum.

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  4. What's wrong with the word 'curriculum', you're involved in education?
    The DofE love their jargon but it's harmless jargon, it doesn't and cannot affect you. Unless you're thick.

    Oh...I get it now, you're an EOer.

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  5. Ahhh... Ian Dowty, that explains it.

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  6. Fiona Nicholson will complain about a 'broad based curriculum'.
    Ian Dowty will enter into extended litigation regarding a 'broad based curriculum'.
    And Fortune-Wood will write a book about a 'broad based curriculum'.
    Nobody else will give a monkeys and get on with it.
    The DofE will spend a few million in changing the word curriculum in their correspondence.

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  7. 'Fiona Nicholson will complain about a 'broad based curriculum'.
    Ian Dowty will enter into extended litigation regarding a 'broad based curriculum'.
    And Fortune-Wood will write a book about a 'broad based curriculum'.
    Nobody else will give a monkeys and get on with it.
    The DofE will spend a few million in changing the word curriculum in their correspondence.'

    I think that you have summed up the case in a nutshell, Anonymous!

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  8. anon says=What's wrong with the word 'curriculum', you're involved in education?

    it is wrong because it would be used by LA offciers to look for the natinal curriculm and if their did not find evidence of this you would be in danger of an SAO. curriculm means a set of courses and their content offered at a school.
    it would be used against home educators who do not do home education in the right way.

    a broad and balanced education sounds good but it depends what that person means by it? does he mean like a state school? start 9.00 am finsh at 3.00 pm many schools fail children in all sorts of ways does the public want more of that for home educators? i dont think so ask people want their think of the education our children get in a state school and you may get a better picture!

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  9. Anonymous said, 'What's wrong with the word 'curriculum', you're involved in education?
    The DofE love their jargon but it's harmless jargon, it doesn't and cannot affect you. Unless you're thick.

    Oh...I get it now, you're an EOer.'

    Don't be silly. Why can't people just discuss issues calmly here? Why does it have to get so thoroughly vicious?

    I haven't been a member of EO for 14 years now. No, I just have a long experience of seeing how LA's can twist words and meanings to the detriment of families.

    Yes, I am involved in education. I am a teacher employed in a school. I may be a little bit thick, but not downright nasty.

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  10. anon says- I just have a long experience of seeing how LA's can twist words and meanings to the detriment of families.

    yes that is where the heart of the problem is LA's twisting words and meanings to make threats of an SAO unless you do as your told! dont think the public would be so keen on this!

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  11. I think they just want the DfE to describe the law accurately which seems reasonable. The law does not require a broad and balanced curriculum.

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  12. Anonymous said...
    Fiona Nicholson will complain about a 'broad based curriculum'.
    Ian Dowty will enter into extended litigation regarding a 'broad based curriculum'.
    And Fortune-Wood will write a book about a 'broad based curriculum'.
    Nobody else will give a monkeys and get on with it.
    The DofE will spend a few million in changing the word curriculum in their correspondence.


    This did make me chuckle Anonymous, so true - and sort of sums up HE and all its surrounding legislation battles too.

    I can see the word 'curriculum' will cause an issue with many HEers. But so would broad and balanced 'education', purely because no-one can agree on exactly what this is or what it should look like.
    What I think is suitable, efficient and full time is a far cry from what others would think was appropriate. And I would probably criticise others too, its just so open to interpretation.

    Of course, then we enter very dangerous waters because no-one wants someone to spell it out for us in case it doesnt match what we want to do. Its all very difficult.

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  13. Simon suggests that most people agree that a broad and balanced curriculum is 'a good and desirable idea.' But I doubt if you could get half a dozen of them to agree what that actually means. What does it mean? The opportunity for every child to learn a foreign language, climb a mountain and dissect a sprat? Enforced calculus, rugby and music theory? Access to the internet and encouragement to read widely? an hour a day ruining Michael Morpurgo?

    I'd rather the DfE concentrated on the law as it stands - parental obligation to provide an education suitable to our own child's age, aptitude and ability - rather than muddying the waters with vague waffle like 'broad and balanced'. Local authorities cannot be trusted not to make up and apply their own definitions to that sort of waffle - and that's not the way I want to go.

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  14. I think that "broad and balanced " is highly desirable; I know it is something that could be left open to abuse - for example, if "your" idea of broad is to insist on a MFL, then we would have failed miserably!

    There is something which worries me far more about all this however. I know that at present the "law" such as it is doesn't specify "broad and balanced" -although at a pinch one could argue that for most children "broad and balanced" would be what is required to fulfill the "suitable for ability bit" enshrined in law. However it seems dangerous to me for home educators to be continually moaning to the Dept of Ed about all these minor misinterpretations and confusions - ie last week, home educators are up in arms about the 20 day proposals, now we are complaining about this. I have an awful feeling that all we are doing is pointing out how woolly and inexact the law is, and thus encouraging the Govt to do someting to sort it out in a way which may be far more negative.

