This article covers teaching and learning for pupils in primary education aged 5-11 (Key Stages 1 and 2) (ISCED 1).

Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils, reflecting its particular needs and circumstances.

All publicly funded schools are expected to provide a balanced and broadly based curriculum, although different legal obligations apply depending on the type of school.The legal basis for the curriculum in a maintained school is set out in the Education Act 2002. Under Section 78 of the Act, schools must provide a balanced and broadly based curriculum which:

'promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and

prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life'. 

In accordance with Section 80 of the Act, maintained schools must also provide religious education and the national curriculum as part of their broad, whole school curriculum.

The legal basis for the curriculum in academies is covered by Section 1 of the Academies Act 2010, and the individual school’s funding agreement with the Secretary of State.

Under these provisions, the same broad aims apply as for maintained schools and some subjects are compulsory. Academies are not, however, required to provide the national curriculum.

Responsibilities

Responsibility for the school curriculum is shared.

The Secretary of State for Education is the Cabinet Minister in charge of the Department for Education.

As such, he/she has overall responsibility, under the Education Act 2002, for the programme of study for each national curriculum subject. Programmes of study set out the ‘matters, skills and processes’ to be taught at each key stage of the national curriculum. The Secretary of State also steers school decision-making on the curriculum through accountability measures (see below).

Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills, is a non-ministerial government department, responsible for school inspection under the provisions of the Education Act 2005 (as amended). Judgements on the design, implementation and impact of the curriculum contribute to Ofsted’s school inspection judgement on the quality of education.

Local authorities, or (LAs), have a duty under Section 390 of the Education Act 1996 to establish a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE). The SACRE, which includes representatives of faith groups and teachers, advises on the locally agreed syllabus for religious education (see the subheading ‘Religious education and collective worship’below).

Schools are responsible for planning the whole school curriculum for their pupils. Responsibility is shared between the headteacher and the school governing body in a maintained school, or between the executive leadership and the academy trust in the case of an academy.

The curriculum in both maintained schools and academies is influenced to a significant extent by accountability measures. These include:

• the school inspection system (see the article ‘Quality Assurance in Early Childhood and School Education’)
• the requirement for schools to publish information on the content of the school’s curriculum for each subject in relation to each academic year (online)
• the publication of the results of school-level performance measures, i.e. the results of Key Stage 2 national assessment (see the article on ‘Assessment in Primary Education’).

Requirements

The school curriculum comprises all learning and other experiences that each school plans for its pupils, reflecting its particular needs and circumstances.

For all schools, the language of instruction is normally English. Bilingual teaching is rare in England. However, there are no regulatory barriers to prevent schools offering this type of provision if they choose to do so.

Although they are bound by the same broad aims, in terms of specific legislative requirements for the school curriculum, there are differences between maintained schools and academies.

Maintained schools must teach the national curriculum and religious education (RE). This is under the provisions of the Education Act 2002.

It is also a statutory requirement for maintained schools to provide a daily act of collective worship, which typically means a school assembly of a reverential or reflective nature, which is broadly Christian.

Schools are free to include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their own whole school curriculum / programme of education.

Academies are bound by their funding agreement with the Secretary of State to teach:

• English, mathematics and science
• religious education.

They must also comply with any additional curriculum requirements included in their funding agreement, such as that of providing a daily act of collective worship.

Academies are not obliged to teach the national curriculum as part of their whole school curriculum, but may choose to do so.

Research for the Department for Education (DfE) published in 2014 showed that, for the core subjects of English, mathematics and science, along with information and communication technology (ICT), the majority of primary academies intended to provide content as specified in the national curriculum. For other subjects, they were less likely to follow national curriculum content.

In its March 2016 White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, the Government stated that it would establish the national curriculum as:

’an ambitious benchmark which autonomous academies can use and improve upon… It will serve an important role in setting out the sort of knowledge-based, ambitious, academically rigorous education which every child should experience’ (pages 20 / 90).

National curriculum

The national curriculum does not aim to be the whole school curriculum. Schools plan and design their own curriculum. Maintained schools must include the national curriculum in their whole school curriculum and academies may choose to do so.

The national curriculum does not prescribe teaching hours. It sets out the compulsory subjects and associated programmes of study that must be taught at each key stage in maintained schools. Information on the purpose, aims and subject content of the compulsory national curriculum subjects is available in the individual programmes of study for Key Stages 1 and 2.

The compulsory national curriculum subjects at Key Stages 1 and 2 (primary education, ages 5-11) are:

• the ‘core’ subjects of English, mathematics and science
• the ‘foundation’ subjects - art and design, computing, design and technology, geography, history, music, physical education (PE), and a foreign language in Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11).

