Community Curriculum Making

This paper makes the argument for a stronger reciprocal relationship between schools and community in the process of curriculum development – termed Community Curriculum Making (CCM). An outline is given of the antecedents and the philosophical underpinning and the tagline ‘Going Places, Meeting People and Doing and Making Things’ is unpacked to substantiate the rationale for the benefits to students around the advantages of experiencing places, encountering adults-other-than-teachers and the opportunity to develop a broad range of skills. This is linked to the concept of an aims-based curriculum and leading a flourishing life. Practical advice is given about implementation and four exemplars are provided of CCM work in varied settings which include Office for Standards of Education (Ofsted) commentary. The evidence base for CCM is evaluated which provides both encouragement and caution. Guidance is given on the evaluation of CCM and there are suggestions for future directions in research and practice.