Tough new tests for children at 5 and 11?

[mrz]

www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/news/uk_news/Education/article1284406.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2013_07_06

X-post (yes, it did take that long to navigate DfEd site!)

all of the .gov sites have become hideous to navigate and half them have vanished as departments amalgamate with no clue as to where to find the info any more.

Well having read the computing proposals by the end of KS1 and 2 I was rather and . But having read KS3 I think that actually what they will be expected to do at KS1 and 2 is not so bad. e.g when they say 2+ languages at KS3 they quantify that only one must be textual. Presumably then at KS1/2 none are textual so they are only looking at drag and drop technology eg scratch, rather than 'real' programming and debugging. In terms of things like converting decimal to binary, we learnt that at primary and is useful, especially if you are going to program microcontrollers.

Even though the link I posted is to DfEd (not gov.uk) both those links are several clicks away from the proposal documents, and those docs are not clearly titled. And the actual outline curriculum is another click from the proposal document.

Dreadfully shambolic.

Let's hope the IT bods doing the gov site aren't the same people advising Gove.

link to framework document

hope that helps

MrBC .

Also, when they say age 5 they mean year 1 so 5-6, rather than reception 4-5. I had assumed when the media were saying 'first time fractions ever taught at age 5' they meant reception, as they are definitely in the Welsh framework for year 1 (and we tend to be behind England). The fraction stuff seems pretty much what DS2 is doing at the moment e.g. what is 1/2 of 6 he'd be happy to tell you (and he isn't G&T) not sure if he would know how to write it though.

We're a sensitive bunch us teachers! LunaticFringe, I graduated in 2002. MrButtercat, don't mind me and my anecdotal 'evidence', just thought I'd add it to point out there are some improvements being made.

With regards to the concern over the skills of Primary Teachers, there are a few groups including Computing at Schools network already supporting Primary Teachers and Primary Teachers are a resourceful bunch and will work hard to support pupils in the right way, of that I have no doubt. Being used to frequent govt. changes and having to adapt at a moments notice is a skill teachers have become adept in. What does worry me is how quickly and haphazardly this new curriculum has been put together and by whom. More industry bods have been involved than teachers and I worry the pedagogy hasn't matched up.