National Curriculum Council Consultation Report 1991

A report from the National Curriculum Council (NCC). In January 1991 the Secretary of State for Education and Science announced an urgent review of the attainment targets in mathematics because:
• the structure of the 14 targets was proving an obstacle to manageable and sound testing, and to intelligible reporting to parents
• the consistency and continuity of GCSE standards would be at risk unless the number of attainment targets was reduced.

In announcing the review he emphasised that the objective was to simplify the structure, so as to make assessment arrangements more manageable, not to alter the curriculum to be covered. Following the review statutory proposals for the revised attainment targets and programmes of study were published in May 1991.

This document was the result of the statutory consultation and took note of the responses from those it consulted formally, from schools, associations and individuals who wrote to the NCC. It considered the reduction in targets, alterations in layout of the orders, the weighting of the new attainment targets and changes to the non-statutory examples which were felt to be helpful for teachers. As a result of this work some changes were recommended in order to ensure that examples related more specifically to the new and more general statements of attainment.

Advice on assessment was given by the School Examinations and Assessment Council which felt that the proposals would lead to greater flexibility and manageability of assessment. and that that it would be possible, to convert candidates' responses to SAT and GCSE questions into levels of attainment.

The scope of the consultation process included proposals for science as well as mathematics to be carried out in England and Wales.