This article covers the teaching and learning of pupils in compulsory secondary education, ages 11-16 (in Key Stages 3 and 4).

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 maintained schools in Wales are expected to provide a balanced and broadly based curriculum.

The legal basis for the national curriculum in Wales is Section 99 of the Education Act 2002. This states that pupils of compulsory school age (5-16) in maintained schools are entitled to a curriculum which:

‘(a) promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society, and 

 (b)  prepares pupils at the school for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.’ 

The national curriculum in Wales specifies compulsory subjects, programmes of study and attainment targets. It does not aim to be the whole school curriculum and sits alongside other statutory requirements, e.g. for religious education and sex education, and an entitlement to careers information, advice and guidance (at Key Stage 4).

Historical note: Broad aims for the school curriculum in Wales were first established by the Education Act 1944. However, there was no government control over the curriculum until the Education Reform Act 1988 introduced a national curriculum. This was with the aim of giving pupils an entitlement to a broad and balanced curriculum, setting standards for pupil attainment, and supporting school accountability.

Responsibilities

Responsibility for the school curriculum is shared.

• The National Assembly for Wales is responsible, under the Education Act 2002 for the programmes of study for each curriculum subject. These set out the ‘matters, skills and processes’ to be taught at each key stage. The National Assembly (or a body designated by it) also approves all qualifications taken by young people under 19 years of age, including GCSEs taken at age 16. This is under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000. It determines the subject content and assessment objectives for GCSEs, and steers secondary school decision making on the curriculum through the National School Categorisation System performance and accountability measures. These influence the choice of subjects and qualifications offered by schools.

• Estyn, which is reponsible for school inspection, makes judgements on the breadth, balance and appropriateness of the curriculum. These contribute to the school inspection judgement on the quality of teaching and learning experiences.

• Qualifications Wales is the independent regulator of the qualifications taken in schools and colleges. It is a Welsh Government-sponsored body established under the Qualifications Wales Act 2015.

• Recognised awarding organisations provide qualifications in Wales once they have been approved by Qualifications Wales.

• Local authorities have a duty, under the Education Act 2002, to ensure that the curriculum offered in maintained schools in their local area meets statutory requirements. They must also (under Section 390 of the Education Act 1996) establish a Standing Advisory Council on Religious Education (SACRE) to advise on the teaching of religious education in schools.

• Schools are responsible for planning the whole school curriculum for their pupils. Responsibility is shared between the headteacher and the governing body.

The curriculum in publicly-funded secondary schools 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 publication annually, in the school’s prospectus, of information about the school’s curriculum and performance (as outlined on pages 9-10 of this 2019 Welsh Government guidance)

• the evaluation of school performance in the National School Categorisation System, in which schools are allocated one of four categories depending on the level of improvement support required.

Requirements

English is the main language of instruction for the curriculum in around three-quarters of secondary schools. The remaining quarter (47 of the 187 maintained secondary schools in 2019 in Wales) are Welsh-medium or bilingual schools (source: Table 4 of the Address List of Schools in Wales, August 2019). 

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

Under the Education Act 2002, maintained secondary schools must teach:

• the national curriculum (Curriculum for Wales)

• religious education (RE)

• sex and relationships education (SRE).

Secondary schools must also offer personal and social education (PSE); an introduction to careers and the world of work; and opportunities for pupils to develop and apply their knowledge and understanding of Wales (as part of the Curriculum Cymreig).

In addition, they must plan the curriculum around the requirements of the Literacy and Numeracy Framework and consider the requirements of the Digital Competence Framework. The sub-headings which follow provide further information.

The national curriculum does not constitute the whole curriculum for schools. Schools are free to include other subjects or topics of their choice in planning and designing their programme of education.

The current curriculum was introduced on a phased basis from 2008 and fully implemented from 2011/12. A new curriculum is in development. This is intended to be taught in all maintained schools in Wales by September 2022 (see the subheading ‘Curriculum reform’ below).

National curriculum/Curriculum for Wales

The national curriculum sets out the compulsory subjects and associated programmes of study that must be taught at each key stage in maintained schools in Wales. It does not aim to be the whole curriculum and does not prescribe teaching hours.

In compulsory secondary education – Key Stage 3 (ages 11 to 14) and Key Stage 4 (ages 14 to 16) – the programmes of study include, for each curriculum subject and year group, the range of learning experiences which learners should be given opportunities to access. They are supplemented by the assessment requirements of external qualifications. These are the main means of assessing attainment in the national curriculum at the end of secondary education. See the article on 'Assessment in General Lower Secondary Education’ for further information.

