National Curriculum Online

Physical Education

The Government believes that two hours of physical activity a week, including the National Curriculum for physical education and extra-curricular activities, should be an aspiration for all schools. This applies throughout all key stages.

Competitive games activities are compulsory throughout key stages 1 to 3. At key stage 4, although pupils can choose other activities instead of competitive team and individual games, the Government expects schools to continue to provide these for pupils who wish to take up this option.

Design and technology at Key Stage 3

The Government believes that schools should be encouraged to look for opportunities to teach both food and textiles as part of the range of contrasting materials that pupils should use as part of the key stage 3 programme of study.

Mathematics at Key Stage 4

In mathematics, there are two programmes of study foundation and higher. Pupils may be taught either the foundation or the higher programme of study. The higher programme of study is designed for pupils who have attained a secure level 5 at the end of key stage 3.

Science at Key Stage 4

In science, there are two programmes of study single science and double science. Pupils may be taught either the single or the double science programme of study. The requirements of either option would also be met by pupils taking GCSE courses in all three of the separate sciences of biology, chemistry and physics.

The Government firmly believes that double science or the three separate sciences should be taken by the great majority of pupils. Single science is intended for a minority of pupils who have good reason to spend more time on other subjects.

Possible modifications at key stage 4

Regulations under section 363 of the 1996 Education Act allow schools to make exceptional provision to meet a wider range of individual pupils’ needs.

From September 2000, regulations will allow schools to meet the statutory requirement for pupils to study design and technology, modern foreign languages or science by providing courses leading to a specified range of qualifications, not all of which will fully cover the programmes of study. The range of qualifications will be separately specified in the annual DfEE circular listing qualifications approved under section 400 of the 1996 Education Act.

Schools may disapply, for any one pupil, up to two National Curriculum subjects, in order to:

• Provide wider opportunities for work-related learning than are possible alongside the full statutory requirement by disapplying up to two of design and technology, modern foreign languages and science (from September 1998)
• Allow pupils making significantly less progress than their peers to study fewer National Curriculum subjects in order to consolidate their learning across the curriculum by disapplying design and technology and/or modern foreign languages (from September 2000)
• Respond to pupils’ individual strengths and talents by allowing them to emphasise a particular curriculum area by exchanging a statutory subject for a further course in that curriculum area, by disapplying design and technology and/or modern foreign languages (from September 2000).

In order to disapprove National Curriculum subjects for these purposes, schools and their governors must satisfy themselves that they have met the regulations and the criteria within them and inform QCA of their plans. Guidance is available in: Disapplication of the National Curriculum at key stage 4 using section 363 of the 1996 Education Act for a wider focus on work-related learning (order ref QCA/98/215). Further guidance will be available in spring 2000.

The structure of the National Curriculum

For each subject and for each key stage, programmes of study set out what pupils should be taught, and attainment targets set out the expected standards of pupils’ performance. It is for schools to choose how they organise their school curriculum to include the programmes of study.

Programmes of study

The programmes of study (see Note 2) set out what pupils should be taught in each subject at each key stage, and provide the basis for planning schemes of work. When planning, schools should also consider the four general teaching requirements that apply across the programmes of study.

The national frameworks for teaching literacy and mathematics published by the DfEE, and the exemplar schemes of work jointly published by the DfEE and QCA, show how the programmes of study and the attainment targets can be translated into practical, manageable teaching plans.

Attainment targets and level descriptions

An attainment target sets out the knowledge, skills and understanding which pupils of different abilities and maturities are expected to have by the end of each key stage’ (see Note 3). Except in the case of citizenship (see Note 4), attainment targets consist of eight level descriptions of increasing difficulty, plus a description for exceptional performance above level 8. Each level description describes the types and range of performance that pupils working at that level should characteristically demonstrate.

The level descriptions provide the basis for making judgements about pupils’ performance at the end of key stages 1, 2 and 3. At key stage 4, national qualifications are the main means of assessing attainment in National Curriculum subjects.

Using level descriptions Assessing attainment at the end of key stage 3

In deciding on a pupil’s level of attainment at the end of key stage 3, teachers should judge which description best fits the pupil’s performance. When doing so, each description should be considered alongside descriptions for adjacent levels.

Arrangements for statutory assessment at the end of key stage 3 are set out in detail in QCA’s annual booklets about assessment and reporting arrangements.

