Gove defends 'incoherence' of national curriculum plans

20 Jan 2011

The Education Secretary, Michael Gove,sought to defend himself against a charge of "incoherence" in his new national curriculum proposals on BBC Radio 4's Today programme this morning.

It was pointed out that it was inconsistent to set a compulsory curriculum while at the same time releasing Academies and Free Schools from the requirement to teach it and also while insisting that head teachers should be free from central control.

But Mr Gove (who incidentally revealed he had  once been a researcher on the Today programme) insisted that the new national curriculum was needed to set "a vigorous benchmark' for schools. He said he would "not tell schools how to teach but what to teach".

You can listen again to the interview - elegantly conducted by Justin Webb - here: news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9367000/9367626.stm

I will be attending the launch of the new curriculum review group and will report back on this website later.

Post a comment

After posting your comment you will need to confirm it by checking your email and clicking the confirmation that will be sent to you.

Comments will appear once reviewed for appropriate content.