National Curriculum
Encyclopedia
The National Curriculum was introduced into England
, Wales
and Northern Ireland
as a nationwide curriculum
for primary
and secondary
state
school
s following the Education Reform Act 1988
. Notwithstanding its name, it does not apply to independent schools, which may set their own curricula, but it ensures that state schools of all Local Education Authorities
have a common curriculum. Academies, while publicly funded, have a significant degree of autonomy in deviating from the National Curriculum.
The Education Reform Act 1988
requires that all state students be taught a Basic Curriculum of Religious Education
and the National Curriculum.
The purpose of the National Curriculum was to standardise the content taught across schools in order to enable assessment
, which in turn enabled the compilation of league tables detailing the assessment statistics for each school. These league tables, together with the provision to parents of some degree of choice in assignment of the school for their child (also legislated in the same act) were intended to encourage a ‘free market
’ by allowing parents to choose schools based on their measured ability to teach the National Curriculum.
Whilst only certain subjects were included at first in subsequent years the curriculum grew to fill the entire teaching time of most state schools.
(Part 6) as updated.
* English is not statutory in Key Stage 1 in Welsh-medium schools in Wales
** ICT is not statutory at KS4 in Wales or Northern Ireland.
suggests that pupils are offered provision in Personal, Social and Health Education
, although this is not statutory.
QCDA 2010
, including education about AIDS
, HIV
and other sexually-transmitted diseases. While a statutory provision, this does not form part of the National Curriculum, and parents have a right to remove their children from this provision.
The Education Act 1997 (as amended) requires that all pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 be provided with a programme of Careers education. This does not form part of the National Curriculum but is a statutory entitlement for all pupils.
Schools are required, under the amendments to the Education Act 2002
, to provide at least one course for those pupils who wish to study it, in each of the entitlement areas at Key Stage 4. These are: the Arts
; Design and Technology; the Humanities
; and a Modern Foreign Language
.
), eleven (Year 6, the end of Key Stage 2
) and fourteen (Year 9, the end of Key Stage 3
). Some aspects of subjects are teacher
-assessed, whilst others involve sitting an examination paper. The results are considered when school and LEA
performance league table
s are being compiled, but they do not lead to any formal qualification for the candidates taking them.
. Although the GCSE examinations replaced the earlier, separate GCE O-level
and CSE
examinations, the syllabi were still initially devised entirely by the examination boards
, whereas since the implementation of the National Curriculum the syllabus outline is determined by law. Thus much of the attention surrounding the claimed dumbing down
of GCSEs is, indirectly, a criticism of the National Curriculum.
Public schools
are free to choose their own curriculum and examinations and many have opted for the more demanding IGCSE
s which are not tied to the National Curriculum. It is claimed that this is creating a two-tier system with state school pupils losing out. From time to time ministers have suggested that state schools may be given funding to enter pupils for IGCSE examinations but a study was undertaken by QCA
, which concluded that IGCSEs do not follow the programmes of study required by the Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum and therefore could not be offered as a state-funded alternative.
"The focus on league tables had resulted in pupils being pressured to attain high grades and so opt for subjects that are seen as easier to get good marks in such as art, drama and history."
The result has been for the more difficult mathematics in subjects such as chemistry and physics being dropped.
This Summary is based on the press notice released on the review’s launch on 20 January 2011, and subsequently published material.
1. TIMETABLE
January 2011 • Review launched.
• Call for Evidence (phase 1) begins.
April 2011 • Call for Evidence (phase 1) ends.
Early 2012 • Consultation on phase 1 recommendations (including new Programmes of Study (PoS) for English, mathematics, science and physical education).
• Call for Evidence (phase 2) begins.
Spring 2012 • Ministers announce decisions on
1) PoS for English, mathematics, science and physical education;
2) the other subjects to be included in the new National Curriculum (NC).
• Call for Evidence (phase 2) ends.
September 2012 • New PoS for English, mathematics, science and physical education made available to schools.
Early 2013 • Consultation on new PoS for all other subjects to be included in the NC.
Spring 2013 • Ministers announce decisions about the PoS for all other subjects to be included in the NC.
September 2013 • Teaching of the new PoS for English, mathematics, science and physical education becomes statutory.
• New PoS for all other subjects included in the new NC are made available to schools.
