Understanding Your Childs Curriculum

Your child starting school can be an overwhelming experience, especially when it is your first child. There is so much new information that you need to learn that you had never even thought about before. Education and your child’s school life should not add to this. St Hildas, an independent girls school in Harpenden has put together some handy information to help you learn about your child’s curriculum.  

The National Curriculum is split into five different Key Stages based on the age of your child.

The Key Stages are categorised as follows:

• Key Stage 1: Aged 5-7, Years 1-2
• Key Stage 2: Aged 7-11, Years 3-6
• Key Stage 3: Aged 11-14, Years 7-9
• Key Stage 4: Aged 14-16, Years 10-11, GCSEs
• Key Stage 5: Aged 16-19, Years 12-13, A Levels

Within each key stage your child will study for and take exams to assess their progression, this will also allow the teachers to check whether or not they are meeting national targets. The work throughout the year will be based on the national curriculum to help prepare the students for their exams and ensure they are reaching their full potential.

The key objective of the national curriculum is to ensure that a consistent and equal level of education is given across the board. This gives all students in the whole country the best possible education standards. Throughout each school year there are compulsory subjects such as English, maths and science that are also known as core subjects. Each school will tailor their curriculum as they wish, while sticking to the markers set by the National Curriculum.

If you want to make sure that your child is getting the best out of their education you could ask their teacher for an outline copy of the curriculum for the year. This should include the topics that they plan to cover in lessons throughout the school year. This will help you to plan homework and study time accordingly to ensure they are reaching their full ability.

Sharing is caring!