School Curricula Guides

UK National Curriculum

The National Curriculum of England, Wales and Northern Ireland provides a consistent framework for schools across the UK (excluding Scotland).
UK National Curriculum
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
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The National Curriculum was introduced into England, Wales and Northern Ireland as a nationwide curriculum for primary and secondary state schools following the Education Reform Act (1988).

It is not a mandatory framework for independent or private schools. Private schools are free to choose their own curriculum and examinations and many have opted for the IGCSE which is not tied to the National Curriculum.

As well as private schools, UK based academies and free schools may also set their own curricula.

Scotland has its own national curriculum.

International schools - in the UK and outside of it - clearly choose to adopt the framework, each one more or less rigorously.

The purpose of the National Curriculum has been to standardise the content taught across schools to enable assessment, which in turn enabled the compilation of league tables detailing the assessment statistics for each school.

The idea has been to raise educational standards by being able to see where there are weaknesses.

These league tables, together with the provision to parents of some degree of choice in assignment of the school for their child (also legislated in the same act) was also intended to encourage a free market by allowing parents to choose schools based on their measured ability to teach the National Curriculum.

For international schools outside the UK, the framework allows schools to benchmark themselves against their peers in the United Kingdom. 

Assessments are carried out at three ages: seven (school year 2, at the end of Key Stage 1), eleven (Year 6, the end of Key Stage 2) and fourteen (Year 9, the end of Key Stage 3). Some aspects of subjects are teacher-assessed, whilst others involve sitting an examination paper.

The results are considered when school and LEA performance league tables are being compiled, but they do not lead to any formal qualification for the candidates taking them.

 

Subject Key Stage 1
(age 5–7)
Key Stage 2
(age 7–11)
Key Stage 3
(age 11–14)
Key Stage 4
(age 14-16)
English x x x x
Mathematics x x x x
Science x x x x
Computing x x x x
Physical Education x x x x
Geography x x x  
History x x x  
Music x x x  
Art & Design x x x  
Design & Technology x x x  
Modern Foreign Languages   x x  
Citizenship     x x
Work-related Learning       x
Welsh (Wales only) x x x x

 The study of most subjects under the National Curriculum would usually culminate in the sitting of GCSE exams at the end of Key Stage 4.

 

 

