How have schools been coping with the national curriculum? What are the issues that cause the biggest headaches for the most schools? Where are the resources going in the attempt to stay on top?
The School Sampling Study, managed by Bill Boyle at Manchester University’s Centre for Formative Assessment Studies, has been giving a running commentary on progress over the past three years.
In this year’s report, schemes of work for information technology are a priority in secondary schools. Primary schools are giving a lower priority to geography, history and design technology. Maths is getting less time than English in primaries , and in secondaries, music and art are the subjects most likely to go beyond the prescribed curriculum.
The 1998 data have been gathered from 759 schools and these participants are given access to all the findings. Others can find links to the summary reports, and make direct contact with the project at: http:www.man.ac.ukeducationcfas.htm Apologies to Professor Harvey Goldstein of the Institute of Education, London University, and to readers for giving a wrong web address on October 23. The correct one is: http:www.ioe.ac.ukhgoldstn Sam Saunders
