Teaching Curriculum Beyond Year Group

I have lost track of the number of times that I’ve been told by parents of primary-age children in England that schools are claiming that they are “not allowed” to teach content beyond that set out for the child’s year group in the English National Curriculum, ever since the curriculum reforms in 2014.

This myth seems to be so embedded that I have heard it myself from numerous headteachers and teaching staff.

Instead of spending the time explaining the actual situation afresh each time I am asked, I have instead put it down as this brief explanatory blog post. I hope people find it helpful.

Firstly, different schools will have different policies. It may be school policy to do / not to do something with the curriculum, but this is determined by the school alone, acting in line with the statutory framework. For academies, the statutory framework is typically minimal. Maintained schools must follow the statutory National Curriculum, and – in practice – every academy I’ve come across also abides by these regulations.

Presumably, the myth started because the National Curriculum Programmes of Study [Maths, English] are set out as expectations by year group. However, the programmes very clearly state:

“Within each key stage, schools therefore have the flexibility to introduce content earlier or later than set out in the programme of study.”

“schools can introduce key stage content during an earlier key stage, if appropriate.”

(see Section “School Curriculum” in either the Maths or the English Programme of Study.)

This must be read in the context of the broader thrust of the programmes, which state:

The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at broadly the same pace. However, decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils’ understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on.

So, put simply, schools can certainly teach children content above their year group. But only if they’re ready for it. Common sense, really.

If you really want to know more about my views on education, then please click on the “Education” link on this blog post to find related posts.