"Gallimaufry" is the word selected by Mary Myatt to describe the mixed diet of curriculum that the UK education system had in 2018. Many of the topics studied by students seemed to be quite random. In the past 6 years there has been a great deal of time and effort put into sequencing the curriculum for students and on the whole improvements have been made. Part of this has been pushed through by the current Ofsted framework which puts a great deal of pressure on leaders in schools to be able to explain their curriculum. This focus on sequencing a knowledge-rich curriculum is good news. But what consideration is made for vulnerable students to access this carefully sequenced curriculum?
We know that students from low socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to have high levels of absenteeism from schools (EEF, 2023). When students miss school they are then more likely to show dysregulated behaviours when they are in school, as they have large gaps in their learning. This in turn can lead to suspensions and more missed learning (potentially leading to poor mental health) and so the downward spiral continues. As educators we need to be creative to break this cycle.
In my current school I have worked with middle leaders to create an online curriculum that carefully matches the learning that is happening in school. This is utilising online resources such as Oak Academy. Students can continue to learn if they are away from school and can then reintegrate back into school. The idea originally came to me when we paying for an online teaching platform for students who could not attend school due to poor mental health. I was discussing with them how they could return to school but we quickly realised that the work they had done at home e.g. learning about the Romans did not match the work completed by their peers e.g. about Henry VIII!
Inclusive practice needs to starts with a firm understanding of the curriculum and making it accessible for all. We now use our own bespoke online curriculum for students who are absent for any reason: e.g. poor mental health or suspension from school. It is also used by the SEND and EAL departments to ensure that students can access the same work along with external agencies such as hospital school.
How does the curriculum meet the needs of all learners in your school? What additional adaptations are still needed?
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