Formal Education
Formal Education:
What you're entitled to...
By 5: ('foundation stage')
· Personal, social and emotional development
· Communication, language and literacy
· Mathematical development
· Knowledge and understanding of the world
· Physical development
· Creative development
To find out more about this area from the Curriculum and Qualifications Authority click here
Once you're in school, the Government has divided your education into stages:
Key Stage 1 = 5-7 years old (years 1 - 2). This is tested in year 2 SATs.
Key Stage 2 = 7-11 years old (years 3 - 6) This is tested in year 6 SATs.
Key Stage 3 = 11-14 years old (years 7 - 9) This is tested in year 9 SATs.
Key Stage 4 = 14 - 16 years old (years 10 - 11) This is tested by GCSEs in year 11.
Non-compulsory stage = 16 - 18 years old (6th form / years 12 - 13) This is tested by AS-levels in year 12 & A-levels in year 13.
To learn about 'Key stages' from the QCA, click here
Below are links to the curriculum for different ages on the QCA. If you have any problems understanding the information on their site, please check out my education glossary to look up individual words or ask me by email
Information from the Department for Education and Skills:
DFES Citizenship Information - information on the citizenship curriculum (aimed at teachers)
At the moment, the education system for over 14's is changing. The most recent changes were in 'Curriculum 2000', which introduced a/s levels and the Key Skills qualification, but more changes are planned. To learn what, check out the DFES 14-19 Education and Skills paper and the DFES Implementation Plan for changes in 14-19 Education. A summary of what these say is available here.
The DFES is also planning some general changes to how schools work, which are outlined in the DFES Schools White Paper (summary available here) and in the DFES 5 Year Education strategy. (Summary available soon)
While there's a lot of coverage in the news about young people doing badly, it's not often we hear about those who are doing really well - and who need some extra support from their schools to stretch themselves further. To find out more about this, check the original document about the DFES Gifted and Talented Programme or look up the summary on this site.