225 UK Schools offering UK National Curriculum

School name Community Region
Abercorn School Camden Greater London
Abingdon School Oxfordshire South East England
Akeley Wood School Buckinghamshire South East England
Aldro School Surrey South East England
Appleford School Wiltshire South West England
Ardingly College West Sussex South East England
Ardvreck School Perth and Kinross Scotland
Ashville College Yorkshire North East England
Barrow Hills School Surrey South East England
Beachborough School Buckinghamshire South East England
Bede's Prep School East Sussex South East England
Bede's Senior School East Sussex South East England
Bedstone College Shropshire West Midlands
Beeston Hall School Norfolk East Midlands
Blundell's Devon South West England
Blundell's Prep Devon South West England
Bosworth Independent College Northamptonshire East Midlands
Brampton College Barnet Greater London
Brampton Manor Academy Newham Greater London
Bredon School Gloucestershire South West England
Brentwood School Essex East of England
Brighton College East Sussex South East England
Brighton College Prep Kensington Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Bromsgrove School Worcestershire West Midlands
Bryanston Dorset South West England
Bryanston Prep Dorset South West England
Canford School Dorset South West England
Cardiff Sixth Form College Cardiff Wales
Casterton, Sedbergh Prep School Cumbria North West England
Charterhouse Surrey South East England
Cheltenham Ladies College Gloucestershire South West England
Chester International School Cheshire North East England
Chetham’s School of Music Lancashire North West England
Christ College Brecon Brecon Wales
City of London School Westminster Greater London
City of London School for Girls Westminster Greater London
Clayesmore School Dorset South West England
Clifton College Somerset South West England
Cottesmore School West Sussex South East England
Cranbrook School Kent South East England
Cranleigh Preparatory School Surrey South East England
Cranleigh School Surrey South East England
Culford School Suffolk East of England
d’Overbroeck's Oxfordshire South East England
Dallam School Cumbria North West England
Dauntsey's Wiltshire South West England
Dean Close Prep Gloucestershire South West England
Dean Close School Gloucestershire South West England
DLD College London Westminster Greater London
Downe House Berkshire South East England
Dragon School, Oxford Oxfordshire South East England
Duke of York's Royal Military School Kent South East England
Dulwich College (UK) Southwark Greater London
Duncombe School Hertfordshire East of England
Durham School Durham North East England
Earlscliffe Kent South East England
Eaton Square (Senior & Sixth Form) Westminster Greater London
Eaton Square School (Nursery and Prep) Westminster Greater London
Edgbaston College Warwickshire West Midlands
Elstree School Berkshire South East England
Eltham College Croydon Greater London
Epsom College Surrey South East England
ESMS Junior School Edinburgh Scotland
Eton College Berkshire South East England
Exeter Cathedral School Devon South West England
Fairley House Westminster Greater London
Fairstead House School Suffolk East of England
Farleigh School Hampshire South East England
Fettes College Edinburgh Scotland
Fettes Prep Edinburgh Scotland
Framlingham College Suffolk East of England
Frensham Heights Surrey South East England
Frewen College East Sussex South East England
Glendower Prep Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Godolphin and Latymer Hammersmith & Fulham Greater London
Gordonstoun Moray Scotland
Gresham's (Senior School) Norfolk East Midlands
Guildford High School Surrey South East England
Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Boys Hertfordshire East of England
Haberdashers’ Aske’s School for Girls Hertfordshire East of England
Hall Grove School Surrey South East England
Hanford School Dorset South West England
Harrow School Harrow Greater London
Highgate School Haringey Greater London
Hill House Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Hills Road Sixth Form College Cambridgeshire South East England
Hockerill Anglo-European College Hertfordshire East of England
Hurstpierpoint College West Sussex South East England
Hurtwood House Surrey South East England
Ibstock Place School Wandsworth Greater London
Kensington Wade Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Kent College, Canterbury (Senior School) Kent South East England
Kimbolton School Cambridgeshire South East England
King Edward VI High School for Girls Warwickshire West Midlands
King Edward's Witley Surrey South East England
King Edward’s School, Birmingham Warwickshire West Midlands
King's InterHigh Westminster Greater London
King's School Canterbury Kent South East England
King’s Ely Cambridgeshire South East England
Kingham Hill School Oxfordshire South East England
Kingston Grammar School Surrey South East England
Knightsbridge School Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Lady Eleanor Holles School Richmond Upon Thames Greater London
Lancing College West Sussex South East England
Latymer Upper School Hammersmith & Fulham Greater London
Leicester Grammar Junior School Leicestershire West Midlands
Leighton Park School Berkshire South East England
LGS Stoneygate Leicestershire West Midlands
Lord Wandsworth College Hampshire South East England
Loretto School East Lothian Scotland
Loughborough High School Leicestershire West Midlands
Malvern College Worcestershire West Midlands
Malvern St James Girls’ School Worcestershire West Midlands
Manchester Grammar School Lancashire North West England
Mander Portman Woodward (Birmingham) Warwickshire West Midlands