The level descriptions are not designed to assess individual pieces of work. They list aspects of attainment, based on the programmes of study, which teachers need to assess to build up a picture of a pupil’s performance over time in a range of contexts.

Planning

Teachers’ planning for schemes of work should start from the programmes of study and the needs and abilities of their pupils. Level descriptions can help to determine the degree of challenge and progression for work across each year of a key stage.

Reporting

Teachers are required to report annually to parents on pupils’ progress. Although not designed to be used at the end of each year across the key stage, the level descriptions can be used as a basis to describe pupils’ progress.

Target setting

To support target setting for pupils who achieve significantly below age-related expectations, performance criteria have been developed in English and mathematics leading to level 1 and within levels 1 and 2. In addition, performance criteria have been developed for pupils’ personal and social development. These criteria were published in Supporting the target setting process (DfEE/QCA 1998).

Links with qualifications

Scales used in approved national qualifications build on pupils’ prior learning as set out in the programmes of study at key stage 3 and the level descriptions. Qualifications used by pupils of compulsory school age, whether in school, college or workplace, must be approved under section 400 of the Education Act 1996. Approved qualifications are listed in a DfEE circular sent annually to schools and colleges. Pupils may be offered courses leading to the following qualifications:

• GCSE
• GCSE (short course)
• Part One GNVQ at the foundation and intermediate level
• GNVQ (or GNVQ units) at foundation, intermediate and advanced level
• NVQ (or NVQ units) at levels 1 and 2 (approved titles only)
• key skills unit in information technology
• entry level qualifications
• GCE AS level
• Other approved qualifications

Other requirements Religious education

Under the Education Act 1996 schools must provide religious education for all registered pupils, although parents can choose to withdraw their children. Schools, other than voluntary-aided schools and those of a religious character, must teach religious education according to the locally agreed syllabus. Each agreed syllabus should reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian while taking account of the teachings and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain.

Religious education makes a distinctive contribution to the school curriculum by developing pupils’ knowledge and understanding of religion, religious beliefs, practices, language and traditions and their influence on individuals, communities, societies and cultures. It enables pupils to consider and respond to a range of important questions related to their own spiritual development, the development of values and attitudes and fundamental questions concerning the meaning and purpose of life.

Sex education

Secondary schools must provide sex education for their pupils. It must include teaching about AIDS, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections and be given in such a way as to encourage pupils to have due regard to moral considerations and the value of family life. The detailed content and nature of sex education are for schools to decide. Parents can choose to withdraw their children from all or part of sex education.

Careers education

All schools must provide a programme of career education for pupils during years 9, 10 and 11 and an appropriate range of career information. They must also allow officers from the careers service access to pupils at key decision-making points during their education. Schools are encouraged to provide career education for pupils before year 9 and for those in the sixth form.

Careers education contributes to the school curriculum by helping pupils manage progression in their learning and work as they move through school and beyond. Careers education helps pupils to choose and prepare for opportunities, responsibilities and experiences in education, training and employment that will contribute to their own fulfilment and to the well-being of others, including the wider society and economy.

Careers education contributes to pupils’ personal effectiveness through its emphasis on transferable skills such as decision-making, handling information critically, self-awareness, action planning and review, negotiating and self-presentation. Pupils can use these skills to manage their self-development and career exploration as well as their career plans, decisions and routes. DfEE circulars 5/97 and 5/98 provide guidance for schools on meeting the statutory requirements. QCA has published guidance for schools and colleges, Learning outcomes from careers education and guidance (QCA/99/359), to complement the DfEE circulars.

Learning across the National Curriculum (see Note 6) Promoting spiritual, moral, social and cultural development across the National Curriculum

All National Curriculum subjects provide opportunities to promote pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Explicit opportunities to promote pupils’ development in these areas are provided in religious education and the non-statutory framework for personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship (see Note 7) at key stages 3 and 4. A significant contribution is also made by school ethos, effective relationships throughout the school, collective worship, and other curriculum activities.

