The first curriculum area to have its rationale set out is science, covering 3-15 at this stage. It is based on the assumption that “everyone needs to have the capacity to engage as confident individuals and effective communicators in informed debate, and make informed decisions about scientific issues of social, moral, ethical, economic and environmental importance”.
The revised curriculum for science would therefore be grouped into three areas: our living world (“the uniqueness of being human and the importance of cells”); our material world (“sustainability, the chemistry of life processes”); and our physical world (“energy sources, motion and travel, the development of communication systems).
This approach exemplifies what other subject areas can expect. “The proposed outcomes are fairly broad, suggesting appropriate learning experiences rather than prescribing specific objectives or teaching and learning sequences.”
The report states that unhelpful repetition across the sciences will be removed and note will be taken of recent advances.
Platform 18