The national curriculum requirements vary by key stage. 

National curriculum at Key Stage 3

The statutory national curriculum requires pupils in Key Stage 3 (ages 11–14) to study:

• English  

• Welsh (first or second language)

• mathematics  

• science  

• design and technology  

• information and communication technology (ICT)  

• history  

• geography  

• a modern foreign language  

• art and design  

• music  

• physical education (PE).  

Revised statutory programmes of study for English, Welsh (first language), and mathematics in Key Stage 3 came into effect in September 2015 (see the subheading ‘The National Literacy and Numeracy Framework’ below).

The programmes of study for all national curriculum subjects are available on the Hwb website.

National curriculum at Key Stage 4

The statutory national curriculum requires pupils in Key Stage 4 (ages 14-16) to study:

• English  

• Welsh (first or second language)  

• mathematics  

• science  

• physical education.

Learning Pathways for 14- to 19-year-olds

While there are fewer compulsory national curriculum subjects in Key Stage 4, the ‘Learning Pathways Framework’ for 14- to 19-year-olds aims to ensure that young people aged 14+ have access to a range of subject choices/study programmes to meet their individual needs.

Pupils in Key Stage 4 must have access to a minimum of 25 courses in the local curriculum, at least three of which must be vocational. This is required under the Learning and Skills (Wales) Measure 2009 and The Education (Local Curriculum for Pupils in Key Stage 4) (Wales) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.

Courses must also be available across five learning domains:

• mathematics, science and technology  

• business, administration and law  

• services for people  

• arts, media, culture and languages  

• humanities, social sciences and preparation for life and work.  

Local authorities must also promote access to and availability of courses in the local curriculum which are taught through the medium of Welsh.

The Welsh Government provides guidance for local authorities and schools on planning the local curriculum and ensuring it meets statutory requirements.

The curriculum at Key Stage 4 is also driven by external qualifications. The approved qualification most commonly taken, at the end of the key stage (age 16), is the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), available in a range of single subjects. Results from these examinations are not only important for pupil progression to post-compulsory education, training or the workforce, they are also used to evaluate secondary school performance in the National School Categorisation System.

Religious education and collective worship

All maintained secondary schools must teach religious education (RE) and provide a daily act of collective worship. Parents have the right to withdraw their children from religious education 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 RE and collective worship in an individual school depends on whether the school is designated as having a religious character, as well as on the legal category of school.

Maintained schools without a designated religious character must follow the locally agreed syllabus/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’.

Foundation and voluntary-controlled schools with a designated religious character must also 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 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.

Religious Education: Guidance for Key Stages 2 and 3 (2009); Religious Education: Guidance for 14- to 19-year-olds (2009) and the National Exemplar Framework for Religious Education for 3 to 19-year-olds (2008) provide guidance to schools.

The daily act of collective worship, which typically means a school assembly of a reverential or reflective nature, must be broadly Christian. This broadly Christian content requirement can be removed for the school as a whole. Estyn has produced guidance on collective worship in schools without a designated religious character. For schools which have a designated religious character, collective worship must be in accordance with the religious character of the school.

SRE, PSE, Careers and Curriculum Cymreig

In Key Stages 3 and 4, pupils in maintained schools must also be provided with:

• sex and relationships education (SRE)

• personal and social education (PSE)

• an introduction to careers and the world of work (see the subheading ‘Career guidance’ in the article 'Guidance and Counselling in Early Childhood and School Education’)

• opportunities to develop and apply their knowledge and understanding of the cultural, economic, environmental, historical and linguistic characteristics of Wales (the Curriculum Cymreig).

Sex and relationships education (SRE) is an important part of personal and social education (PSE). School governing bodies must have a policy for the provision of SRE. Schools are expected to draw on the non-statutory Personal and Social Education Framework for 7 to 19-Year-Olds in Wales in developing their SRE provision. Parents have the right to request that their child be wholly or partly excused from receiving sex education at school, apart from the aspects which fall under the statutory curriculum, such as teaching the biological aspects of human growth and reproduction in science.

Note: In January 2018, the Welsh Government published the report of the expert panel on sex and relationships education. The panel was formed in March 2017 to examine the provision of SRE and how schools could be supported to deliver it consistently and to a high standard. Following the report’s recommendation, the Welsh Government confirmed(in May 2018) that relationships and sexuality education (RSE) will become a statutory part of Wales’ new curriculum. A consultation on draft guidance on RSE took place between February and April 2019. See the subheading ‘Curriculum reform’ below for further information on the new curriculum.

