§ Mr. GibbTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will assess the effectiveness of(a) competence-led curricula and (b) separate-subject curricula. [121258]
§ Mr. MilibandIt is important that children learn a range of skills as well as covering a broad and rich curriculum in terms of content. But these two things are complementary and not in competition. Our primary strategy sets out how we will be developing a framework for learning and teaching which will focus on skills development across the whole curriculum. Our forthcoming skills strategy will set out proposals for ensuring that generic skills are developed throughout the education system. It is also important to remember that schools can choose how they teach the National Curriculum, including whether to do it in separate subject lessons or not. They can choose to focus on learning skills without abandoning the breadth and richness of content that is guaranteed by the National Curriculum.