Over the years, the downsides of the national curriculum have started to become more evident. Considered too prescriptive and subject to political turbulence, it fails to provide a balanced education to students.
As teachers, education specialists, and academics push for the move towards a well-rounded, independent, and interdisciplinary curriculum, many parents are curious how this transition can benefit students.
In this blog, we’ll offer a closer look at three reasons why your child should be taught an independent curriculum instead of the national curriculum. Continue reading.
1. Breadth
At Cambridge Home School, we use an independent curriculum that makes up for the national curriculum’s lack of breadth. Our curriculum includes vital topics that have been excluded from the national curriculum.
Since these topics are interconnected, skipping some can prevent students from gaining a deeper insight into the subject at hand. The right changes in the curriculum help students cover more ground and secure top grades.
2. Depth
While teaching relevant topics to students is important, maintaining comprehensiveness is just as imperative.
In addition to ensuring curricular breadth, we also carefully maintain curricular depth by a) including more subtopics, and b) providing a detailed (as opposed to superficial) understanding of each concept.
Since our curriculum is interdisciplinary, it covers different areas of knowledge while maintaining their connectedness to help students learn and retain knowledge more effectively.
3. Exam Performance
Compared to the national curriculum, our independent curriculum significantly improves exam performance. Students aren’t restricted to a handful of topics, nor are they taught generic lessons that lack comprehensiveness.
By ensuring curricular breadth and depth, we help students perform better on in-class tests, mid-term exams, and final exams. They retain their lessons exceptionally well, which helps them recall core concepts and connections as they progress to higher academic stages.
Ready to make the switch to Cambridge Home School? As one of the most prestigious online schools across the UK, Europe (including Western Russia), Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia, we’re committed to providing a quality British education to motivated students.
Explore our four homeschooling programs to get started: Primary Prep/Key Stage 2 (ages 8 to 10), Lower School/Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 13), Upper School/IGCSEs (ages 14 to 16), and Sixth Form/AS & A-Levels (ages 17 to 19).
For more information, take a closer look at our admissions process and term dates.
—
FAQ
What are the limitations of the national curriculum?
The national curriculum is increasingly being viewed as too rigid and affected by political instability, thereby failing to provide a balanced and comprehensive education to students.
How does an independent curriculum offer a well-rounded education?
An independent curriculum, like the one offered at Cambridge Home School, is designed to fill the gaps in the national curriculum by including a broader range of subjects and interconnected topics. This allows students to gain a more thorough understanding of each subject area.
What benefits can students gain from an interdisciplinary approach?
An interdisciplinary curriculum encompasses various fields of knowledge while emphasising their interconnectedness. This helps students learn and remember information more effectively, as it encourages a deeper and more comprehensive understanding of the material.
How does an independent curriculum affect exam performance?
An independent curriculum significantly boosts exam performance by providing students with a more expansive and in-depth understanding of subject matter. Students taught using this approach perform better in class tests, mid-term exams, and final exams due to better retention of knowledge.
What programs does Cambridge Home School offer?
Cambridge Home School provides four main educational programs: Primary Prep/Key Stage 2 for ages 8 to 10, Lower School/Key Stage 3 for ages 11 to 13, Upper School/IGCSEs for ages 14 to 16, and Sixth Form/AS & A-Levels for ages 17 to 19.