HC Deb 08 May 1990 vol 172 cc1-3
1. Mr. Buckley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent representations he has received regarding the national curriculum; and if he will make a statement.

The Secretary of State for Education and Science (Mr. John MacGregor)

I frequently receive correspondence from school governing bodies, teachers, parents and others which expresses substantial support for the national curriculum.

Mr. Buckley

Does the Secretary of State recognise that the national curriculum is becoming centrally prescribed? Does he accept Her Majesty's inspectorate's report that a deterioration in quality and deskilling of teachers may be a consequence of the national curriculum?

Mr. MacGregor

The recent Her Majesty's inspectorate report on the national curriculum shows that good progress is being made in primary schools and I do not accept that it is centrally prescriptive. It is important to have a national curriculum which raises standards to the [...]ughout the country, and we have made many efforts to ensure that teachers have plenty of freedom to exercise their professional judgment—the theme of a speech that I made at a recent conference held by the Assistant Masters and Mistresses Association. It is well recognised that we are getting the balance right.

Mr. Evennett

Will my right hon. Friend advise us what is happening with regard to the history working group's report and when we shall hear his decision on that?

Mr. MacGregor

I am consulting more widely because the report attracted wide interest from many different points of view and it is important that those who offer advice on the report should do so only after they have read it. That consultation ends in the middle of June and I shall make an announcement then.

Mr. Straw

In view of the Prime Minister's almost complete U-turn which was announced in the Sunday Telegraph on 15 April, and the Secretary of State's different but almost weekly changes to the national curriculum's operation, is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there is an unacceptable confusion about the practice of the national curriculum, which cannot be resolved by a public relations man imposed upon him by his predecessor, the chairman of the Tory party? In view of that serious confusion and the fact that in the interview reported in the Sunday Telegraph the Prime Minister raised doubts even about the idea of a core curriculum, is it not time that the Secretary of State produced a White Paper setting out exactly the Government's policy?

Mr. MacGregor

That was a ragbag of holiday straws. The position is clear. As I go round the country, I find that teachers welcome the orderly decisions that I am taking to implement the national curriculum. There is no disagreement on the purposes and objectives of the national curriculum. It was made clear in the original White Paper and the consultative document, which I have reread, that the non-core subjects would have less rigorous standard assessment tasks than the other subjects, and that a variety of decisions had to be taken to implement the national curriculum and will continue to have to be taken. I am taking those decisions in an ordered and manageable way. I have been particularly concerned not to overburden school curricula or teachers with too much at once. There is considerable support for our recent announcements, all of which are available to teachers, and it simply is not necessary to have a White Paper.