Primary National Curriculum
The Primary National Curriculum in the UK sets out the subjects and content that must be taught in schools for children aged 4 to 11 (from Reception through to Year 6). It’s designed to ensure all children have a broad, balanced education that helps them develop key knowledge and skills.
Core Subjects (The main focus of learning):
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English: This includes reading, writing, speaking, and listening. Children learn to read fluently, write clearly, and speak confidently.
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Mathematics: Focuses on numbers, addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, shapes, measurements, and problem-solving skills.
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Science: Covers topics like plants, animals, forces, materials, and Earth. It helps children explore how the world works through hands-on experiments and observations.
Foundation Subjects (Broader areas of learning):
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Art and Design: Encourages creativity through drawing, painting, sculpture, and other forms of visual art.
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Design and Technology: Involves learning how to design and create products, often using materials like fabric, wood, or metal.
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Geography: Teaches about the world, including maps, countries, continents, and natural features like mountains and rivers.
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History: Focuses on key events, people, and periods of time, helping children understand the past and its significance.
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Music: Involves singing, playing instruments, listening to different types of music, and understanding rhythm.
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Physical Education (PE): Includes activities that promote physical fitness, team sports, and developing coordination and balance.
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Computing: Teaches children how to use computers and technology for things like coding, creating digital media, and online safety.
Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education (PSHE):
This subject helps children develop emotionally, socially, and ethically. It includes learning about relationships, well-being, personal safety, and understanding how to contribute positively to society.
Religious Education (RE):
Schools must provide education about different religions and worldviews, helping children develop respect and understanding of various beliefs.
Modern Foreign Languages:
In Key Stage 2 (from Year 3 onwards), children learn at least one foreign language (like French, Spanish, or German), helping them understand other cultures.
Structure of the Curriculum
The curriculum is broken down into Key Stages. For primary school, these are:
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Key Stage 1 (ages 5-7, Year 1 and Year 2)
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Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11, Year 3 to Year 6)
Word Reading
Pupils should be taught to:
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apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words
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respond speedily with the correct sound to graphemes (letters or groups of letters) for all 40+ phonemes, including, where applicable, alternative sounds for graphemes
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read accurately by blending sounds in unfamiliar words containing GPCs that have been taught
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read common exception words, noting unusual correspondences between spelling and sound and where these occur in the word
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read words containing taught GPCs and –s, –es, –ing, –ed, –er and –est endings
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read other words of more than one syllable that contain taught GPCs
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read words with contractions [for example, I’m, I’ll, we’ll], and understand that the apostrophe represents the omitted letter(s)
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read aloud accurately books that are consistent with their developing phonic knowledge and that do not require them to use other strategies to work out words
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re-read these books to build up their fluency and confidence in word reading.
(Department of Education, 2013)
Comprehension
Pupils should be taught to:
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develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:
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listening to and discussing a wide range of poems, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
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being encouraged to link what they read or hear read to their own experiences
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becoming very familiar with key stories, fairy stories and traditional tales, retelling them and considering their particular characteristics
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recognising and joining in with predictable phrases
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learning to appreciate rhymes and poems, and to recite some by heart
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discussing word meanings, linking new meanings to those already known
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understand both the books they can already read accurately and fluently and those they listen to by:
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drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
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checking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading
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discussing the significance of the title and events
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making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
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predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
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participate in discussion about what is read to them, taking turns and listening to what others say
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explain clearly their understanding of what is read to them.
(Department of Education (2013)
Composition
Pupils should be taught to:
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write sentences by:
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saying out loud what they are going to write about
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composing a sentence orally before writing it
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sequencing sentences to form short narratives
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re-reading what they have written to check that it makes sense
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discuss what they have written with the teacher or other pupils
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read aloud their writing clearly enough to be heard by their peers and the teacher.
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(Department for Education, 2013)
Vocabulary, Grammar and Punctuation
Pupils should be taught to:
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leave spaces between words
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join words and join clauses using 'and'
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begin to punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark
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use a capital letter for names of people, places, the days of the week, and the personal pronoun ‘I’
(Department for Education, 2013)
Number - Number and Place Value
Pupils should be taught to:
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count to and across 100, forwards and backwards, beginning with 0 or 1, or from any given number
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count, read and write numbers to 100 in numerals; count in multiples of twos, fives and tens
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given a number, identify one more and one less
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identify and represent numbers using objects and pictorial representations including the number line, and use the language of: equal to, more than, less than (fewer), most, least
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read and write numbers from 1 to 20 in numerals and words.