The National Literacy and Numeracy Framework 

The National Literacy and Numeracy Framework (LNF) became a statutory curriculum requirement for 5- to 14-year-olds in September 2013. It is a curriculum planning tool introduced to improve levels of literacy and numeracy skills in schools in Wales, and to help teachers to embed literacy and numeracy into all subjects.

In September 2015, the LNF was extended to include 3- and 4-year-olds and pupils in Key Stage 4 (aged 14-16). It is, though, not statutory for these ages. In extending the LNF to Key Stage 4, the Welsh Government acknowledged that subject choices vary at this stage of education, but it nonetheless expected that literacy and numeracy skills would continue to be given prominence and be developed across all subjects, where appropriate.

Through ‘expectation statements’, the LNF describes the skills the Welsh Government expects children and young people to develop throughout their time in school. In literacy, it includes expectations for:

• oracy (speaking and listening) across the curriculum

• reading across the curriculum

• writing across the curriculum. 

For numeracy, it includes expectations for:

• developing numerical reasoning

• using number skills

• using measuring skills

• using data skills. 

As set out on page 8 of the Welsh Government guidance, teachers are expected to use the LNF to:

• develop curriculum content to ensure that all learners have opportunities to develop and refine the skills set out in the LNF

• integrate literacy and numeracy into their teaching, whatever the subject

• inform discussions about learner performance

• help learners with their own self-assessment activities and planning for learning

• monitor, assess and report on individual learner performance

• identify learners who may benefit from intervention or who are working beyond age-related expectations. 

The revised statutory programmes of study for English, Welsh (first language) and mathematics, which came into effect in September 2015, allow for better integration of the LNF. They also reflect a higher level of expectation for what learners should know and be able to do at all ages and stages of education.

The Digital Competence Framework

The Digital Competence Framework is intended to encourage the integration of digital skills across the full range of curriculum subjects for learners aged 3-16+. It will be formally introduced in September 2022 with the rest of the new Curriculum for Wales (see ‘Curriculum reform’ below). The Framework was issued in advance of the new curriculum (in September 2016) to allow schools to familiarise themselves with it. It sits alongside the programme of study for ICT, which remains in place.

The Welsh Government defines digital competence as a:

‘set of skills, knowledge and attitudes to enable the confident, creative and critical use of technologies and systems. It is the skill set that enables a person to be a confident digital citizen, to interact and collaborate digitally, to produce work digitally and to be confident in handling data and computational thinking (problem solving).’ (source: Curriculum reform: The Digital Competence Framework, In Brief, National Assembly for Wales). 

Under the Digital Competence Framework, the Welsh Government expects all teachers to embed the teaching of digital competence into their teaching, as they do for literacy and numeracy.

Time allocation/number of hours

Under Section 108 of the Education Act 2002, the amount of time to be devoted to each subject cannot be prescribed. It is a matter for schools to decide how much time each subject should take up. 

However, recommended minimum weekly lesson times are provided in Chapter 22 of the School Governors’ Guide to the Law. (These are as determined by Welsh Office Management of the School Day Circular 43/90.) The guidance recommends that pupils in Years 7 to 11 (ages 11 to 16) receive a minimum of 25 hours of lessons (taught time) each week.

In addition, for specific qualifications taken at the end of compulsory secondary education, such as GCSEs, awarding organisations estimate the size of a qualification in terms of total qualification time (TQT). This is the number of notional hours which represents an estimate of the total amount of time that could reasonably be expected to be required in order for a learner to achieve a qualification. The part of that time spent being taught is expressed as guided learning hours (GLH) The GLH for each individual GCSE programme is 120 to 130 hours.  

Curriculum reform

A new ‘Curriculum for Wales’ for 3- to 16-year-olds is being developed. It is expected to be in use in all maintained schools across Wales from September 2022, and focuses on four core purposes. These aim to ensure that children and young people develop as:

• ambitious, capable learners, ready to learn throughout their lives

• enterprising, creative contributors, ready to play a full part in life and work

• ethical, informed citizens of Wales and the world

• healthy, confident individuals, ready to lead fulfilling lives as valued members of society.

