National Curriculum (Hansard, 22 October 1991)

§ Mr. Kenneth Clarke

I shall on Thursday 24 October publish for consultation draft orders with associated documents setting out revised attainment targets and programmes of study for mathematics and science in the national curriculum for pupils aged five to 16, as I am required to do by section 20(5) of the Education Reform Act 1988. Copies will be placed in the Library.

The draft orders have been prepared following advice to me from the National Curriculum Council, in the light of its consultations on the proposals made by me and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. I am most grateful to the council for its advice.

As the basis for the next stage of statutory consultation, I have accepted the council's recommendations for revised attainment targets for both subjects. In mathematics. those recommendations are an endorsement of my proposals, with some improvements in detail. In the case of science, the National Curriculum Council has recommended a further step in the direction of simplifying the order: that the number of attainment targets should be further reduced from five to four. I accept this advice: it does not alter the science curriculum, which will remain in all essentials the same as the content of the programmes of study in the present science order.

I also accept the council's recommended statements of attainment and programmes of study for mathematics and science, subject to some detailed changes and to the restoration of some material relating to Earth science, which formed part of our proposals.

The period for consultation on the draft orders will end on 28 November 1991. I intend to make the final order in December 1991 in good time for schools to prepare for the introduction of the new attainment targets and programmes of study in the autumn of 1992.