(Department of Education, 2013)
Number - Addition & Subtraction
Pupils should be taught to:
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read, write and interpret mathematical statements involving addition (+), subtraction (–) and equals (=) signs
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represent and use number bonds and related subtraction facts within 20
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add and subtract one-digit and two-digit numbers to 20, including zero
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solve one-step problems that involve addition and subtraction, using concrete objects and pictorial representations, and missing number problems.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Number - Multiplication & Division
Pupils should be taught to:
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solve one-step problems involving multiplication and division, by calculating the answer using concrete objects, pictorial representations and arrays with the support of the teacher.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Number - Fractions
Pupils should be taught to:
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recognise, find and name a half as one of two equal parts of an object, shape or quantity
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recognise, find and name a quarter as one of four equal parts of an object, shape or quantity.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Measurement
Pupils should be taught to:
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compare, describe and solve practical problems for:
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lengths and heights (for example, long/short, longer/shorter, tall/short, double/half)
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mass/weight (for example, heavy/light, heavier than, lighter than)
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capacity and volume (for example, full/empty, more than, less than, half, half full, quarter)
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time (for example, quicker, slower, earlier, later)
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measure and begin to record the following:
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lengths and heights
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mass/weight
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capacity and volume
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time (hours, minutes, seconds)
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recognise and know the value of different denominations of coins and notes
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sequence events in chronological order using language (for example, before and after, next, first, today, yesterday, tomorrow, morning, afternoon and evening)
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recognise and use language relating to dates, including days of the week, weeks, months and years
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tell the time to the hour and half past the hour and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Geometry - Properties of Shape
Pupils should be taught to:
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recognise and name common 2-D and 3-D shapes, including:
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2-D shapes [for example, rectangles (including squares), circles and triangles]
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3-D shapes [for example, cuboids (including cubes), pyramids and spheres].
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(Department for Education, 2013)
Geometry - Position & Direction
Pupils should be taught to:
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describe position, direction and movement, including whole, half, quarter and three-quarter turns.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Word Reading
Pupils should be taught to:
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continue to apply phonic knowledge and skills as the route to decode words until automatic decoding has become embedded and reading is fluent
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read accurately by blending the sounds in words that contain the graphemes taught so far, especially recognising alternative sounds for graphemes
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read accurately words of two or more syllables that contain the same graphemes as above
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read words containing common suffixes
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read further common exception words, noting unusual correspondences between spelling and sound and where these occur in the word
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read most words quickly and accurately, without overt sounding and blending, when they have been frequently encountered
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read aloud books closely matched to their improving phonic knowledge, sounding out unfamiliar words accurately, automatically and without undue hesitation
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re-read these books to build up their fluency and confidence in word reading.
(Department of Education, 2013)
Comprehension
Pupils should be taught to:
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develop pleasure in reading, motivation to read, vocabulary and understanding by:
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listening to, discussing and expressing views about a wide range of contemporary and classic poetry, stories and non-fiction at a level beyond that at which they can read independently
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discussing the sequence of events in books and how items of information are related
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becoming increasingly familiar with and retelling a wider range of stories, fairy stories and traditional tales
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being introduced to non-fiction books that are structured in different ways
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recognising simple recurring literary language in stories and poetry
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discussing and clarifying the meanings of words, linking new meanings to known vocabulary
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discussing their favourite words and phrases
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continuing to build up a repertoire of poems learnt by heart, appreciating these and reciting some, with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear
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understand both the books that they can already read accurately and fluently and those that they listen to by:
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drawing on what they already know or on background information and vocabulary provided by the teacher
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checking that the text makes sense to them as they read and correcting inaccurate reading
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making inferences on the basis of what is being said and done
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answering and asking questions
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predicting what might happen on the basis of what has been read so far
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participate in discussion about books, poems and other works that are read to them and those that they can read for themselves, taking turns and listening to what others say
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explain and discuss their understanding of books, poems and other material, both those that they listen to and those that they read for themselves.