According to the national curriculum guidance for primary education, fluency in the English language is ‘an essential foundation for success in all subjects’ (p. 10). Teachers should therefore develop pupils’ spoken language, reading, writing and vocabulary as integral aspects of the teaching of every subject. Similarly, confidence in numeracy and other mathematical skills is regarded as ‘a precondition of success across the national curriculum’ (p. 9). Primary teachers are expected to use every relevant subject to develop pupils’ mathematical fluency. Schools have free choice over which modern or ancient foreign language pupils study over the four years of Key Stage 2.

Religious education and collective worship

Maintained schools and academies must teach religious education. They must also provide a daily act of collective worship. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from RE and collective worship if they wish.

Local authorities (LAs) have a duty, under Section 390 of the Education Act 1996, to establish a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) to advise on matters concerning the teaching of RE. The SACRE, which includes faith groups and teachers, also advises on the locally-agreed syllabus/curriculum for RE.  

The nature of the religious education and collective worship in an individual school depends on whether or not the school is designated as having a religious character, as well as on the legal category of school.

• Foundation and voluntary-controlled (maintained) schools with a designated religious character must follow the locally-agreed syllabus for RE. However, parents have the right to request that their child is taught RE in accordance with the school’s trust deed or designated religion.
• In voluntary aided (maintained) schools designated as having a religious character, the governing body determines the syllabus for RE. This is in accordance with the provisions of the trust deed relating to the school, or in accordance with the school’s designated religion. However, parents have the right to request that their child is taught the locally-agreed syllabus for RE.
• Maintained schools without a designated religious character must follow the locally agreed curriculum which all LAs are required to adopt. This must, in accordance with Section 375 of the Education Act 1996, ‘reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain’.
• Requirements for the teaching of RE in academies are set out in their individual funding agreement. For academies without a faith designation, this will usually mirror the requirements for a local authority maintained school without a religious character

The daily act of collective worship, which all maintained schools must provide, means an act of a reverential or reflective nature, which is typically held during a school assembly. It must be broadly Christian. The broadly Christian content requirement can be removed for the school as a whole. The statutory requirements are contained in Sections 69 to 71 and Schedules 19 and 20 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, as amended.

For maintained schools which have a designated religious character, collective worship must be in accordance with the religious character of the school.

Academies without a religious character are required to provide collective worship in line with each school’s funding agreement with the Government.

The Government provides non-statutory guidance on religious education for maintained schools.

For a summary of the regulations and the issues surrounding RE and collective worship, see the House of Commons Library briefing CBP-7167, published in July 2016.

PSHE and relationships education

Personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) is defined by the PSHE Association as ‘a school subject through which pupils develop the knowledge, skills and attributes they need to manage their lives, now and in the future’.

Although PSHE is a non-statutory subject in primary education in 2019/20, the Government expects all schools to make provision for it.

From September 2020, health education, along with relationships education, will become compulsory in maintained primary schools and academies. This is in accordance with regulations made in May 2019, under the provisions of the Children and Social Work Act 2017. Although the requirement does not begin until September 2020, schools are encouraged to begin teaching health education and relationships education in line with the new regulations from September 2019.

Further information is available in House of Commons Library briefing CBP-7303 on PSHE in schools (July 2019), and in briefing paper SN06103 on relationships and sex education in schools (July 2019).

Time allocation/number of hours

Under Section 87 of the Education Act 2002, the amount of time to be allocated to each subject cannot be prescribed.

The national curriculum guidance makes clear that the national curriculum should be used as a framework which schools incorporate into their whole school curriculum. It states that the national curriculum provides an ‘outline of core knowledge around which teachers can develop … the wider school curriculum’, and that there ‘is time and space in the school day and each week, term and year to range beyond the national curriculum specifications’.

History of the school curriculum

Broad aims for the school curriculum were first established by the Education Act 1944. These were that the curriculum should promote the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society; and prepare pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.

Beyond these broad aims, which were expressed in the form of a duty on local authorities, there was no central government control over the curriculum until the Education Reform Act 1988 gave the Secretary of State important new powers over the curriculum and its assessment. The aim of centralising this fundamental aspect of education policy-making was to:

• give pupils an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum
• set standards for pupil attainment
• support school accountability.

The first national curriculum was introduced under these powers on a gradual basis between 1989 and the mid-1990s. For an account of the evolution of the Government’s interest in the curriculum from 1944 and the development of the national curriculum, see the report of the Children, Schools and Families Select Committee’s inquiry into the national curriculum, published in March 2009.

