IPC and the English National Curriculum
As you will no doubt be aware, the coalition government has decided that the new primary curriculum based upon the recommendations of Sir Jim Rose will no longer go ahead and that instead primary schools in England will continue to follow the existing National Curriculum for at least the next two academic years.
Whilst some schools will be frustrated by this, there is also much to welcome in the recent announcements from the Department for Education that schools are to be given “greater freedom from unnecessary prescription and bureaucracy”. With a clear message coming out that “teachers, not politicians, know best how to run schools”, there’s never been a better time to make the changes to your curriculum that you’ve always wanted to make.
This year the IPC celebrates its tenth birthday. Throughout that time it has been praised by respected organisations and educationalists the world over and is now considered by many to be the most internationally-minded and learning-focused curriculum available for primary children anywhere.
It is worth noting that the IPC can meet the needs of a specific national curriculum by providing exciting, rigorous, relevant learning that helps all children everywhere to develop the knowledge, skills and understanding they need in the 21st century.
It is this existing curriculum that has inspired over 700 schools in England and many British International Schools around the world to select the IPC to help deliver it and to do so enormously successfully. We know this from almost ten years of evidence from Ofsted with comments in Inspection Reports such as:
- The curriculum is a masterpiece of planning that ensures a balance between academic, creative and physical development. It is particularly effective in meeting the needs of all pupils - Ofsted Inspection Report: Outstanding. Burnley Brow Community School, Oldham
- The school chose to use the International Primary Curriculum (IPC) to motivate and inspire pupils, and it certainly does this. The planning of topics is monitored carefully, and all statutory National Curriculum requirements are met - Ofsted Inspection Report: Outstanding. Ludgvan Primary School, Cornwall
The very first schools in England to take on the IPC did so without all this evidence. They did it simply because they had the conviction that what the IPC provided was right for their children. Schools today are choosing the IPC with that same conviction but also with evidence to know that the IPC continues to support children’s learning in all academic subjects as well as engages all learners to achieve their full potential and supports schools in their drive to develop successful 21st learners.
But don’t just take our word for it. Here’s what some of our Headteachers have to say:
“The IPC teaching frameworks give my teachers the support they need to know they’re achieving the rigour, but it leaves the flexibility of the presentation to the professional.” - Keith Atkins, Headteacher, Gors Community school, Swansea, Wales
“It’s a curriculum that has total relevance for today’s children. It’s skill-based rather than knowledge-based; a curriculum that encourages lifelong learning. It ignites creativity within out teachers and totally engages our children, even our 25% SEN children because it meets their kinaesthetic learning needs. Our SATs are way up and the IPC is very much a part of that. We thought we couldn’t afford it but once I’d seen the IPC in action, I knew that, as a school we had to have it. It wrapped up everything that I believed was important. After three years working with it I still believe it’s been worth every penny.” - Margaret Goodwin, Head Teacher, Warren Farm Primary School, Kingstanding, Birmingham
“The buzz in the classroom is what we went into teaching for and we can see that it’s not something that’s going to go away. Because of the range of units and the way we can personalise the learning to suit our children, the IPC will always be varied so that will keep that excitement alive. Now every child in our school has the chance to be creative, to develop skills for the future and to grab hold of their own learning within a rich curriculum. The IPC is encouraging our children to develop the skills and interest in lifelong independent learning inside and outside the classroom. It’s innovating, exciting and it can’t fail to help every one of our children for their future.” - Liz Peacock, Deputy Headteacher, SS Simon and Jude CE Primary School, Bolton
“The IPC provides you with a very clear teaching framework to follow which we personalise to meet the needs of our children in our locality. Some people have said it’s an off-the-shelf option but that’s not true; there’s huge depth to the learning process, a real understanding of what ignites children’s interest, true expertise of community and international-mindedness, a very careful balance of knowledge and skills in every unit, and some really creative ideas for teaching and for learning with a flexibility to make it your own. Because of doing something quite innovative such as the IPC, everyone is watching you! Our success in the League Tables and the Ofsted inspection have proved to our Local Authority and to other schools that the IPC really is making a difference for us. It’s particularly down to the engagement and to the focus on learning. The IPC’s themes make a huge impact, and the learning approach that each unit takes (launching with an Entry Point, then generating a Knowledge Harvest, moving on to a range of learning tasks and ending with an Exit Point for every single unit) is very powerful.” - Alex Butler, Headteacher, Hampstead Norreys CE Primary School in West Berkshire.
Steven Mark,
Director of the International Primary Curriculum
Steven@greatlearning.com
Telephone:+44 (0)20 7531 9696