Mander Portman Woodward (Cambridge) Cambridgeshire South East England
Mander Portman Woodward (London) Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Marlborough College Wiltshire South West England
Merchant Taylors' Prep Hertfordshire East of England
Merchant Taylors' School Hertfordshire East of England
Millfield (Senior School) Somerset South West England
Millfield Pre-Prep & Prep School Somerset South West England
Monmouth Prep School Monmouthshire Wales
Monmouth School for Girls Monmouthshire Wales
Moorland Private School Lancashire North West England
More House School Surrey South East England
Mount Kelly Devon South West England
Moyles Court Hampshire South East England
Newton Prep School Wandsworth Greater London
North Bridge House (Senior Canonbury) Barnet Greater London
North Bridge House (Senior Hampstead) Barnet Greater London
North Bridge House Prep School Barnet Greater London
North London Collegiate School Edgware Greater London
Norwich School Norfolk East Midlands
Notting Hill & Ealing High School Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Oakham School Rutland East of England
Oxford International College, Brighton West Sussex South East England
Perrott Hill School Somerset South West England
Peter Symonds College Hampshire South East England
Plymouth College Devon South West England
Port Regis School Dorset South West England
Portland Place School Westminster Greater London
Prince's Gardens Prep School Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Prior’s Field Surrey South East England
Queen Ethelburga's Collegiate Yorkshire North East England
Queen Margaret's School for Girls, York Yorkshire North East England
Queen Mary's School, Thirsk Yorkshire North East England
Queen's College Preparatory School, London Marylebone Greater London
Queen's College, London Marylebone Greater London
Queen’s College, Taunton Somerset South West England
Radley College Oxfordshire South East England
Reading School Berkshire South East England
Reed's School Surrey South East England
Reigate Grammar School Surrey South East England
Rendcomb College Gloucestershire South West England
Repton School Derbyshire East Midlands
Rishworth School Yorkshire North East England
Rochester Independent College Kent South East England
Roedean School East Sussex South East England
Rossall School Lancashire North West England
Royal Grammar School Guildford Surrey South East England
Royal Hospital School Suffolk East of England
Rugby School Warwickshire West Midlands
Ruthin School Denbighshire North West Wales
Scarborough College Yorkshire North East England
Seaford College West Sussex South East England
Sedbergh School Cumbria North West England
Sevenoaks School Kent South East England
Sexey's School Somerset South West England
Sherborne International School Dorset South West England
Sherborne School Dorset South West England
Shrewsbury School Shropshire West Midlands
Sidcot School Somerset South West England
St Albans High School for Girls Hertfordshire East of England
St Catherine's, Bramley Surrey South East England
St Edward's School Oxfordshire South East England
St George’s School, Ascot Berkshire South East England
St John's School, Sidmouth Devon South West England
St Joseph’s College Suffolk East of England
St Mary's Calne Wiltshire South West England
St Mary's School, Cambridge Cambridgeshire South East England
St Michael's School Monmouthshire Wales
St Paul's Richmond Upon Thames Greater London
St Peter's Prep School Devon South West England
St Swithun’s School Hampshire South East England
Stonyhurst College Lancashire North West England
Stowe School Buckinghamshire South East England
Summerhill Suffolk East of England
Taunton International School Somerset South West England
The Abbey (Junior School) Berkshire South East England
The BRIT School Croydon Greater London
The Cedars School Croydon Greater London
The Downs Prep School Somerset South West England
The Hammond School Cheshire North East England
The Kingsley School Warwickshire West Midlands
The Laurels School Croydon Greater London
The Leys School Cambridgeshire South East England
The National Mathematics and Science College Warwickshire West Midlands
The Perse School Cambridgeshire South East England
The Purcell School Hertfordshire East of England
The Royal Alexandra and Albert School Surrey South East England
The Stewart Bilingual School Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
The Sylvia Young Theatre School Westminster Greater London
The Worthgate School Kent South East England
Tonbridge School Kent South East England
Tring Park School for the Performing Arts Hertfordshire East of England
Tudor Hall Oxfordshire South East England
Warwick School Warwickshire West Midlands
Wellington College Berkshire South East England
Wells Cathedral School Somerset South West England
Westminster School Westminster Greater London
Westonbirt School Gloucestershire South West England
Wetherby Arts School Kensington and Chelsea Greater London
Wetherby Prep School Westminster Greater London
Wetherby Senior School Westminster Greater London
Winchester College Hampshire South East England
Windermere School (Prep and Junior School) Cumbria North West England
Withington Girls' School Lancashire North West England
Wolverhampton Grammar School Staffordshire West Midlands
Wychwood School Oxfordshire South East England
Wycliffe Prep School Gloucestershire South West England
Wycliffe Senior School Gloucestershire South West England
Wycombe Abbey Buckinghamshire South East England
Wymondham College Norfolk East Midlands
Yehudi Menuhin School Surrey South East England

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