The National Curriculum
The national curriculum is a set of subjects and standards used by primary and secondary schools so children learn the same things. It covers what subjects are taught and the standards children should reach in each subject.
Key stages
The national curriculum is organised into blocks of years called ‘key stages’ (KS).
Your child will be tested at the end of some key stages. Teachers will also assess your child’s progress during lessons and throughout the year.
At St Agnes, there are three key stages, Early years foundation stage (EYFS), Key stage 1 (KS1) and Key stage 2 (KS2).
Key stage 1 and 2
Compulsory national curriculum subjects at primary school are:
- English
- maths
- science
- design and technology
- history
- geography
- art and design
- music
- physical education (PE), including swimming
- computing
- ancient and modern foreign languages (at key stage 2)
For more information about the National Curriculum, see the National Curriculum web page or see the overview below.