Letter: New curriculum's emphasis on grammar
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: There are teachers who will welcome the proposals in the leaked national curriculum of English ('English curriculum rewritten', 3 February). Teachers who want an undemanding job, giving pupils regular doses of copying from punctuation books, will support the proposals. They will be able to sit ticking neat sentences or reading the paper in front of a silent class.
Those teachers who think children are unintelligent because they say 'ain't' and 'shouldn't of' also will find comfort in the new orders. Schools that have had difficulties recruiting specialist English teachers will be able to give a 'bit of English' to any teacher with a spare lesson on the timetable because they can fill the time by practising exams questions for the SATs. Those who control school budgets can instruct English departments to blow the dust off their sets of Fifties primers.
Pupils' achievement will suffer if we return to these methods. Fortunately, the vast majority of English teachers are far more professional. If there is to be a rise in standards, it will be because teachers have worked against the mean- spirited proposals of a handful of ultra-conservatives on the national curriculum review body.
Yours faithfully,
A. GIBBONS
London, SW17
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments