New secondary curriculum from 2008

Following the above review and a consultation, a new secondary curriculum was unveiled in July 2007. Key aspects of the new curriculum include:

• More flexible programmes of study at key stage 3 and key stage 4, intended to allow schools to tailor programmes to meet students' individual needs.
• Greater emphasis on numeracy, literacy and the development of personal, learning and thinking skills. ³⁹⁴

The revised curriculum began to come into force in September 2008. ³⁹⁴  Further information is available online.

5.3.1 Control

The National Curriculum in England was originally established under the 1988 Education Reform Act and represented a turning point in the history of education in England. For the first time a clear legal framework for raising standards in education had been set. ^{1, 5}

In principle, the National Curriculum applies to all students aged 5-16 in maintained schools. However, the Secretary of State can make regulations concerning the non-application or modified application of the National Curriculum for certain students, in certain schools, under certain circumstances. He/she may, for example, permit either disapplication in full or modification of the statutory National Curriculum for individual students with statements of special educational needs. Regulations are also in place to permit headteachers of maintained schools to direct that, for a specified temporary period, the National Curriculum shall not apply or shall apply with modifications for certain students. In addition, with the Secretary of State's permission, the National Curriculum can be modified or disapplied for some groups of students or for the whole school community, to permit curriculum development and experimentation.⁹⁵

All state-maintained schools are, however, in general, required to provide all students during this phase (aged 11-16) with a curriculum that:

• Is balanced and broadly-based.
• Promotes their spiritual, moral, cultural, intellectual and physical development.
• Prepares them for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life.
• Includes, in addition to the National Curriculum, religious education, sex education and careers education. ^204, 5

Responsibility for the curriculum is shared between the headteacher, the teachers, the school governing body, the local authority and the Secretary of State. ⁴⁸

Responsibilities of the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency

Under the Education Act 1997 (section 21-26),³ the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) was established on 1 October 1997 following the merger of the School Curriculum and Assessment Authority (SCAA) and the National Council for Vocational Qualifications (NCVQ).  Its function has been to develop and regulate the national curriculum, assessments in schools, and qualifications and its remit includes all levels of education except higher education.  The Government has now set up Ofqual (the Office of  Qualifications and Examinations Regulation) as an independent examinations and qualifications regulator, and Ofqual has taken on most of QCA's regulatory functions.  The Government is also introducing legislation which is expected to transform QCA into the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA).  QCDA will continue to develop QCA's non-regulatory work. This includes:

• Ensuring that the school curriculum prepares young people for the future.
• Delivering National Curriculum tests, and developing methods for assessing pupils' progress which support teaching and are manageable in the classroom.
• Reviewing and developing qualifications which provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to access employment and higher education.

For further information on QCDA see: http://www.qcda.gov.uk/aboutus.aspx

The forthcoming legislation is also expected to establish Ofqual as the independent examinations regulator. Further information on Ofqual's role is available from its website: http://www.ofqual.gov.uk/46.aspx

Duty of school governing bodies

The school governing body must ensure that the school provides the National Curriculum and carries out other curriculum duties. The governing body must produce an annual prospectus which explains the content of the curriculum, how it is organised in relation to different year groups and key stages and how it is taught. ^{48, 49}, ⁵¹

Duty of headteacher

The headteacher is responsible for day-to-day decisions about the curriculum of the school in line with the governors' statement on the curriculum. ^{48, 51, 51}

Control of the curriculum for religious education

Every local authority (LA) should have a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE) to advise the LA on matters related to religious education. SACREs have the power to require the LA to set up an agreed syllabus conference. Religious education in LA-maintained schools (except voluntary-aided schools and special agreement schools, which were originally established by a voluntary body, usually a religious denomination) must follow the agreed syllabus for the LA, produced by the agreed syllabus conference.  Further details are provided in section 5.3.2. ²⁰⁴

