Our school ethos is ‘a place everyone loves to be’, and in 2018 we used this as a lens through which to look at our curriculum.
Did children love learning it? Did teachers love teaching it? It was ok but… no. There was also a question bugging us – is this content the best use of the limited time we have with the children?
So much of the ‘best bits’ seemed to sit outside the day-to-day curriculum. And then there was the amount of time (60 per cent? 70 per cent? More?) dedicated to maths and English. Was this really what our children needed to thrive in the 21st century?
This was pre-Covid, and even then the figures around physical and mental health were stark. Not to mention the unique qualities of our community – 97 per cent of whom are multilingual.
Big steps
Making the decision to entirely overhaul your curriculum is not one to take lightly. It is fair to say there were more than a few raised eyebrows. But we were convinced it was the key to helping us reach our goals. If I were to do it all again, I’m not sure I’d change much but we certainly learned a lot along the way, including…
Culture and ethos
We had spent time creating a culture of innovation at the school. One of our strategic goals was, ‘innovate’ and one of our guiding principles was, ‘thinking about what we do and why’. These mindsets being part of the fabric of the organisation meant people were on board with the changes from day one.
Time
I was fortunate to be able to free up one of my assistant heads for two years. One to research and one to implement. It is unthinkable now but, seven years ago, it was just possible. However you resource it, putting sufficient time to understanding what needs to change and then to implementing it is key.
Implementation
We staggered the introduction of different elements of the curriculum – starting with physical health. This allowed time to test and refine. It also meant time to invest in professional development.
Professional development
Changing what we teach takes time. For us, we were moving away from the traditional curriculum and so there weren’t ready made resources out there. We had to – and continue to have to – prioritise professional development to support curriculum knowledge.
Workload and wellbeing
Making these changes and enacting them successfully in classrooms takes time and energy. We stripped away workload that had minimal impact on children to create space for teachers to focus on getting this right.
Storytelling
As with any successful change process, telling the right stories to bring people along with you is a game changer. Why are you making these changes? And what are the stories that bring it to life?
Ben Levinson OBE is headteacher at Kensington Primary School (Primary School of the Year 2020), and chair of the Well Schools initiative.