September 2014 • Teaching of the new PoS for all other subjects to be included in the NC becomes statutory.
2. AIMS
The review’s launch notice says that the National Curriculum should have the following aims at heart:
A Call for Evidence has been launched, inviting all interested parties to contribute to the review and the development of the new National Curriculum. A further Call for Evidence will be issued in early 2012 for phase 2 of the review. The DfE will organise a series of consultation events for key stakeholders and work to ensure headteachers, classroom teachers, parents and others are able to contribute to the work of developing the new National Curriculum. Regular updates on the progress of the review will be provided via the Department’s website.
3. PHASE 1 CALL FOR EVIDENCE
The deadline for responses in the phase 1 consultation is 14 April 2011.
Full details, and downloadable consultation documents, are at: http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/ > clicking on National Curriculum Review – Call for Evidence under ‘All live consultations’.
http://community.tes.co.uk/forums/p/461276/6480224.aspx
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/925709-A-New-39-Creative-Curriculum-39-is-your-school-doing/AllOnOnePage
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
as a nationwide curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
for primary
Primary education
A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...
and secondary
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
state
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s following the Education Reform Act 1988
Education Reform Act 1988
The Education Reform Act 1988 is widely regarded as the most important single piece of education legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the 'Butler' Education Act 1944...
. Notwithstanding its name, it does not apply to independent schools, which may set their own curricula, but it ensures that state schools of all Local Education Authorities
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
have a common curriculum. Academies, while publicly funded, have a significant degree of autonomy in deviating from the National Curriculum.
The Education Reform Act 1988
Education Reform Act 1988
The Education Reform Act 1988 is widely regarded as the most important single piece of education legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since the 'Butler' Education Act 1944...
requires that all state students be taught a Basic Curriculum of Religious Education
Religious Education
Religious Education is the term given to education concerned with religion. It may refer to education provided by a church or religious organization, for instruction in doctrine and faith, or for education in various aspects of religion, but without explicitly religious or moral aims, e.g. in a...
and the National Curriculum.
The purpose of the National Curriculum was to standardise the content taught across schools in order to enable assessment
National Curriculum assessment
National Curriculum assessments are a series of educational assessments, colloquially known as Sats or SATs, used to assess the attainment of children attending maintained schools in England...
, which in turn enabled the compilation of league tables detailing the assessment statistics for each school. These league tables, together with the provision to parents of some degree of choice in assignment of the school for their child (also legislated in the same act) were intended to encourage a ‘free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
’ by allowing parents to choose schools based on their measured ability to teach the National Curriculum.
Whilst only certain subjects were included at first in subsequent years the curriculum grew to fill the entire teaching time of most state schools.
Principal aims and purposes
There are two principal aims and four main purposes set out in the National Curriculum documentation:- Aim 1: The school curriculum should aim to provide opportunities for all pupils to learn and to achieve.
- The school curriculum should develop enjoyment of, and commitment to, learning as a means of encouraging and stimulating the best possible progress and the highest attainment for all pupils.
- It should build on pupils' strengths, interests and experiences and develop their confidence in their capacity to learn and work independently and collaboratively.
- It should equip them with the essential learning skills of literacy, numeracy, and information and communication technology, and promote an enquiring mind and capacity to think rationally.
- The school curriculum should contribute to the development of pupils' sense of identity through knowledge and understanding of the spiritual, moral, social and cultural heritages of Britain's diverse society and of the local, national, European, Commonwealth and global dimensions of their lives.
- It should encourage pupils to appreciate human aspirations and achievements in aesthetic, scientific, technological and social fields, and prompt a personal response to a range of experiences and ideas.
- By providing rich and varied contexts for pupils to acquire, develop and apply a broad range of knowledge, understanding and skills, the curriculum should enable pupils to think creatively and critically, to solve problems and to make a difference for the better.
- It should give them the opportunity to become creative, innovative, enterprising and capable of leadership to equip them for their future lives as workers and citizens.
- It should also develop their physical skills and encourage them to recognise the importance of pursuing a healthy lifestyle and keeping themselves and others safe.
- Aim 2: The school curriculum should aim to promote pupils' spiritualSpiritualitySpirituality can refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality; an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being; or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop...
, moralMoralA moral is a message conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim...
, socialSocialThe term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...
and cultural development and prepare all pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life.- The school curriculum should promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development and, in particular, develop principles for distinguishing between right and wrong.
