5. Building on knowledge and experiences & engaging interest

Good teaching and learning sets tasks and selects resources that build on previous knowledge and experience and engage interest

The strong emphasis on progression advocated by the Review means that teachers will need to set tasks and select resources that build on previous knowledge and experience and engage interest. Children and young people arrive at school with different aspirations, interests and experiences and so will approach learning in their own particular way. A one-size-fits-all approach to learning will not meet this wide range of needs. At the same time, however, we must be careful not to assume too much about our ability to identify such needs and wants and be alive to the danger of separating children into potentially superficial groupings.

The Progression Steps proposed by the Review will provide a context within which teachers can select teaching and learning approaches that build from one step to the next but that still provide significant freedom to offer engaging experiences that match their children and young people’s needs.