A survey of over 1,500 members of the National Education who work as teachers in primary schools in England, has found that the proportion of school hours devoted to English and maths is squeezing out other subjects.
The NEU’s analysis forms part of written evidence to the Government as it conducts a major review of curriculum and assessment (CAR). The analysis, which is attached, highlights how teaching hours are distributed, and the impact on learning time of preparations for Key Stage 2 tests (SATs).
The analysis shows that:
- 58%, or 12 out of 20.5 weekly primary teaching hours, are now spent on English and maths.
- The high stakes nature of SATs results for schools means that Year 6 teachers are spending even more time per week on these subjects – an extra 14 minutes of English and 20 extra minutes of maths, or 61% overall.
- Both figures are in excess of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority’s recommendations on what constitutes appropriate amounts of time to maintain a ‘broad and balanced curriculum’.
- Some Foundation subjects are studied for less than an hour per week on average. Some pupils can go weeks of even half a term at a time without learning any history at all.
- There may also be health implications. The most disadvantaged 20% of schools dedicate just 93 minutes a week on average to physical education (PE). This is 15 minutes a week less than schools with the lowest levels of disadvantage.
- Compared to QCA recommendations from two decades ago, time dedicated to science in Year 6 has dropped from 120 to 80 minutes. This correlates with a decline in England’s Pisa ranking in the subject.
Responding to this new analysis, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
“For decades the profession has known that SATs and the culture surrounding these assessments mainly benefit the Government and the publication of league tables. They do not benefit learning, and do a great deal to damage the potential for a broad and balanced curriculum.
“We welcome the Government’s intention to move back to a national curriculum for all schools, including academies, but this is only effective if we do not suffocate other subjects to serve Government tests in English and maths. As our survey shows, the pressures of these high-stakes assessments are clearly constraining the range that schools can offer. That some are reporting weeks without history teaching is shocking.
"The aims of the Government’s review are to ‘deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive, and innovative.’ If schools are under pressure to use more than half of curriculum time for English and Maths alone, these objectives risk being undermined. For the Government to achieve its opportunity mission, the review must not only address the disparity in access to different subjects in the curriculum but also face up to the fact that they themselves are driving schools down this road.
"For the Government’s review to work they must not only end SATs and reduce the burden of assessments in primary schools, so that they can breathe again and children can thrive.”
Editor’s Note
The short survey of 1,698 NEU primary teacher members in permanent employment was conducted between 15-24 October 2024. A full breakdown of methodology can be found in the report.