Apprenticeship Curriculum Planning Checklist

​“The curriculum is a framework for setting out the aims of a programme of education, including the knowledge and skills to be gained at each stage (intent); for translating that framework over time into a structure and narrative, within an institutional context (implementation) and for evaluating what knowledge and skills pupils have gained against expectations (impact/achievement).”

Stedfast Curriculum Intent

Curriculum Intent Example

In this very basic example, we will use a Year 4 Maths programme. The first step is to create the assessment plan. This ensures that the objectives and outcomes are identified.

Users then set out what learning or assessment activity will be delivered and measured. This is where the user can start to plan to measure the success of delivery. It sets out what learners should know or be able to do by the end of the learning / apprenticeship programme?

In the curriculum planning module users can now start curriculum activities and sequence the delivery.

Users can the also see how the curriculum has been mapped and ensure that all outcomes have been covered by curriculum activities.

Curriculum Planning Explained

OfSTED Curriclum Definition

​At the heart of the EIF is the new ‘quality of education’ judgement, the purpose of which is to put a single conversation about education at the centre of inspection. This conversation draws together curriculum, teaching, assessment and standards. In doing this, we draw heavily on the working definition of the curriculum that Ofsted has used over the last couple of years. This definition uses the concepts of ‘intent’, ‘implementation’ and ‘impact’ to recognise that the curriculum passes through different states: it is conceived, taught and experienced. Leaders and teachers design, structure and sequence a curriculum, which is then implemented through classroom teaching. The end result of a good, well-taught curriculum is that pupils know more and are able to do more. The positive results of pupils’ learning can then be seen in the standards they achieve.2 The EIF starts from the understanding that all of these steps are connected. 

Judging Quality of Education

The deep dive includes the following elements:

- evaluation of senior leaders’ intent for the curriculum in this subject or area, and their understanding of its implementation and impact
- evaluation of curriculum leaders’ long- and medium-term thinking and planning, including the rationale for content choices and curriculum sequencing
-visits to a deliberately and explicitly connected sample of lessons
- work scrutiny of books or other kinds of work produced by pupils who are part of classes that have also been (or will also be) observed by inspectors
- discussion with teachers to understand how the curriculum informs their choices about content and sequencing to support effective learning
- discussions with a group of pupils from the lessons observed. 

Stedfast Curriculum Planning

Preparing Curriculum Sequence

​the content, sequencing and progression in the subject is appropriate and secured and whether it demands enough of pupils

Curriculum Sequencing in Stedfast

We have built a curriculum planning sequence into Stedfast. When users create a curriculum activity they are able to set when during the programme it will be sequenced to take place.  The curriculum sequence report is designed to show chronological sequencing. There are other versions of sequencing such as skills development but having a curriculum sequenced by events is a simple way to demonstrate that this has been covered.

Stedfast Curriculum Planning 

New Inspection Framework Released

Quality of Education

The proposed ‘quality of education’ judgement therefore brings together the essential ingredients of education: the curriculum; the teaching, and the assessment that provides the feedback loop; and the resulting outcomes. This judgement is intended to restore curriculum – largely ‘missing in action’ from inspection for more than a decade – to its proper place, as an important component of the quality of education. [Amanda Spielman]

Importance of Curriculum Planning

Curriculum plans can be created for all programmes delivered by schools, colleges and apprenticeship training providers

Primary School Curriculum Planning

Step 1 - Create an Assessment Plan

The first step in the process is to create the curriculum plan for Year 4 Maths.  Assessment plans are the foundation of all delivery planning. They allow organisations to add the outcomes that are to be achieved.  When setting up an assessment plan users will be able to add their own choice of plan grading. Users can also map outcomes with other outcome sets which helps to demonstrate cross curriculum links.

Step 2 - Define the measures

The assessment plan owner is then able to define the measures for each outcome. Measures set out what will be delivered or tested, they type of measure that will be used and also what the expected target or benchmark is going to be to determine successful delivery. We will look later at how to set up review cycles and add findings and actions.

Step 3 - Create the curriculum plan

Once a basic assessment plan has been completed, users are then able to set up the curriculum plan. The first step in any curriculum plan is to align it to the assessment plan as this links the learning outcomes. Users will have different ways to break down their curriculum plan. In this example we have created a curriculum plan that covers delivery on a weekly basis.

Step 4 - Adding activities

1. Details Adding activities is a 3 step process. User begin by adding basic information, a title, what timeframe it will be delivered in and then, whether or not the activity involves Leaning, Practice and/or assessment.

2. Outcomes User then select the outcomes that will be covered by the activity

3. Delivery Users can then start to add the curriculum activity detail.

Step 5 - Check Curriculum Mapping

Users can then check the coverage of delivery by looking at the curriculum mapping report.

Step 6 - Check the scheduling

One of the new features of OfSTED's Education Inspection Framework is that under the Quality of Education judgement, schools, colleges and training providers will be expected to demonstrate their curriculum scheduling. This can be easily demonstrated with Stedfast.

Finally...

For apprenticeships, as with the new provider monitoring visits, we are going to be paying more attention to whether these foundations for a good curriculum, training, and apprenticeship offer are in place.

​The new framework will ask providers to be clear about why their curriculum is as it is. In apprenticeships, this means looking at whether the apprenticeship offered meets the needs of local and regional employers.

Purpose of the curriculum plan

How to see Stedfast