- It should develop their knowledge, understanding and appreciation of their own and different beliefs and cultures, and how these influence individuals and societies.
- The school curriculum should pass on enduring values, develop pupils' integrity and autonomy and help them to be responsible and caring citizens capable of contributing to the development of a just society.
- It should promote equal opportunities and enable pupils to challenge discrimination and stereotyping.
- It should develop their awareness and understanding of, and respect for, the environments in which they live, and secure their commitment to sustainable development at a personal, local, national and global level.
- It should also equip pupils as consumers to make informed judgements and independent decisions and to understand their responsibilities and rights.
- The school curriculum should promote pupils' self-esteem and emotional wellbeing and help them to form and maintain worthwhile and satisfying relationships, based on respect for themselves and for others, at home, school, work and in the community.
- It should develop their ability to relate to others and work for the common good.
- It should enable pupils to respond positively to opportunities, challenges and responsibilities, to manage risk and to cope with change and adversity.
- It should prepare pupils for the next steps in their education, training and employment and equip them to make informed choices at school and throughout their lives, enabling them to appreciate the relevance of their achievements to life and society outside school, including leisure, community engagement and employment.
- Purpose 1: To establish an entitlement
- Purpose 2: To establish standards
- Purpose 3: To promote continuity and coherence
- Purpose 4: To promote public understanding
Core and foundation subjects
The table below lists those subjects which form a statutory part of the National Curriculum under the Education Act 2002Education Act 2002
The Education Act 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Main provisions:The act significantly amended legislation relating to academies, publicly-funded schools operating outside of local government control and with a significant degree of autonomy areas such as wages and...
(Part 6) as updated.
| Subject | Key Stage 1 Key Stage 1 Key Stage 1 is the legal term for the two years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 1 and Year 2, when pupils are aged between 5 and 7. This Key Stage normally covers pupils during infant school, although in some cases this might form part of a first or... (age 5-7) |
Key Stage 2 Key Stage 2 Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and... (age 7-11) |
Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14... (age 11-14) |
Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are... (age 14-16) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| English |  * |
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| Mathematics | |
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|
| Science | |
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|
|
| Art & Design | |
|
|
|
| Citizenship | |
|
||
| Design & Technology | |
|
|
|
| Geography | |
|
|
|
| History | |
|
|
|
| Information & Communication Technology | |
|
|
** |
| Modern Foreign Languages | |
|||
| Music | |
|
|
|
| Physical Education | |
|
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|
| Work-related Learning | |
|||
| Welsh (Wales only) | |
|
|
|
Additional entitlements
In all maintained schools, provision is made for the requirement to offer a course in Religious Education under the Education Act 1996. Parents have the right to withdraw pupils from this if they wish. In addition, at all Key Stages, the Department for Children, Schools and FamiliesDepartment for Children, Schools and Families
The Department for Children, Schools and Families was a department of the UK government, between 2007 and 2010, responsible for issues affecting people in England up to the age of 19, including child protection and education...
suggests that pupils are offered provision in Personal, Social and Health Education
Personal, Social and Health Education
Personal, social, health and economic education has in various forms been part of the national curriculum for schools in England since 2000. Some aspects, but not all, have been compulsory...
, although this is not statutory.
Primary education
The National Curriculum in the Primary Phase provides a broad and balanced curriculum which is relevant to children. Incorporating the subject areas listed above the curriculum design ensures:- the curriculum meets the needs and interests of all learners
- a broad and balanced curriculum is an entitlement for all learners
- the curriculum is integrated with effective teaching, learning and assessment
- the curriculum is at the heart of schools' strategies to raise achievement and improve outcomes for all their learners
QCDA 2010
Secondary education
The Education Act 1996 requires that all pupils in secondary education are provided with a programme of Sex educationSex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
, including education about AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
and other sexually-transmitted diseases. While a statutory provision, this does not form part of the National Curriculum, and parents have a right to remove their children from this provision.
The Education Act 1997 (as amended) requires that all pupils in Key Stages 3 and 4 be provided with a programme of Careers education. This does not form part of the National Curriculum but is a statutory entitlement for all pupils.
Schools are required, under the amendments to the Education Act 2002
Education Act 2002
The Education Act 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.-Main provisions:The act significantly amended legislation relating to academies, publicly-funded schools operating outside of local government control and with a significant degree of autonomy areas such as wages and...
