Schools across the world are struggling to balance the statutory requirements of a National Curriculum with their desire to provide the wide, engaging and exciting curriculum that they know children need. Concerns about standards often lead to a narrowing of the curriculum and many schools lack the confidence and approach to design that would enable them to resolve what seems like an impossible dilemma. In this authoritative yet engaging book, Brian Male looks at how schools can meet the requirements of a National Curriculum and yet be flexible enough to meet the needs, interests and concerns of pupils, to be rooted in their lives and localities and to give scope for teachers to use their own creativity. The Primary Curriculum Design Handbook is a practical guide on how to design a curriculum that will engage children's interest, excite their imaginations and at the same time provide them with the knowledge, skills and understanding they need to live successfully in the 21st Century.

Forewordby Mick Waters Introduction Section1: How Do We Design a Curriculum? 1. Curriculum Design 2. A 21st Century Curriculum? 3. A Framework for the Curriculum Section 2: How Do We Organize Learning? 4. TheCurriculum Tree 5. How Can We Design aCurriculum When We Have to Follow the National One? 6. The Deep Roots of Learning 7. A Canopy of Leaves: The Subject Disciplines 8. How Do Key Concepts and Key Skills Impact on Learning? 9. Putting it All Together: A Framework ofExpectations 10. A Creative Curriculum 11. Making Learning Irresistible 12. National Expectations in a Local Context Section 3. How Will We Know if We Are Successful? 13. Tracking Success 14. Keeping an Overview:Evaluation Section 4. How Do We Get from Here to There? 15. Getting from Here to There Postscript: A World-ClassCurriculum References Index