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The National Curriculum sets out the stages and core subjects your child will be taught during their time at school. Children aged five to 16 in 'maintained' or state schools must be taught the National Curriculum.

The National Curriculum is a framework used by all maintained schools to ensure that teaching and learning is balanced and consistent.

• standards or attainment targets in each subject - teachers can use these to
measure your child's progress and plan the next steps in their learning

Within the framework of the National Curriculum, schools are free to plan and organise teaching and learning in the way that best meets the needs of their pupils.

Many schools use the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) Schemes of Work to plan their curriculum. These help to translate the National Curriculum's objectives into teaching and learning activities.

There are four key stages as well as a ‘Foundation Stage'. The ‘Foundation Stage' covers education for children before they reach five (compulsory school age).

Age	Stage	Year	Assessment
3-4	Foundation
4-5		Reception
5-6	Key Stage 1	Year 1
6-7		Year 2	Teacher assessments in English, maths and science
7-8	Key Stage 2	Year 3
8-9		Year 4
9-10		Year 5
10-11		Year 6	National tests and teacher assessments in English, maths and science
11-12	Key Stage 3	Year 7
12-13		Year 8
13-14		Year 9	National tests in English, maths and science; and teacher assessments in other foundation subjects
14-15	Key Stage 4	Year 10	Some children take GCSEs
15-16		Year 11	Most children take GCSEs or other national qualifications

For each National Curriculum subject, there is a programme of study. The programmes of study describe the subject knowledge, skills and understanding pupils are expected to develop during each key stage.

The programmes of study also map out a scale of attainment within the subject. In most Key Stage 1, 2, and 3 subjects, these “attainment targets” are split into eight levels, plus a description of “exceptional performance”. The exception is Citizenship, which has separate attainment targets for the end of Key Stages 3 and 4.

Children develop at different rates, but National Curriculum levels can give you an idea of how your child's progress compares to what is typical for their age. For example, by the end of Key Stage 1, most children will have reached level 2, and by the end of Key Stage 2, most will be at level 4.

Your child's school will send you a report telling you what National Curriculum levels your child has reached in any formal assessments.

Your child's teacher will carry out regular checks on their progress in each subject as a normal part of their teaching. At the end of Key Stages 1, 2 and 3 they will carry out a formal “teacher assessment”, indicating which National Curriculum level best describes your child's performance in each area of learning.

At the end of Key Stage 1, the teacher's assessment of your child's progress will take account of their performance in several tasks and tests in English and maths.

At the end of Key Stages 2 and 3, your child will take national tests in English, maths and science (at the end of Key Stage 4, they will probably sit exams for GCSEs and/or equivalent qualifications).

The tests won't give you a complete picture of how your child is doing at school – they provide a “snapshot”, showing how they performed in selected parts of a subject on a particular day. But schools can use the test results as an independent measure of how they, and their pupils, are doing compared to standards across the country.