, to provide at least one course for those pupils who wish to study it, in each of the entitlement areas at Key Stage 4. These are: the Arts
The arts
The arts are a vast subdivision of culture, composed of many creative endeavors and disciplines. It is a broader term than "art", which as a description of a field usually means only the visual arts. The arts encompass visual arts, literary arts and the performing arts – music, theatre, dance and...
; Design and Technology; the Humanities
Humanities
The humanities are academic disciplines that study the human condition, using methods that are primarily analytical, critical, or speculative, as distinguished from the mainly empirical approaches of the natural sciences....
; and a Modern Foreign Language
Language education
Language education is the teaching and learning of a foreign or second language. Language education is a branch of applied linguistics.- Need for language education :...
.
National Curriculum assessment
Assessments are carried out at three ages: seven (school year 2, at the end of Key Stage 1Key Stage 1
Key Stage 1 is the legal term for the two years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 1 and Year 2, when pupils are aged between 5 and 7. This Key Stage normally covers pupils during infant school, although in some cases this might form part of a first or...
), eleven (Year 6, the end of Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2
Key Stage 2 is the legal term for the four years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 3, Year 4, Year 5 and Year 6, when pupils are aged between 7 and 11. The term is applied differently in Northern Ireland where it refers to pupils in Year 5, Year 6 and...
) and fourteen (Year 9, the end of Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3
Key Stage 3 is the legal term for the three years of schooling in maintained schools in England and Wales normally known as Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9, when pupils are aged between 11 and 14...
). Some aspects of subjects are teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
-assessed, whilst others involve sitting an examination paper. The results are considered when school and LEA
Local Education Authority
A local education authority is a local authority in England and Wales that has responsibility for education within its jurisdiction...
performance league table
League table
A league table, standings, ranking chart, or ladder is a chart or list which compares sports teams, institutions, nations or companies by ranking them in order of ability or achievement. A league table may list several related statistics, but they are generally sorted by the primary one that...
s are being compiled, but they do not lead to any formal qualification for the candidates taking them.
Academic restriction
The study of most subjects under the National Curriculum would usually culminate in the sitting of a GCSE at the end of Key Stage 4Key Stage 4
Key Stage 4 is the legal term for the two years of school education which incorporate GCSEs, and other exams, in maintained schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland—normally known as Year 10 and Year 11 in England and Wales, and Year 11 and Year 12 in Northern Ireland, when pupils are...
. Although the GCSE examinations replaced the earlier, separate GCE O-level
Ordinary Level
The O-level is a subject-based qualification conferred as part of the General Certificate of Education . It was introduced as part of British educational reform in the 1950s alongside the more in-depth and academically rigorous Advanced Level in England, Wales and Northern Ireland A-level...
and CSE
Certificate of Secondary Education
The Certificate of Secondary Education was a school leaving qualification awarded between 1965 and 1987 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland....
examinations, the syllabi were still initially devised entirely by the examination boards
Examination boards in the United Kingdom
Examination boards in the United Kingdom are the examination boards responsible for setting and awarding secondary education level qualifications, such as GCSEs, Standard Grades, A Levels, Highers and vocational qualifications, to students in the United Kingdom.Broadly speaking, the UK has two...
, whereas since the implementation of the National Curriculum the syllabus outline is determined by law. Thus much of the attention surrounding the claimed dumbing down
Dumbing down
Dumbing down is a pejorative term for a perceived trend to lower the intellectual content of literature, education, news, and other aspects of culture...
of GCSEs is, indirectly, a criticism of the National Curriculum.
Public schools
Public School (UK)
A public school, in common British usage, is a school that is neither administered nor financed by the state or from taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of endowments, tuition fees and charitable contributions, usually existing as a non profit-making charitable trust...
are free to choose their own curriculum and examinations and many have opted for the more demanding IGCSE
IGCSE
The International General Certificate of Secondary Education is an internationally recognised qualification for school students, typically in the 14–16 age group. It is similar to the GCSE in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Standard Grade in Scotland or Junior Certificate in the Republic of...
s which are not tied to the National Curriculum. It is claimed that this is creating a two-tier system with state school pupils losing out. From time to time ministers have suggested that state schools may be given funding to enter pupils for IGCSE examinations but a study was undertaken by QCA
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency is an exempt charity, and an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Children, Schools and Families...