• Pupils’ spiritual development involves the growth of their sense of self, their unique potential, their understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, and their will to achieve. As their curiosity about themselves and their place in the world increases, they try to answer for themselves some of life’s fundamental questions. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to foster their own inner lives and non-material well-being.
• Pupils’ moral development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of the difference between right and wrong and of moral conflict, a concern for others and the will to do what is right. They are able and willing to reflect on the consequences of their actions and learn how to forgive themselves and others. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need in order to make responsible moral decisions and to act on them.
• Pupils’ social development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of the responsibilities and rights of being members of families and communities (local, national and global), and an ability to relate to others and to work with others for the common good. They display a sense of belonging and an increasing willingness to participate. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to make an active contribution to the democratic process in each of their communities.
• Pupils’ cultural development involves pupils acquiring an understanding of cultural traditions and an ability to appreciate and respond to a variety of aesthetic experiences. They acquire respect for their own culture and that of others, an interest in others’ ways of doing things and curiosity about differences. They develop the knowledge, skills, understanding, qualities and attitudes they need to understand, appreciate and contribute to culture.

Promoting personal, social and health education and citizenship

Guidelines are provided in this handbook to help schools establish coherence and consistency and to promote curriculum continuity and progression in pupils’ learning in PSHE and citizenship.

Promoting skills across the National Curriculum

At all key stages, pupils learn, practise, combine, develop and refine a wide range of skills in their work across the National Curriculum. Some of these skills are subject-specific (painting in art and design), and some are common to several subjects (enquiry skills in science, history and geography).

Some skills are universal, for example, the skills of communication, improving own learning and performance, and creative thinking. These skills are also embedded in the subjects of the National Curriculum and are essential to effective learning.

Opportunities for teaching and learning all these skills across the key stages can be identified when planning. Pupils can be encouraged to reflect on what and how they learn, and how these skills can be applied to different subjects, different problems and real-life situations.

Key skills

Six skill areas are described as key skills because they help learners improve their learning and performance in education, work and life. These key skills are embedded in the National Curriculum.

Communication

The key skill of communication includes skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Skills in speaking and listening include the ability to speak effectively for different audiences; to listen, understand and respond appropriately to others; and to participate effectively in group discussion. Skills in reading and writing include the ability to read fluently a range of literary and non-fiction texts and to reflect critically on what is read; and the ability to write fluently for a range of purposes and audiences, including critical analysis of their own and others’ writing. Opportunities for developing this key skill are provided through English in particular and through pupils’ use of language across the curriculum.

Application of number

The key skill of application of numbers includes developing a range of mental calculation skills and the ability to apply them within a variety of contexts. Skills include developing the understanding and use of mathematical language related to numbers and calculations in order to process data, solve increasingly complex problems and explain the reasoning used. Pupils need to be able to apply calculation skills and the understanding of numbers to problems in other National Curriculum subjects and to real-life situations. Opportunities for developing this key skill are provided explicitly in mathematics.

Information technology

The key skill of information technology includes the ability to use a range of information sources and ICT tools to find, analyse, interpret, evaluate and present information for a range of purposes. Skills include the ability to make critical and informed judgements about when and how to use ICT for maximum benefit in accessing information, solving problems or for expressive work. The ability to use ICT information sources includes enquiry and decision-making skills, as well as information-processing and creative thinking skills and the ability to review, modify and evaluate work with ICT. Opportunities for developing this key skill are provided explicitly through the subject of ICT and through pupils’ use of ICT across the curriculum.

Working with others

The key skill of working with others includes the ability to contribute to small-group and whole-class discussions and to work with others to meet a challenge. If pupils are to work with others they must develop social skills and a growing awareness and understanding of others’ needs. All subjects provide opportunities for pupils to cooperate and work effectively with others in formal and informal settings, to appreciate the experience of others and consider different perspectives, and to benefit from what others think, say and do.

Improving own learning and performance

The key skill of improving own learning and performance involves pupils reflecting on and critically evaluating their work and what they have learnt, and identifying ways to improve their learning and performance. They need to be able to identify the purposes of learning, to reflect on the processes of learning, to assess progress in learning, to identify obstacles or problems in learning and to plan ways to improve learning. All subjects provide opportunities for pupils to review their work and discuss ways to improve their learning.

Problem-solving

The key skill of problem-solving involves pupils developing the skills and strategies that will help them to solve the problems they face in learning and in life. Problem-solving includes the skills of identifying and understanding a problem, planning ways to solve a problem, monitoring progress in tackling a problem and reviewing solutions to problems. All subjects provide pupils with opportunities to respond to the challenge of problems and to plan, test, modify and review the progress needed to achieve particular outcomes.