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  15. Teacher Julie says-However it seems dangerous to me for home educators to be continually moaning to the Dept of Ed about all these minor misinterpretations and confusions - ie last week, home educators are up in arms about the 20 day proposals, now we are complaining about this. I have an awful feeling that all we are doing is pointing out how woolly and inexact the law is, and thus encouraging the Govt to do someting to sort it out in a way which may be far more negative.

    The silly 20 day rule is going to be inposed by the education department(if it comes about) Home educators are just pointing out that most of us dont agree with it!
    your way of keeping quiet Julie only makes the Education department think that home educators are weak and can be scared into anything!

    the 20 day rule is not a minor confusion it is an attempt to hang on to children on a school register yet their parents have told the school that their are going to home educate. the child will be at home being taught but still on the school register that is so silly!

    Home educators are quite entilted to complain if we feel the service on offer is rubbish! or do you want us to be quiet and just say how high do you want me to jump?

    if only you could open your eyes Julie to all of this? why are you so scared of confronting the education department? are you teaching your daughter to always do as she is told by people in so called authority?

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  16. I don't like the "broad and balanced curriculum" because it's measured over too short a timescale. Yes, cover the whole range by age 16 or 18, but if you've got a child who is showing no interest in a subject then why force them to study it?

    The whole thing implies that all children can advance at equal rates across a wide range of subjects and we know this is not true. Some will have a science bias, some will have an arts bias, some will be good at everything and some nothing, because of the pace at which they're taught.

    I bet you never asked all those people what they considered to be a 'broad and balanced curriculum' and how progress should be measured.

    As a final thought, if you teach your child how to learn then they'll be able to make up any gaps that come to light themselves.

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  17. 'I have an awful feeling that all we are doing is pointing out how woolly and inexact the law is, and thus encouraging the Govt to do someting to sort it out in a way which may be far more negative.'

    This is a very good point. The DfE has not actually defined a 'broad and balanced curriculum'. Personally, I think all children should be receiving this, but you are quite right that if too much attention is drawn to the matter, somebody will set up a working party to define exactly what is meant by the term. This might not be a good thing.

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  18. Simon says:

    'The DfE has not actually defined a 'broad and balanced curriculum'.

    Well, actually it has. It's the national curriculum. But since the DfE sees the NC as a core curriculum, it keeps changing and clearly doesn't meet the needs of all children, any working party might end up somewhat bogged down.

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  19. 'Simon says:

    'The DfE has not actually defined a 'broad and balanced curriculum'.

    Well, actually it has. It's the national curriculum'

    I meant of course in the context of home edcuation. Saying in one breath that parents do not have to folow the National Curriculum and then following by telling them that they must follow a broad and balanced curriculum would make no sense at all if the two expressions were being used as synonyms.

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  20. But schools are legally required to provide a 'broad and balanced curriculum' and they do this via the NC. They are connected.

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  21. 'But schools are legally required to provide a 'broad and balanced curriculum' and they do this via the NC. They are connected.'

    Not really, except in the way that mice and whales are connected because they both fall into the category of 'Mammals'. There are an infinite number of broad and balanced curricula, of which the National Curriculum used in this country is one example. By urging parents to use a broad and balanced curriculum, there is no suggestion at all that this should resemble in any way the National Curriculum. The curriculum actually chosen by home educating parents could be as different from the National Curriculum as a blue whale is from a pygmy shrew.

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  22. 'The curriculum actually chosen by home educating parents could be as different from the National Curriculum as a blue whale is from a pygmy shrew. '

    So any working group is going to have an interesting exercise in taxonomy before it.

    Isn't this *why* no one has attempted to define 'broad and balanced' and, since the education is supposed to be suitable to the child, why they are unlikely to do so?

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  23. 'Isn't this *why* no one has attempted to define 'broad and balanced' and, since the education is supposed to be suitable to the child, why they are unlikely to do so?'

    Almost certainly so.

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  24. "Isn't this *why* no one has attempted to define 'broad and balanced' and, since the education is supposed to be suitable to the child, why they are unlikely to do so?"

    Yet isn't that what they have attempted to do with the NC? Schools, unlike home educators, are required to provide a broad and balanced curriculum and the government's answer to that requirement it to sweep away all opportunity for teachers to tailor their education provision to the children in their class and enforce the NC.

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  25. "The curriculum actually chosen by home educating parents could be as different from the National Curriculum as a blue whale is from a pygmy shrew."

    The difference is that the NC is their choice, backed up by experts in the field (presumably) and this will be set against the work of amateurs (in their eyes). Do you think they are likely to be biased in favour or against a curriculum that looks nothing like theirs (or the lack of any pre-planned curriculum)?

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  26. anon says-The difference is that the NC is their choice, backed up by experts in the field (presumably) and this will be set against the work of amateurs (in their eyes).

    this is where the danger would come from and allow them to issue more SAO who would a judge belive them(LA) the so called experts or you the amateur?
    when their see you not using their beloved curriculum it make them angry how dare an amateur(parent) be allowed to get away with this! most LA staff have signed up to the system and belive in the Natinal curriculum you try geting an LA officer to put down in writing that she/he does not think it is the right way to teach children?
    you ca nhave home education so long as it appears like a school based education anything else is hated by them and must be stoped at all costs as their the experts know what is best fro your children.

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