Since its introduction, the national curriculum has undergone a series of reviews and revisions, accompanied by changes to assessment arrangements, in an effort to slim down content and improve consistency. In 2011, the then Government launched a major review of the national curriculum in England. The review was primarily aimed at developing the curriculum so that it compared favourably with the most successful international curricula in the highest performing jurisdictions in the world. It also aimed to set rigorous requirements for pupil attainment, at the same time as giving teachers greater freedom over their teaching.

The Government published the final version of the new national curriculum in October 2013, to be taught from September 2014 for most subjects / year groups.

The new programmes of study were simultaneously more demanding and (apart from English and maths) slimmed down to focus on the essential skills and knowledge of each subject. ‘Computing’ replaced ‘information and communication technology’ (ICT), and the new programme of study put greater emphasis on computational thinking and practical programming skills relevant in a global digital economy. In addition, it became compulsory for pupils in Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11) to learn a foreign language.

The House of Commons Library briefing SN06798, published in April 2018, provides an overview of the curriculum and a summary of the development and reform of the national curriculum since its inception.

Teaching methods and materials

Within each school, teaching methods are decided by the class teacher. In maintained schools, this will usually be in consultation with the headteacher and subject or key stage leaders. In academies, it may be in consultation with subject leaders, key stage leaders, and the executive leadership.  

Subject leaders (or subject coordinators) are classroom teachers who have additional responsibility for a particular subject area and who give help and guidance to their colleagues within the school. Key stage leaders have a similar responsibility for a particular key stage. In primary schools, subject or key stage leaders normally combine this role with that of being a class teacher and this would usually be recognised with additional pay.

The class teacher is responsible for planning lessons and for drawing up schemes of work to ensure that the curriculum provided meets the statutory requirements. There is no requirement for teaching to be organised and delivered in a particular way, for example within the subject boundaries of the national curriculum programmes of study. Schools may choose to combine one subject with another and / or teach some aspects in an integrated way.

There are no prescribed textbooks or other learning materials for primary pupils; all learning materials are selected by schools. Textbooks are produced by commercial publishers and do not require government approval. Schools may not usually charge for the cost of materials, books, or any other equipment used by pupils.

All schools have a range of ICT tools available for use by teachers and pupils. These may include computers, laptops, tablets and other handheld devices, interactive whiteboards and virtual learning environments.

Schools and teachers make decisions about teaching methods and materials in the context of national standards and guidance as outlined below.

Frameworks and guidance

Teachers are expected to meet the Government’s Teachers’ Standards (2011) which state that a teacher must:

• set high expectations which inspire, motivate and challenge pupils 
• promote good progress and outcomes by pupils 
• demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge 
• plan and teach well-structured lessons 
• adapt teaching to respond to the strengths and needs of all pupils 
• make accurate and productive use of assessment 
• manage behaviour effectively to ensure a good and safe learning environment
• fulfil wider professional responsibilities.

In accordance with the Standards, the class teacher is responsible for ensuring that there are sufficient opportunities for differentiated work for pupils of all abilities. Differentiation is defined as the process of providing teaching which is matched to the needs, capabilities and previous learning of individual pupils. In primary education, teaching normally takes place in mixed-ability groups or classes, but some form of within-class ability grouping may also be used.

There are no statutory requirements regarding homework. Schools are expected to establish their own policy on homework and to decide on the nature, frequency and amount of homework they will set.  In doing so, they take into consideration the age and stage of pupils, their needs and the school’s ethos. The Teachers’ Standards set an expectation that teachers should understand how homework or other out-of-class activities can sustain learners’ progress and consolidate and extend learning.

The Government funds or facilitates a range of initiatives to support primary teachers’ work with the curriculum. These include:

• maths hubs, established to work with schools across England to lead improvements in mathematics education, spread excellent practice, and act as expert leaders in mathematics pedagogy and curriculum
• the National Centre for Computing Education, which provides support for the teaching of computing
• a range of resources on teaching reading effectively through phonics.

Information on a range of other resources and support available is provided in a Department for Education factsheet (2014).

The Goverment has also published the report of an independent review providing practical guidance for teachers on how to tackle bad behaviour in the classroom. This March 2017 report - Creating a Culture: How School Leaders Can Optimise Behaviour has been supplemented by guidance, published in November 2018, on mental health and behaviour in schools. This provides advice on understanding the link between mental health and behaviour and links to sources of further support and guidance.  

In addition, the Department for Education (DfE) provides a range of advice for teachers on managing their workload. This includes a workload reduction toolkit,  which provides practical advice and tools to help school leaders and teachers review and reduce workload. The advice has been developed as a result of an inquiry into reducing teacher workload, which began in 2014.

Article last reviewed April 2021.