Key Stages 3 and 4
The National Curriculum (NC) applies to pupils of compulsory school age in community and foundation schools, including community special schools and foundation special schools, and voluntary aided and voluntary controlled schools. It is organised on the basis of four key stages, two of which are applicable to secondary schools.
Key Stage 3 Age 11-14 Year groups 7-9
Key Stage 4 Age 14-16 Year groups 10-11
Click here for more information on the variety of schools in England
KEY STAGE 3: STATUTORY SUBJECTS
National Curriculum core subjects
English: Speaking and listening; Reading; Writing
Mathematics: Using and applying mathematics; Number and algebra; Shape, space and measures; Handling data
Science: Scientific enquiry; Life processes and living things; Materials and their properties; Physical processes
National Curriculum non-core foundation subjects
Design and technology: Designing; Making
Information and communication technology: Exploring and discussing experiences of ICT; Developing ideas; Presenting ideas; Exchanging information
History: Chronology; Historical knowledge and understanding; Historical interpretation; Historical enquiry; Organisation and communication
Geography: Geographical skills; Countries; Themes
Modern foreign languages: Listening and responding; Speaking; Reading; Writing
Art: Exploring and developing ideas; Investigating and making; Evaluating and developing work; Knowledge and understanding.
Music: Performing skills; Composing skills; Appraising skills; Listening and applying knowledge and understanding
Physical education: Four from the following Dance; Games activities; Gymnastic activities; Swimming and water safety; Athletic activities; Outdoor and adventurous activities
Citizenship: Knowledge and understanding; Enquiry and communication; Participation and responsible action
KEY STAGE 4 STATUTORY SUBJECTS
National Curriculum core subjects:
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English;
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Mathematics;
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Science.
National Curriculum non-core foundation subjects:
- Information and communication technology (ICT);
- Physical education (PE);
- Citizenship
Each of these National Curriculum subjects has a statutory programme of study that must be taught to all students during Key Stage 4. Schools can build the programmes of study into any teaching and learning programme and this can lead to any approved qualification. Most schools include, in their core curriculum, courses that lead to qualifications in each of the first five of these subjects. Some schools also require all pupils to follow a course leading to a qualification in ICT. Few schools require all pupils to work towards a qualification in PE.
There are no Key Stage 4 programmes of study for history, geography, art and design and music.
The arts, DT, history, geography and modern foreign languages became entitlement areas in September 2004. This means that schools are no longer required to teach a modern foreign language and DT to all students at Key Stage 4.
Entitlement means that schools must make courses in these areas available to all students who wish to study them.
The programme of study for MFL and DT at Key Stage 4 became non-statutory guidance for the teaching of MFL and DT at Key Stage 4.
Disapplication
In exceptional cases, the full National Curriculum might not be the most appropriate route to maximising a pupil's learning and achievement and disapplication may be considered. Schools may disapply National Curriculum subjects at Key Stage 4 for individual pupils for the following three purposes:
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to provide an extended work-related learning programme, perhaps including a work placement with training or a college course for one or two days a week;
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to enable a pupil to emphasise a particular curriculum area, in which they have strengths, for example the arts or the humanities;
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to provide a programme that helps pupils to consolidate their learning across the curriculum.
Disapplication will not be presented to all pupils as a possible option, although, for pupils for whom it is being considered for the above purposes, the school must meet statutory criteria. One of these criteria is that the pupil has a careers interview before the decision to disapply is made.
http://www.qca.org.uk/qualifications/types/493.html
www.qca.org.uk/14-19/11-16-schools/index_s3-4-disapplication.htm
LINKS WITH QUALIFICATIONS
Scales used in approved national qualifications build on pupils' prior learning as set out in the PoS 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.
CHANGES TO THE 14-19 EDUCATIONAL PROVISION
14-19 provision is under review. If you plan to teach in this phase of education it is important that you visit the QCA and DfES sites regularly to be informed about recent developments and changes to the curriculum.
QCA have a website for all those with an interest in 14-19 learning. The main audiences are curriculum managers and teachers in 11-16 schools, schools with sixth forms and all colleges providing for the age group.
http://www.qca.org.uk/qualifications/index.html
There is also an area of the QCA website that you will find useful in keeping up to date with developments and changes to National Qualifications. Approved qualifications are listed on the QCA website. On this site you will also find information about post-16 qualifications.
The Working Group on 14-19 Reform was established by the Government to develop proposals for long-term structural reform of 14-19 learning programmes and qualifications.
The site contains information about the Working Group on 14-19 Reform. It is updated regularly to reflect the Group's progress.
http://www.14-19reform.gov.uk/
ADDITIONAL STATUTORY AREAS AT KS3 & 4
Religious education
Schools must provide religious education (RE) for all registered pupils, although parents can choose to withdraw their children. Schools, other than voluntary aided schools and those with a religious character, must teach RE according to the locally agreed syllabus. Each agreed syllabus should reflect the fact that the religious traditions of Great Britain are in the main Christian, while taking account of the teachings and practices of other principal religions represented in Great Britain.