, which concluded that IGCSEs do not follow the programmes of study required by the Key Stage 4 of the National Curriculum and therefore could not be offered as a state-funded alternative.
Failure and adverse effects of the ‘free market’ objective
Although the primary purpose for the National Curriculum was to enable league tables and inform parental choice, many parents or guardians still fail to get the school of their choice and there is concern that the league tables have a detrimental effect on pupils:"The focus on league tables had resulted in pupils being pressured to attain high grades and so opt for subjects that are seen as easier to get good marks in such as art, drama and history."
The result has been for the more difficult mathematics in subjects such as chemistry and physics being dropped.
Review of the National Curriculum
The Secretary of State for Education has announced a major review of the National Curriculum. Led by the Department for Education (DfE), it will be supported by an advisory committee and an expert panel, and will, (in the government’s own words):- replace the current substandard curriculum with one based on the best school systems in the world, providing a world-class resource for teachers and children;
- consider what subjects should be compulsory at what age;
- consider what children should be taught in the main subjects at what age.
This Summary is based on the press notice released on the review’s launch on 20 January 2011, and subsequently published material.
1. TIMETABLE
January 2011 • Review launched.
• Call for Evidence (phase 1) begins.
April 2011 • Call for Evidence (phase 1) ends.
Early 2012 • Consultation on phase 1 recommendations (including new Programmes of Study (PoS) for English, mathematics, science and physical education).
• Call for Evidence (phase 2) begins.
Spring 2012 • Ministers announce decisions on
1) PoS for English, mathematics, science and physical education;
2) the other subjects to be included in the new National Curriculum (NC).
• Call for Evidence (phase 2) ends.
September 2012 • New PoS for English, mathematics, science and physical education made available to schools.
Early 2013 • Consultation on new PoS for all other subjects to be included in the NC.
Spring 2013 • Ministers announce decisions about the PoS for all other subjects to be included in the NC.
September 2013 • Teaching of the new PoS for English, mathematics, science and physical education becomes statutory.
• New PoS for all other subjects included in the new NC are made available to schools.
September 2014 • Teaching of the new PoS for all other subjects to be included in the NC becomes statutory.
2. AIMS
The review’s launch notice says that the National Curriculum should have the following aims at heart:
- to embody rigour and high standards and create coherence in what is taught in schools;
- to ensure all children have the opportunity to acquire a core of essential knowledge in the key subject disciplines;
- beyond that core, to allow teachers the freedom to use their professionalism and expertise to help all children realise their potential.
A Call for Evidence has been launched, inviting all interested parties to contribute to the review and the development of the new National Curriculum. A further Call for Evidence will be issued in early 2012 for phase 2 of the review. The DfE will organise a series of consultation events for key stakeholders and work to ensure headteachers, classroom teachers, parents and others are able to contribute to the work of developing the new National Curriculum. Regular updates on the progress of the review will be provided via the Department’s website.
3. PHASE 1 CALL FOR EVIDENCE
The deadline for responses in the phase 1 consultation is 14 April 2011.
Full details, and downloadable consultation documents, are at: http://www.education.gov.uk/consultations/ > clicking on National Curriculum Review – Call for Evidence under ‘All live consultations’.
Current forum discussion on developments
There is always discussion on the effectiveness of the curriculumhttp://community.tes.co.uk/forums/p/461276/6480224.aspx
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/925709-A-New-39-Creative-Curriculum-39-is-your-school-doing/AllOnOnePage
See also
- Education in EnglandEducation in EnglandEducation in England is overseen by the Department for Education and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Local authorities take responsibility for implementing policy for public education and state schools at a regional level....
- Education in Northern IrelandEducation in Northern IrelandEducation in Northern Ireland differs slightly from systems used elsewhere in the United Kingdom, though it is more similar to that used in England and Wales than it is to Scotland. A child's age on 1 July determines the point of entry into the relevant stage of education unlike England and Wales...
- Education in WalesEducation in WalesEducation in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the United Kingdom. For example, a significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh: in 2008/09, 22 per cent of classes in maintained primary schools used Welsh...
External links
- National Curriculum online official website
- Department for Education (EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) - Welsh Assembly Government (WalesWalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
) - Department of Education (Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
)