§ Lord Dormand of Easingtonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What are (a) the core subjects and (b) the foundation subjects of the National Curriculum; and whether there are any proposals to change these subjects. [HL2680]
§ The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone)In England, mathematics, English and science are designated in the Education Act 1996 as core subjects. The other foundation subjects designated in the Act are technology, physical education, history, geography, art, music and a modern foreign language.
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State formally asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on 11 May to begin the review of the National Curriculum in England for the year 2000. He set out clear parameters for that review: it must be very limited in scope and address what has to be changed to allow schools to concentrate on raising standards; it must ensure the primacy of literacy and numeracy skills across the curriculum; it must maintain a broad and balanced curriculum entitlement for all pupils, while allowing greater flexibility and reduced prescription, 45WA especially at key stages 1, 2 and 4; and it must make room for the Government's new agenda of education for citizenship and teaching democracy, personal, social and health education and the spiritual, moral, social and cultural dimension.
QCA will be presenting draft new National Curriculum Orders to my right honourable friend in April 1999. There will then be public consultation with teachers, parents, employers and others. The new National Curriculum will then be made available to all schools in autumn 1999 so they can prepare for its formal introduction in September 2000.
Curriculum matters in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of my right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.