National Curriculum (UK)
The National Curriculum in the United Kingdom serves as a framework that dictates the subjects to be taught in primary and secondary public schools for students aged five to sixteen. Introduced in 2002, it aims to ensure a consistent educational standard across maintained schools, which are government-funded and do not charge tuition. While the curriculum outlines required subjects and expected standards, individual schools and local authorities are granted the flexibility to determine the specifics of implementation.
The curriculum is structured into four key stages that cover various age groups, including mandatory subjects such as English, mathematics, and science, along with religious education and sex education, which are required for older students. In 2014, a revised curriculum was launched in response to concerns over the educational performance of British students compared to their peers in other countries. This revision focused on increasing academic expectations and mastering more material at earlier ages. Overall, while the National Curriculum provides a foundational educational guideline, its execution varies by institution, allowing for localized adaptations.
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National Curriculum (UK)
In 2002 the United Kingdom adopted a national curriculum specifying what subjects must be taught in primary and secondary public schools for pupils ages five through sixteen and the standards those pupils are expected to attain. However, details regarding the implementation of the curriculum are left to local authorities and schools to determine. Due to concerns that British students were falling behind students in other countries, a review of the national curriculum began in 2010, with a draft version of the new curriculum published in 2013; the revised national curriculum was implemented beginning in 2014.
Overview
The United Kingdom created a national curriculum in 2002, which applies to all maintained schools, defined as schools that do not charge tuition and are funded by the government (the equivalent of public schools in the United States). Academies, which are publicly funded independent schools, do not have to follow the national curriculum, but they must follow a balanced curriculum that includes instruction in English, mathematics, science, and religion.
The national curriculum is specified separately for primary and secondary schools, together covering students ages five through sixteen; in addition, religious education is required for students enrolled in school from ages five through eighteen, and sex education for students ages eleven through eighteen. Note that schooling is compulsory in the United Kingdom for children ages five through eighteen, as of 2015.
The national curriculum is arranged in four stages: Key Stage 1 (ages five through seven), Key Stage 2 (ages seven through eleven), Key Stage 3 (ages eleven through fourteen), and Key Stage 4 (ages fourteen through sixteen). The national curriculum specifies what students should be taught in each subject at each stage and the standards students are expected to reach, but the details concerning how to implement the curriculum and organize teaching are left up to individual schools and local authorities.
For instance, at Key Stage 1, all students must be taught art and design, design and technology, English, geography, history, information and communication technology, mathematics, music, physical education, and science, and must also be provided with religious education. At Key Stage 4, statutory (required) programs of study are specified for English, mathematics, science, information and communications technology, and citizenship, and schools must also provide at least one course in each of the four “entitlement areas”: arts (art and design, music, dance, drama, and media arts), design and technology, humanities (geography and history), and modern foreign languages. Religious, career, and sex education are also required at Key Stage 4.
The United Kingdom adopted a revised National Curriculum in 2014. Review and revision of the 2002 curriculum was prompted by dissatisfaction with educational achievement in the United Kingdom as compared with other countries, and the observation that countries with the highest student achievement expected their students to master more material at an earlier age than was called for in the 2002 national curriculum.
Bibliography
Cullingford, Cedric, and Paul Oliver, eds. The National Curriculum and Its Effects. Aldershot: Ashgate, 2001. Print.
Department for Education. “National Curriculum.” Gov.uk. UK Dept. for Educ., 16 July 2014. Web. 30 June 2015.
Doug, Roshan. “The British Schools’ National Curriculum: English and the Politics of Teaching Poetry from ‘Different Cultures and Traditions.’” Journal of Curriculum Studies 43.4 (2011): 439–56. Print.
Marshall, Bethan. “English in the National Curriculum: A Simple Redraft or a Major Rewrite?” Curriculum Journal 22.2 (2011): 187–99. Print.
Oates, Tim. “Could Do Better: Using International Comparisons to Refine the National Curriculum in England.” Curriculum Journal 22.2 (2011): 121–50. Print.
Sheldon, Nicola. “Politicians and History: The National Curriculum, National Identity, and the Revival of the National Narrative.” History 97.326 (2012): 256–71. Print.
Steers, John. "Reforming the School Curriculum and Assessment in England to Match the Best in the World: A Cautionary Tale." International Journal of Art and Design Education 33.1 (2014): 6–18. Print.
Sugden, Joanna. “Scrap Writing Test and Trust Teachers More, National Curriculum Review Urges.” Times 24 June 2011: 9. Print.
Weeden, Paul, Jan Winter, and Patricia Broadfoot. Assessment: What’s in It for Schools? London: RoutledgeFalmer, 2002. Print.