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(Department of Education (2013)
Composition
Pupils should be taught to:
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develop positive attitudes towards and stamina for writing by:
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writing narratives about personal experiences and those of others (real and fictional)
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writing about real events
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writing poetry
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writing for different purposes
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consider what they are going to write before beginning by:
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planning or saying out loud what they are going to write about
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writing down ideas and/or key words, including new vocabulary
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encapsulating what they want to say, sentence by sentence
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make simple additions, revisions and corrections to their own writing by:
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evaluating their writing with the teacher and other pupils
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re-reading to check that their writing makes sense and that verbs to indicate time are used correctly and consistently, including verbs in the continuous form
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proof-reading to check for errors in spelling, grammar and punctuation [for example, ends of sentences punctuated correctly]
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read aloud what they have written with appropriate intonation to make the meaning clear.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Writing - Vocabulary, Grammar & Punctuation
Pupils should be taught to:
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learn how to use both familiar and new punctuation correctly, including full stops, capital letters, exclamation marks, question marks, commas for lists and apostrophes for contracted forms and the possessive (singular)
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learn how to use:
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sentences with different forms: statement, question, exclamation, command
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expanded noun phrases to describe and specify (for example, the blue butterfly)
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the present and past tenses correctly and consistently including the progressive form
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subordination (using when, if, that, or because) and co-ordination (using or, and, or but)
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use and understand the grammatical terminology in discussing their writing.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Number - Number and Place Value
Pupils should be taught to:
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count in steps of 2, 3, and 5 from 0, and in tens from any number, forward and backward
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recognise the place value of each digit in a two-digit number (tens, ones)
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identify, represent and estimate numbers using different representations, including the number line
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compare and order numbers from 0 up to 100; use <, > and = signs
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read and write numbers to at least 100 in numerals and in words
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use place value and number facts to solve problems.
(Department of Education, 2013)
Number - Addition & Subtraction
Pupils should be taught to:
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solve problems with addition and subtraction:
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using concrete objects and pictorial representations, including those involving numbers, quantities and measures
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applying their increasing knowledge of mental and written methods
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recall and use addition and subtraction facts to 20 fluently, and derive and use related facts up to 100
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add and subtract numbers using concrete objects, pictorial representations, and mentally, including:
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a two-digit number and ones
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a two-digit number and tens
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two two-digit numbers
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adding three one-digit numbers
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show that addition of two numbers can be done in any order (commutative) and subtraction of one number from another cannot
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recognise and use the inverse relationship between addition and subtraction and use this to check calculations and solve missing number problems.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Number - Multiplication & Division
Pupils should be taught to:
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recall and use multiplication and division facts for the 2, 5 and 10 multiplication
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tables, including recognising odd and even numbers
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calculate mathematical statements for multiplication and division within the multiplication
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tables and write them using the multiplication (×), division (÷) and equals (=) signs
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show that multiplication of two numbers can be done in any order (commutative) and division of one number by another cannot
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solve problems involving multiplication and division, using materials, arrays, repeated addition, mental methods, and multiplication and division facts, including problems in contexts.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Number - Fractions
Pupils should be taught to:
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recognise, find, name and write fractions 1/3, 1/4, 1/2 and 3/4 of a length, shape, set of objects or quantity
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write simple fractions for example, 1/2 of 6 = 3 and recognise the equivalence of 2/4 and 1/2.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Measurement
Pupils should be taught to:
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choose and use appropriate standard units to estimate and measure length/height in any direction (m/cm); mass (kg/g); temperature (°C); capacity (litres/ml) to the nearest appropriate unit, using rulers, scales, thermometers and measuring vessels
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compare and order lengths, mass, volume/capacity and record the results using >, < and =
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recognise and use symbols for pounds (£) and pence (p); combine amounts to make a particular value
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find different combinations of coins that equal the same amounts of money
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money of the same unit, including giving change
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solve simple problems in a practical context involving addition and subtraction of
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compare and sequence intervals of time
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tell and write the time to five minutes, including quarter past/to the hour and draw the hands on a clock face to show these times know the number of minutes in an hour and the number of hours in a day.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Geometry - Properties of Shape
Pupils should be taught to:
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identify and describe the properties of 2-D shapes, including the number of sides and line symmetry in a vertical line
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identify and describe the properties of 3-D shapes, including the number of edges, vertices and faces
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identify 2-D shapes on the surface of 3-D shapes (for example, a circle on a cylinder and a triangle on a pyramid)
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compare and sort common 2-D and 3-D shapes and everyday objects.
(Department for Education, 2013)
Geometry - Position & Direction
Pupils should be taught to:
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order and arrange combinations of mathematical objects in patterns and sequences
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use mathematical vocabulary to describe position, direction and movement, including movement in a straight line and distinguishing between rotation as a turn and in terms of right angles for quarter, half and three-quarter turns (clockwise and anti-clockwise).
(Department for Education, 2013)
Statistics
Pupils should be taught to:
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interpret and construct simple pictograms, tally charts, block diagrams and simple tables
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ask and answer simple questions by counting the number of objects in each category and sorting the categories by quantity
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ask and answer questions about totalling and comparing categorical data.
(Department for Education, 2013)
