ABSTRACT
The activities proposed in this chapter can be seen as a preparation for the work on policy-making we present in Chapter 3. They will lay some foundations for the long-term and medium-term planning tasks we describe in Chapters 4 and 5. The discussion these activities will engender will also help to clarify a way forward for curriculum development teams already engaged in policy-making and planning in relation to a range of aspects of the whole curriculum. The activities can be used to summarise and review work already undertaken and to set that work in the context of a revitalised debate about curriculum breadth and balance. This revitalised debate has been made possible by the publication of a revised National Curriculum (DfEE/QCA 1999a, 1999b) and a range of other items of guidance and advice designed to promote the inclusion of pupils with special educational needs in shared learning opportunities while securing their entitlement to receive an education that addresses their individual needs. Planning, Teaching and Assessing the Curriculum for Pupils with Learning Difficulties – General Guidelines (QCA/DfEE 2001a) makes reference to these dual imperatives and suggests that schools need to take account of a number of issues when establishing a curriculum for particular communities of learners. These issues may include:
their own school aims
the needs of the pupils attending the school (which will change as they progress and grow older)
the requirement to provide a broad and balanced curriculum (which includes the subjects of the National Curriculum and religious education)
the national frameworks for teaching literacy and mathematics (which include the expectation of a daily dedicated literacy hour and daily mathematics lesson of 45 to 60 minutes)
the needs of the local community.