The Curriculum for Wales is organised into six ‘areas of learning and experience’:

• expressive arts

• health and well-being

• humanities

• languages, literacy and communication

• mathematics and numeracy

• science and technology.

These will sit alongside three cross-curricular responsibilities – literacy, numeracy and digital competence, which will be the responsibility of all teachers and taught across all subjects.

Development of the new curriculum has been supported by a network of ‘pioneer schools’, working collaboratively across Wales with other schools, regional education consortia, the Welsh Government, and wider stakeholders.

The changes follow the publication of the Donaldson review (in 2015). This examined the curriculum and assessment arrangements from the Foundation Phase to Key Stage 4 (ages 3 to 16). Following its acceptance of the report’s recommendations, the Welsh Government published A Curriculum for Wales: a Curriculum for Life, an implementation plan for the new curriculum, in October 2015. 

The White Paper Our National Mission: a Transformational Curriculum sets out proposals for the legislative framework to facilitate implementation of the new curriculum. Published for consultation in January 2019, it includes proposals on:

• the purpose and structure of the curriculum

• the place of the Welsh and English languages in the revised curriculum

• the place of relationships and sexuality education (RSE) and religious education (RE) in the curriculum for 3- to 16-year-olds, and the right to withdraw from RSE and RE

• the assessment of learners.

A consultation on the draft curriculum took place during April to July 2019. It is intended that the new curriculum and assessment arrangements will be finalised by January 2020, prior to implementation from September 2022.

Teaching methods and materials

Within each school, teaching methods are usually decided by the subject teacher. This is usually in consultation with the headteacher and subject or key stage leaders. Subject leaders (or subject coordinators) are 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.

There are no prescribed textbooks for pupils; all teaching and learning materials are selected by schools.

Textbooks are produced by commercial publishers and do not require government approval. However, schools will generally only choose to use textbooks which pay attention to:

•  national curriculum programmes of study

• frameworks in place (such as the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework)

• for pupils in Key Stage 4, age 14-16, qualification specifications set by awarding organisations.

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 digital cameras. Interactive teaching with electronic whiteboards is widespread, as is access to virtual learning environments and other digital resources.

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 and school leaders are guided in their practice by the professional standards for teaching and leadership.

There are five standards (page 16), which set expectations for pedagogy, collaboration, professional learning, innovation, and leadership.

1. Pedagogy: teachers are expected to consistently secure the best outcomes for learners through progressively refining teaching, influencing learners and advancing learning.

2. Collaboration: teachers are expected to take opportunities to work productively with all partners in learning to extend their professional effectiveness.

3. Professional learning: teachers should consistently extend their knowledge, skills and understanding.

4. Innovation: teachers are expected to employ an innovative outlook, exemplified through the development of techniques and approaches to improve teaching outcomes.

5. Leadership: teachers should exercise leadership through all aspects of professional practice.

The standards were introduced for all teachers in September 2018 following the publication of the Furlong review, Teaching Tomorrow’s Teachers (2015).

The Welsh Government supports teachers in their curriculum work through the Hwb website. This provides guidance and support documents for schools, access to the national curriculum programmes of study, and additional subject guidance. It is also an online space for teachers to share and access a range of digital tools and resources to support the learning of 3- to 19-year-olds.

The Hwb website also includes dedicated areas focused on resources relating to a particular subject, initiative or policy area. One of these is the National Network for Excellence in Science and Technology, launched in December 2017. The network aims to support the development of teachers’ skills in science and technology and involves schools working with science and technology departments in universities, education consortia and further education

In addition to the Hwb, specialist subject guidance, support and resources for teachers in particular curriculum subjects is also available. For example, the PSHE Association provides guidance for the teaching of personal and social education (PSE) in Wales.

Most teaching at secondary level is organised and delivered within subject boundaries, although this is not a requirement.

Literacy, numeracy and digital competence skills are increasingly taught across the curriculum. The frameworks for teaching these skills are provided by the National Literacy and Numeracy Framework and the Digital Competence Framework. See the subheadings ‘The National Literacy and Numeracy Framework’ and ‘The Digital Competence Framework’ above.

Schools decide how much and how often homework is set, reflecting the school's circumstances and its pupils' needs.

In Estyn’s Guidance Handbook for the Inspection of Secondary Schools, inspectors are asked to consider:

‘the nature, extent and effectiveness of learning outside the classroom that links directly to the planned curriculum […] to support pupils’ understanding of a specific subject or learning area’ (page 22).  

Article last reviewed April 2021.