26th February 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
In a speech made on Tuesday 5th February, education minister Michael Gove set out his plans ensuring that pupils are taught a ‘core knowledge’ of facts and information. Following this, new curricula for schools are expected to be published soon, which will rid the current education system of what Gove called ‘vapid happy talk’.
Within his principles, Gove argued that young people ought to be equipped with this core of information in areas including science, history and culture. This he believes will aid them in both comprehending and engaging with the changing world in which they live. Contrastingly, Labour’s shadow education secretary Stephen Twigg sees the idea as ‘backward-looking and narrow’.
In order for children to develop and mature in their ideas and thinking, the minister claimed that they must have command of this basic knowledge. He argued that this was particularly important for poorer families whose social mobility relies on a greater acquisition of knowledge which leads to ‘the accumulation of cultural capital’.
Although the exact details of the intended curricula have not yet been published, Gove asserted that they would affirm the importance of the core knowledge he wants pupils to acquire in school. Maths will include memorisation of times tables and fractions while English will emphasise an importance on correct grammar and punctuation. Gove also spoke in defence of his plans to instate the English Baccalaureate in 2015.