§ Mr. Harry GreenwayTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to review the national curriculum in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. AncramThe Northern Ireland curriculum has now completed its third year of phased implementation, and programmes of study in all the compulsory subjects are now statutory and working their way through primary and secondary schools. The programmes of study have been well received and teachers have commented on their high quality.
There have been concerns, however, particularly from primary schools teachers, about the volume and level of content in the curriculum. There are particular fears that the depth of volume of what will be required when all the programmes are in place could affect standards in the basic skills of literacy and numeracy.
I take these concerns seriously, and I have therefore written to the Northern Ireland Curriculum Council commissioning a fundamental review of the primary curriculum. I have asked the council to provide advice on the underlying causes of the problems, how these should be addressed, and the nature, shape and content of an appropriately broad and balanced curriculum for the primary sector. I have asked the council to consult widely with teachers and to submit its advice by the end of April 1994.
The council already has plans for a review of the totality of the secondary curriculum, being in 1994, and I see no need to accelerate its timetable.
To allow time for these new developments, I will not be introducing any new programmes of study into the primary sector in September 1993.