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Curriculum articles

Daily email programme
How the daily learning programme works
Whether you're taking your child out of school for a period, setting out on your home education journey or simply looking for extra activities to boost your child's learning, here's why the daily learning programme could be the right fit for you...
Reception Baseline Assessment explained for parents
7 things you need to know about the Reception Baseline Assessment (RBA)
In the first half-term of their Reception year, children take part in classroom-based assessment. We take a look at what’s involved.
The parents’ guide to primary school reports
The parents’ guide to primary school reports
The time has come to open that all-important envelope, but what can you expect the report inside to say?
Learning about LGBT families at primary school
Learning about LGBT issues in primary schools
How might your primary school child learn about LGBT relationships at school? We take a look at what to expect and how to support their learning.
Best literacy resources
Best literacy resources
Whether your child is just learning to read and print letters or looking for ways to put their creative writing skills to the test, we've rounded up some fantastic resources to help them practise phonics, grammar, story-writing and comic-creating at home. Plus there are loads of different ways to connect with authors and listen to stories.
Why arts education matters in primary schools
Why arts education matters in primary schools
From unleashing creativity to improving life chances, we take a look at why art, music, drama and dance are important for primary school children.
Best home learning websites for kids
12 of the best home learning websites for kids
We've rounded up some of our favourite online resources to support your child's learning at home.
What is the International Primary Curriculum (IPC)?
The International Primary Curriculum (IPC) explained
What do children learn through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), the curriculum used in many international schools around the world (and some primary schools in the UK)?
Primary school International Baccalaureate (IB) explained
The primary school International Baccalaureate (IB) explained
We take a look at what children learn if they follow the IB Primary Years Programme at school.
How to teach your child to use a dictionary
How to teach your child to use a dictionary
Learning to use a dictionary is an important curriculum skill and will help your child expand their vocabulary. Here's how to help them find their way around it.
Oracy in primary school
What is oracy?
Speaking and listening may not be formally assessed in primary schools, but they’re vital skills for every child. Here’s why – and how to encourage oracy.
Age-related expectations explained
What are age-related expectations?
Is your child’s learning on track for their age? We explain how age-related expectations work in primary school.
KS1 age-related expectations
Age-related expectations: KS1
What key skills and knowledge should children have by the end of Year 2? We explain what they need to meet the expected standard.
Age-related expectations explained
Age-related expectations: KS2
Were age-related expectations mentioned on your child's report? We explain the targets children are asked to meet by the end of their primary school journey.
Curriculum for Wales 2022 explained for parents
The Curriculum for Wales 2022: what parents need to know
Children in Wales will be studying a new curriculum from September 2022. Here’s what we know so far.
Sex and relationships education: parents' questions answered
Relationships and sex education: your FAQs answered
How is Relationships and Sex Education changing and why is it so controversial? We did a little digging and spoke to experts to help us debunk some of the myths surrounding RSE in primary school.
Working at greater depth in primary school
Working at greater depth: what it means for your child
How do schools extend children who've mastered the basic curriculum concepts? We take a look at what happens if they're 'working at greater depth'.
Handwriting in the National Curriculum
Handwriting in the National Curriculum
Handwriting may seem an outdated skill, but it’s still important in the primary school classroom. We take a look at what’s expected of our children.
Historical dressing up
Kids' historical costumes to buy
Planning ahead for Victorian day at school? Looking for an easy evacuee costume or a Roman centurion outfit? Need to find a dressing-up solution for your eager Viking warrior, Anglo-Saxon scholar or Georgian lady? From Stone Age to suffragettes and Sixties fashion, we've picked a selection of the best historical costumes to buy for kids.
Child and parent research on the computer
How to help your child develop research skills
Knowing how to use books and the internet for research is a vital skill for KS2 pupils. We explain how to help your primary-school child.
School children singing
Welsh language teaching in Wales
The Welsh language is an important part of the curriculum in Wales, but what do children learn and how is it balanced with their learning of English?
Child working in classroom
Setting and streaming explained
Teaching children by ability happens in many primary schools in the UK, but how do setting and streaming work in practice?
Primary-school children using computers
The parent's guide to InCAS tests
Many primary-school pupils in Northern Ireland and Scotland are assessed every year using InCAS tests. We explain what’s involved.
What is a maintained school?
What is a maintained school?
The vast majority of primary schools in England are maintained schools, but what does it actually mean if your child goes to one of these schools?
Primary grading system from 2014
Primary-school grading system explained for parents
A new grading system to replace national curriculum levels was introduced into English primary schools in 2014. We explain what parents need to know about primary school assessment levels as well as KS1 and KS2 SATs and the new Reception Baseline Assessment.
Reception assessment tests explained for parents
Reception baseline assessment tests explained for parents
The Reception Baseline Assessment was introduced in September 2021. We explain what the assessment looks like and how the results are used in our parents' guide.
What is success criteria?
What is a success criteria / WILF?
Find out what success criteria (also known as the 'WILF') are and how your child's teacher will use success criteria to boost learning focus.
What is a Learning Objective / WALT?
What is a Learning Objective / WALT?
Heard your child talk about their LO, or their WALT? Teachers use learning objectives to help children understand what is expected of them in the classroom. Find out what a learning objective (or WALT) is and how learning objectives are used in primary school.
What is a DUMTUM?
What is a DUMTUM?
Find out what a DUMTUM is and how this technique will help your child to set out their work correctly.
What are talk partners?
What are talk partners?
Find out what a talk partner is and why having a talk partner will benefit your child's learning in the classroom.
What is 'scaffolding' learning?
What is 'scaffolding' learning?
Find out what 'scaffolding' learning means and how teachers use this technique in the classroom to help children master different skills.
What are interactive whiteboards?
What are interactive whiteboards?
Find out what interactive whiteboards are and how they enhance learning in the classroom.
What are mini-whiteboards?
What are mini-whiteboards?
Find out what mini-whiteboards are and how they enhance learning in the classroom.
Children at a free school
What is a free school?
How do free schools differ from standard primary schools? How do they operate and what do they teach? If you’re thinking of sending your child to a free school, or just want to know more about them, here’s a brief parents' guide.
Foundation stage curriculum levels explained
Foundation stage assessment levels explained
Struggling to make sense of your Nursery or Reception child’s school report? We explain how to decode those baffling assessment levels.
National curriculum in England
The primary school National Curriculum in England explained for parents
TheSchoolRun explains everything parents need to know about the National Curriculum for English primary schools.
Inverse operations: addition and subtraction, multiplication and division
What are inverse operations?
Inverse operations are opposite operations – one reverses the effect of the other. In primary maths we talk about the inverse to explain how addition and subtraction are linked and how multiplication and division are linked. Teacher Alice Hart offers examples of how and when your child will be asked to use the inverse operation in school, and practical ways to help them understand the concept.
Child completing exam
What are national curriculum levels?
In the past, primary school children taking SATs were given their results as a National Curriculum level. But what did these numbers actually mean? Lucy Dimbylow explains the grading system used in primary schools until September 2014 in parent-friendly language.
Reading and Numeracy tests
National Reading and Numeracy Tests explained for parents
All children in Wales from Y2 to Y9 take tests in reading and numeracy at the end of each school year. Find out what these tests involve, and how you can help your child prepare for them.
Boy reading a book
School reading schemes explained
Ask any parent of a Reception child about Biff, Chip and Kipper, and they’ll know exactly who you’re talking about. But just how do primary school reading schemes work, and how can you tell if your child is progressing at the right rate? Lucy Dimbylow puts these questions to the teachers who use reading schemes in the classroom.