The National Curriculum was introduced in 1989 and became a legislated demand in England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a countrywide course of study for Primary and Secondary province schools. This was following the Education Reform Act of 1988. The capable focal point content sat anxiously with what had antecedently been seen as considerable freedom of educational idea and pattern, due to a greater accent on cognition content than the procedure of bringing. The intent of the new National Curriculum was to standardize the content taught across all schools in order to enable appraisal and hence produce league tabular arraies.
The debut to primary schools in England of the Literacy Hour in 1999 and the debut of the Numeracy Hour in 2000 narrowed the course of study to an accent on the BASIC of English and mathematics. The subsequent publication of consequences for 7-year-olds in Standard Assessment Tasks in linguistic communication and mathematics reinforced this accent on the importance placed on the development of these topics.The debut of the National Curriculum `` marked a major alteration from the freedom to prescription in course of study content, and from subjects to subject-based instruction. '' ( Turner-Bisset, 2005, Pg.
17 ) As a consequence of this alteration teachers began to experience pressurised to learn the exact content described within the course of study, learning became really formal in order to achieve marks and the appropriate degrees, ensuing in instruction, in some instances, lost its creativeness.Since its debut the National Curriculum has been reviewed and reformed on several occasions. A significant alteration was undertaken in 1999 which was overseen by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority ( QCA ) . Their purpose was to cut down the sum of prescribed content and to develop an expressed statement of the purposes and intents of the National Curriculum, to set up criterions, to advance continuity and coherency and to advance public apprehension.
In 2000 the Foundation Stage Document was published, the ethos of this papers puting the accent on larning through drama. However this rule of kids larning through drama was non continued throughout the primary course of study. Indeed, in contrast, instead than the foundation phase puting the benchmark, primary instruction at that clip seemed to work in rearward order ; filtrating down from twelvemonth six to twelvemonth one. Rather than edifice on the custodies on attack featured within the foundation phase, instructors felt a force per unit area to fix kids for the standardized trials which they would confront at the terminal of twelvemonth 2 and twelvemonth 6. This led to, in some instances, a big contrast in the instruction manners one time out of response. Anning ( 2005, in Moyles, 2005 ) argued that the passage period from the drama based Foundation Stage Curriculum to the topic based National Curriculum in Key Stage 1 became debatable for continuity and passage in kids 's acquisition.
Children in twelvemonth 1 found themselves finishing eternal worksheets and subjects books in order to carry through course of study demands and supply grounds for parents, caputs and Ofsted reviews.Under the Education Act 2002, the Foundation Stage was established as portion of the National Curriculum with specified Early Learning Goals for the under-5 's. Hence, from 2003 new statutory appraisal in signifier of Foundation Stage Profile at the terminal of the foundation phase replaced statutory baseline appraisal on entry to primary school ( Deveurex et al. 2003 ) . This was intended to raise the criterions in literacy and numeracy but, argues Anning, ( 2005, in Moyles, 2005 ) sat anxiously with the beliefs of practicians in the value of drama.Miller et Al.
( 2003 ) , believes that the rules set out really clearly the values and beliefs that underpin the counsel and what it means for practicians who work in the Foundation Stage. The counsel emphasises the demand for all kids to experience included, secure and valued and to be successful ; working in partnership with parents in an ambiance of common regard ; wide and good balanced course of study, with chance for kids to program and originate their ain acquisition ; supply experiences that kids can research, experiment, program and do their ain determinations ( Devereux et al. 2003:109 ) .2003 saw the debut of the National Primary Strategy papers Excellence and Enjoyment, which `` aˆ¦suggests a relaxation of prescription, increased teacher liberty on course of study content & A ; teaching method, & A ; the Restoration of a wide & A ; balanced course of study. '' ( Turner, 2005, Pg.
17 )In an instruction system that is still dominated by proving it is an of import measure that the authorities have taken to bring forth a papers such as Excellence and Enjoyment ( 2003 ) which clearly states, `` We want schools to go on to concentrate on raising criterions while non being afraid to unite that with doing larning merriment. Our end is for every primary school to unite excellence in learning with enjoyment of larning. ''Further to this, in 2008 the Early Years Foundation Stage was introduced as a statutory demand. It brought together cardinal rules and effectual patterns from both Birth to Three Matters ( 2002 ) and The Curriculum Guidance for the foundation phase ( 2003 ) . The purpose was to assist immature kids achieve the five results form the Every Child Matters ( 2003 ) papers being ; be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, do positive part and accomplish economic wellbeing. The focal point was on good planned drama, which the papers believed to be of import for kids 's development ; a manner for kids to larn at a higher degree.
