Grammar and the English National Curriculum

Abstract

In 1998 the regulatory body for the National Curriculum, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, acknowledged that there was ‘widespread uncertainty’ over the grammar requirements of the English Curriculum. In this paper I argue that the QCA still has not addressed this uncertainty. I analyse the 1999 and 2011 Primary English Curricula, alongside the 2008 Secondary English Curriculum and show that the QCA grammar guidelines lack specificity, with no clear definitions for key terms such as ‘standard English’ or ‘morphology’, further compounding the perceived uncertainty. I argue that this directly contradicts the QCA's acknowledgement that younger teachers may not have been taught a standardised framework for grammar in their own schooling, making the absence of technical definitions and clear guidelines highly significant. Although the QCA may be aware of uncertainties surrounding grammar teaching, their guidelines in the English National Curriculum do not provide a clear account of what pupils must learn about grammar.