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 is 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 careers education for pupils during Years 9, 10 and 11 and an appropriate range of careers 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 careers education for pupils before Year 9 and for those in the sixth form.
Careers education and guidance (CEG) is an important component of the 14-19 curriculum and there is a statutory requirement for a programme of careers education in years 9, 10 and 11. This requirement might be extended to include years 7 and 8 from 2004.
Careers education is also an important strand of the citizenship curriculum and schemes of work for Key Stage 4 have been published. Careers teachers will find the scheme of work on rights and responsibilities in the world of work particularly useful. Careers education and guidance can be found on the QCA website http://www.qca.org.uk/14-19/11-16-schools/index.htm under the heading of Work-related learning.
Careers education and guidance
NON-STATUTORY AREA
Promoting personal, social and health education (PSHE)
Guidelines are provided in the National Curriculum Handbook for secondary teachers in England, pages 188-197. The guidelines are provided to help schools establish coherence and consistency and to promote curriculum continuity and progression in pupils' learning in PSHE. These complement the requirements for citizenship.
Work-related learning
Work-related learning is an increasingly significant aspect of the 14-19 curriculum and it is important that schools and colleges are aware of what it means for different students in different contexts. It will become a requirement for all students at Key Stage 4 and some students will be following extended work-related programmes provided by a partnership that could include school, college, training provider and employer. The outcome of these programmes will impact on progression routes into further education, modern apprenticeship, employment and higher education.
http://www.qca.org.uk/14-19/11-16-schools/s4-0-work-related.htm
The information and guidance in this section of the website will help providers in planning, running and evaluating successful work-related learning programmes
THE STRUCTURE OF THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM
For each subject and for each key stage, the programmes of study (PoS) set out what should be taught. Attainment targets (ATs) set out the expected standards of pupils' performance. It is for schools to choose how they organise their school curriculum to include the PoS.
Programmes of study
The PoS set out what pupils should be taught in each subject at each key stage, and provide the basis of planning schemes of work. When planning, schools should also consider the four general teaching requirements that apply across the PoS.
General requirements
There are four general teaching requirements:
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Inclusion: providing effective learning opportunities for all children;
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Use of language across the curriculum;
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Use of ICT across the curriculum;
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Health and safety.
See the National Curriculum Handbook for secondary teachers in England, pp32-42.
Additional guidance
The Frameworks for teaching English, mathematics and science: Years 7, 8 and 9 (DfES) and the exemplar schemes of work (DfES and QCA) show how the PoS and ATs can be translated into practical, manageable teaching plans.
Attainment targets and level descriptions
An Attainment Target (AT) sets out the 'knowledge, skills and understanding that pupils of different abilities and maturities are expected to have by the end of each key stage'
ATs 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.
This applies to all statutory areas of the curriculum except for citizenship. In citizenship, expected performance for the majority of pupils at the end of Key Stages 3 and 4 is set out in end of key stage descriptions
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 (NC) subjects.
Range of levels within which the great majority of pupils are expected to work
Key Stage 1: Levels 1-3
Expected attainment for the majority of pupils at the end of the Key Stage 1 at age 7 is level 2
Key Stage 2: Levels 2-5
Expected attainment for the majority of pupils at the end of the Key Stage 2 at age 11 is level 4
Key Stage 3: Levels 3-7
Expected attainment for the majority of pupils at the end of the Key Stage 3 at age 14 is level 5/6*
*Including modern foreign languages
Assessing attainment at the end of Key Stage 3
In deciding on a pupil's level of attainment at the end of a key stage, 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 the 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 programme of study (PoS), 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 programme of study(PoS) 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.
www.nc.uk.net/notes_34.html#plan
Reporting
Teachers are required to report annually to parents on pupils' progress. Although not designed to be used at the end of each year, the level descriptions can be used as a basis to describe pupils' progress.
www.nc.uk.net/notes_34.html#report
Target setting
To support target setting for pupils who achieve significantly below age-related expectations, performance criteria have been developed for 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).
www.nc.uk.net/notes_34.html#target
LEARNING ACROSS THE NATIONAL CURRICULUM
Information about promoting aspects of the curriculum and skills across all subjects can be found in the National Curriculum Handbook for secondary teachers in England on pages 22-25 and in the subject sections.
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 NC:
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Communication;
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Application of number;
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Information technology;
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Working with others;
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Improving own learning and performance;
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Problem solving.
Thinking skills
By using thinking skills, children can focus on 'knowing how' as well as 'knowing what' - learning how to learn. The following thinking skills complement the key skills and are embedded in the NC.
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Information-processing skills;
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Reasoning skills;
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Enquiry skills;
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Creative and thinking skills;
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Evaluation skills.
Other aspects of the school curriculum
Other aspects of the school curriculum include:
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Financial capability;
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Enterprise and entrepreneurial skills;
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Work-related learning;
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Education for sustainable development
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Spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.
