The National Curriculum can be quite daunting to understand. This overview gives you a quick glance at what is covered and you can also find out what each Letts series can offer your child at each level of their development.
You can also download this handy Exams Calendar for the current year if your child is studying for GCSE or A Level!
Home + Parents
This covers the years children spend from the beginning of nursery or pre-school to the end of reception class in primary school. This is recognised as a distinct stage of learning, when children learn best through active play which builds on their individual needs and interests.
The National Curriculum is made up of Key Stages. At KS1 the Primary National Strategy plays a key role in delivering improvements in standards. The main focus is on raising literacy and numeracy skills among primary school children.
By the end of KS1, most children will have reached level 2. Children's attainment levels are assessed through KS1 National Tests (SATs).
The Primary National Strategy continues into KS2. Teachers also use approaches to raise standards across the whole curriculum, particularly in Science and ICT.
By the end of KS2, most children will be at level 4. Children's attainment levels are assessed through KS2 National Tests (SATs).
For most children the transition from Primary School to Secondary School is big. Schools will run catch-up programmes for pupils that did not attain level 4 in English and Maths at KS2 to bring their level up in preparation for KS3.
KS3 covers 3 years of compulsory education. Following the abolition of KS3 SATs schools are no longer required to set National Tests at the end of Year 9 for external marking, they are however required to assess pupils attainment levels. Children are assessed so that teachers can learn more about their progress in Maths, English and Science. In Year 9 children make choices about which subjects they will study at GCSE.
Your child may choose to stay in education and take A Levels. They may stay on at school if they are in an institution that continues onto age 18, or choose to go to a 6th Form College to study for their A Levels.
Your child will choose five subjects to study for one year. At the end of the year they take AS exams. At this point they may choose to leave school/college, or they may decide to complete A2 courses in three of the five subjects to complete a full A Level.
KS4 completes compulsory education for all students. Your child will study a mix of compulsory and optional subjects. Compulsory subjects:
Your child will then choose four optional subjects from the Arts, Design & Technology, Humanities and Modern Foreign Languages subjects.
