The curriculum: The heart of education
By Carly Polak
Curriculum, Curriculum, Curriculum! There’s that word again. We hear it ‘thrown’ around everywhere in education and over the last few years it has become a word everyone is using, and it has become a firm favourite with Ofsted, but what does it actually mean? This blog looks at the word curriculum, what it is and what it means for us as early years professionals.
Early Education (2012) note that the notion of curriculum for young people is not new, and if you are old enough you might remember the very first early years curriculum, which was introduced in 2000, ‘The curriculum guidance for the foundation stage (QCA,2000)’. This was the main reference document for early years practitioners between 2000 and 2008, however the replacement of this guidance has seen the word ‘curriculum disappear and be replaced with development matters (I also believe the disappearance of the word ‘curriculum’, is another reason the sector is not valued for what they actually do, we are in fact still seen as ‘care’ only, but that is a whole other blog!).
To use the term curriculum for our youngest children is about giving them the same status as older children. It is showing that the learning and development of a one-year-old is as important as a 15-year-old (Pugh and Duffy, 2014 p.17). It is important to remember that this does not mean we have to teach our children in a formal way. An early years curriculum is NOT about sitting children at tables and teaching them to write their name!
So what is a curriculum?
A curriculum in layman’s terms, is the ‘WHAT’ that you want children to learn while they are with you. The early years foundation stage that we all know, and most of us believed was our curriculum, is in fact a framework. A framework for early years practitioners to use as guidance to help them implement a curriculum. A curriculum that is right for your individual setting. The EYFS is the ‘Skelton’ and what leaders have to do is add the ‘meat’ to the bones. The meat being your own curriculum. We need to have regard to the EYFS and the areas of learning and development and then create a curriculum that is unique to your setting, for example if your setting is in an area of diversity and the majority of your children and families speak English as an additional language, you might want your curriculum to have a priority on communication and language. Another example might be, that you are an outside setting or a childminder that likes to explore the local community, being curious about the world might be more important for your curriculum than literacy.
I have come to quite like the definition written by Ofsted;
“Our working definition of curriculum is that it is a framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and skills to be gained at each stage (intent); for translating that framework over time into a structure and narrative, within an institutional context (implementation); and for evaluating what knowledge and understanding children have gained against expectations (impact). The curriculum lies at the heart of education. It determines what learners will know and be able to go on to do by the time they have finished that stage of their education”.
This definition uses the three I’s of Intent, Implementation and Impact to recognise that the curriculum passes through different states: it is conceived, taught and experienced (OFSTED, 2019 inspecting the curriculum p.3).
I think that this definition of curriculum is a good one to use to get started with writing your own unique curriculum. It helps us to break down the word curriculum and think about the different stages.
Getting started
This often feels very daunting, we overthink this part “what do I know about writing a curriculum?”, well a lot! You know the children that come to your setting, the families, your community and most of us have come to call the EYFS our ‘childcare bible’. This is your starting point!
We then need to reflect on our own individual values and that of our team. Together, we can then start to jot down what it is that we feel is important for our children and families to learn.
Top Tip
When you start to think about the ‘what’ it is that is important for your children to learn, be specific! Then reflect over this, unpick it, question one another in the team about it. This way you will begin to get a real in-depth and breadth of understanding about your curriculum. You will then become confident in knowing your curriculum, what it is you wish to teach and will be able to share this with others, explain it to parents and even to Ofsted when they ask the dreaded question ‘can you tell me about your curriculum?’ and ultimately you will be able to teach it well (the implementation part). For example, if you say that you want children to be kind, that is part of your curriculum, what does this actually mean? What does this mean to you? To your families and the other practitioners, you work with? Independence is another one. “our curriculum for the over three focuses on children gaining independence” again, what does this mean? Be specific, do you want children to be able to dress and undress themselves? Do you want them to be able to go to the toilet independently? Is it about being confident to make their own independent choices?
When we understand what a curriculum is, what it is not and what it is that we feel is important for our children to learn, we can then start to look at how we sequence our curriculum to help children take the steps needed towards our ‘end goal’. We can look at any gaps we may have in our own cultural capital and tailor professional development for our practitioners to help them embed our curriculum.
In summary
The view we have of a curriculum is important because it strongly influences the way we approach curriculum design, and if it impacts on design it will impact on delivery. Greenier (2020) discusses how a well-planned curriculum should be ambitious, with careful sequencing to help children build on their prior knowledge. Strong leadership is essential for the development, monitoring and support of a high-quality curriculum.
Curriculum Development Network
Our Specialist Networks provide the opportunity to meet other professionals with a shared interest in a specific area of learning, build professional relationships and participate in professional discussions, gain access to valuable resources, share ideas and find out more about CPD opportunities.
Curriculum Development Network aims to support practitioners to plan, design and implement a curriculum to meet the needs of the range of children who attend their setting. A half termly network where practitioners can develop their unique curriculum and support them to decide what they intend children to learn so that children make progress across the 7 areas of learning. Find out more and book here https://www.pengreen.org/stronger-practice-hub/networks/
Produced by Charnwood Nursery and Pre-School on behalf of the East Midlands Early Years Stronger Practice Hub.