Thinking skills

By using thinking skills pupils can focus on knowing how’ as well as knowing what’ and learning how to learn. The following thinking skills complement the key skills and are embedded in the National Curriculum.

Information-processing skills

These enable pupils to locate and collect relevant information, sort, classify, sequence, compare and contrast, and analyse part/whole relationships.

Reasoning skills

These enable pupils to give reasons for opinions and actions, to draw inferences and make deductions, to use precise language to explain what they think and to make judgements and decisions informed by reasons or evidence.

Enquiry skills

These enable pupils to ask relevant questions, pose and define problems, plan what to do and how to research, predict outcomes and anticipate consequences, and test conclusions and improve ideas.

Creative thinking skills

These enable pupils to generate and extend ideas, suggest hypotheses, to apply imagination, and to look for alternative innovative outcomes.

Evaluation skills

These enable pupils to evaluate information, judge the value of what they read, hear and do, develop criteria for judging the value of their own and others’ work or ideas, and have confidence in their judgements.

Promoting other aspects of the school curriculum Financial capability

Financial capability is about making competent decisions in relation to managing money and planning finances for the future. It helps pupils to make independent and informed decisions about budgeting, spending, saving and investing, using credit, avoiding debt, and obtaining value for money. It helps pupils to understand their own and others’ needs and to consider the effects of their decisions on individuals, groups, families, and communities at a national level. Pupils should be able to understand the financial implications of their choices and leave school prepared to be confident and knowledgeable consumers, aware of their responsibilities and rights.

There are opportunities for pupils to develop financial capability within the school curriculum, in particular in their work in mathematics, PSHE and citizenship, as well as through involvement in other school activities such as work with business and the community.

Enterprise and entrepreneurial skills

Changing patterns of work mean that many young people will consider self-employment at some point in their working lives. Pupils should therefore develop skills and attitudes that will prepare them for this as a career option. Many aspects of the curriculum at all key stages provide opportunities for developing enterprise and entrepreneurial skills.

Enterprise can be associated with a set of attributes, skills and attitudes that enable people to create and thrive on change. Enterprise education enables pupils to develop confidence, self-reliance and willingness to embrace change. Through participation in mini-enterprises, pupils can practise risk management, learn from mistakes and be innovative.

Entrepreneurialism is the creation of wealth through the development of new and small businesses. Opportunities can be provided for pupils to learn about and explore the role of individuals in sustaining and developing the economy and society and to develop the entrepreneurial characteristics of tenacity, independence, innovation, imagination, risk-taking, creativity, intuition and leadership.

Work-related learning

The school curriculum provides opportunities for all pupils to prepare for working life by developing a basic understanding of the diversity of workplace opportunities and requirements. A coordinated framework for work-related learning will enable schools to identify the intended learning outcomes and to recognise how different elements of the curriculum relate to these outcomes.

Work-related learning results from planned activities that use work as a context for learning or to illustrate aspects of working life. Learning through work’, such as enterprise activities and work experience, can raise standards by using contexts that improve motivation and attainment. Learning about work’ through, for example, visits to places of work, career-related activities and vocational courses can improve young people’s understanding of themselves and opportunities at work. Learning for work’ through, for example, the development of key skills and career-management skills, can improve the transition of young people to adult and working life. QCA has published guidance for schools on the development of work-related learning: Preparation for working life: Guidance on developing a coordinated approach to work-related learning at key stage 4 (QCA/99/384) and Learning through work-related contexts: A guide to successful practice (QCA/98/310).

Education for sustainable development

Education for sustainable development enables pupils to develop the knowledge, skills, understanding and values to participate in decisions about the way we do things individually and collectively, both locally and globally, that will improve the quality of life now without damaging the planet for the future. There are opportunities for pupils to develop their understanding of sustainable development within the school curriculum, in particular in their work in geography, science, PSHE and citizenship.

Notes

1. The four key stages are defined precisely in section 355(1)a-d of the Education Act 1996.
2. The Education Act 1996, section 353b, defines a programme of study as the matters, skills and processes that should be taught to pupils of different abilities and maturities during the key stage.
3. As defined by the Education Act 1996, section 353a.
4. In citizenship, the expected performance for the majority of pupils at the end of key stages 3 and 4 is set out in the end of key stage descriptions.
5. Including modern foreign languages.
6. Additional information on opportunities to promote learning across the National Curriculum is included in the subject booklets.