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Learning about the curriculum will help you to be more involved in your child’s education as a parent. It outlines the key milestones that they must meet at the different stages of their education and how they will be assessed. This is something that is fairly easy to research as the national curriculum is adopted by the majority of schools in the UK. It sets out the minimum levels of teaching to be delivered. Included in this are the compulsory subjects that they must be taught such as PE, English and Maths which are some to name a few. Details of this can be found on the GOV.UK website and can give you a much clearer picture.
The exceptions to this are private schools that follow their own curriculum. It’s also worth bearing in mind when carrying out research that there are also geographical differences in the curriculum. That which is delivered by schools in Wales for example is different to the one delivered in England.
If you would like to learn more about your child’s curriculum but are unsure of where to start, we have some tips from a private school below.
Where To Look
The best place source that we recommend looking at is the school’s very own website. It should outline the specific curriculum that they follow.
Aside from that, teachers are a good option to consider. As they are the ones delivering its content. Your child’s teacher should be well versed in it and be able to tell you all that there is to know. They will also be able to run you through their current observations thus far and let you know whether they think they’re on target or need further support at home.
Your child is also someone that you can ask. They’ll be able to give you their own rendition of what they’ve learnt and help you to establish whether they need further help at school.
Things to Note
The curriculum is broken down into age groups known as key stages. You may be familiar with the terminology, however, if you’re not we have them listed below.
- Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) – ages 3-5 (Nursery and Reception)
- Key Stage 1 – children aged 5-7 (Years 1 and 2)
- Key Stage 2 – children aged 7-11 (Years 3-6)
- Key Stage 3 – children aged 11-14 (Years 7-9)
- Key Stage 4 – children aged 14-16 (Years 10-11)