5.3.2 Compulsory subjects

Subjects

The basic curriculum required in this phase (compulsory secondary education in key stage 3 and key stage 4, students aged 11 to 16) consists of the National Curriculum subjects (see the detail below), citizenship education, religious education, sex education, and careers education and guidance.⁵

Citizenship and personal, social and health education

Following the 2000 review of the National Curriculum, citizenship education became compulsory for all students in publicly-funded, compulsory secondary education (ages 11 to 16 years) in August 2002. Citizenship became compulsory two years after the rest of the revised curriculum.  This delay aimed to give schools time to prepare fully (with the preparation of materials and the training of teachers) for the introduction of this completely new curriculum subject.²⁵⁷   In the intervening period (2000-2002), all secondary schools were expected to follow a non-statutory framework of citizenship, personal, social and health education. Guidance materials for this framework were provided. These set out what students might be expected to know and be able to do, but left details of content and delivery to schools. Since August 2002, mandatory citizenship lessons at key stages 3 and 4 have covered such aspects as legal and human rights and responsibilities; mutual respect and understanding in a diverse/multi-ethnic society; central and local government, the electoral system and forms of voting; the media's role in society; and the world as a global community, with specific reference to the European Union, the Commonwealth and the United Nations. In addition, students are expected to develop negotiation and debating skills, and to consider other people's experiences and views.³⁴

The stated purposes of citizenship education are to:

• Provide students with the knowledge, skills and understanding to play an effective role in society at local, national and international level.
• Help students to become informed, thoughtful and responsible citizens who are aware of their duties and rights.
• Promote students' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, making them more self-confident and responsible both in and beyond the classroom.
• Encourage students to play a helpful part in the life of their school, neighbourhood, community and the wider world.
• Teach students about the economy and democratic institutions and values.
• Encourage respect for different national, religious and ethnic identities.
• Develop students' abilities to reflect on issues and take part in discussions.³⁵

In 2007, following a major review of citizenship teaching, the Government proposed a new strand to citizenship classes in lower secondary education. The main new elements will be:

• Encouraging critical thinking about ethnicity, religion and race, linking to political issues and values.
• Using contemporary history to aid thinking on contemporary issues in citizenship.
• Developing an understanding of the cultural make-up of the United Kingdom, immigration, the Commonwealth and Empire, and the European Union. ³⁸¹

Other accepted recommendations include the development of new lower and upper secondary qualifications in citizenship; school ‘twinning’ between schools from different backgrounds; and the creation of an annual ‘Who we think we are’ week for schools to celebrate cultures and discuss identity and values. ³⁸¹

Schemes of work for citizenship education at key stages 3 and 4 are available.  In addition, since 2008, students have been able to take full GCSEs in citizenship studies. Previously, the subject had only been available as a short course GCSE. ³⁶⁹Further information regarding GCSEs is provided in section 6.3.

In 2005 guidance was produced to support teachers in delivering personal, social and health education. The guidance is designed to help schools to deliver the non-statutory framework. It sets out statements of what students are expected to achieve at the end of each key stage. There are also examples of teaching and learning activities on aspects of the framework to help teachers to plan and deliver lessons. ³⁷²  The guidance is available online:
http://www.qca.org.uk/pshe 

Religious education

All maintained schools - except nursery schools and nursery classes in primary schools - are required to provide religious education and a daily act of collective worship.  Parents have the right to withdraw their children from these activities.²⁴⁶

All local authorities (LAs) are required to adopt a locally agreed syllabus for religious education (RE).⁵  Denominational schools (schools run by a particular religious denomination) are exempt from this agreed syllabus framework. The Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), in cooperation with representatives of the different religious communities in England, has developed two model syllabuses for the teaching of religious education.  These are non-statutory, general guidelines which can be wholly adopted, or drawn upon, by LAs in developing their own locally agreed syllabuses. LAs must review their religious education syllabuses every five years.  In addition, and with a view to building on the model syllabuses (which date from 1994), and providing additional guidance on the effective teaching and assessment of religious education, in October 2004, the (then) QCA and the, then, Department for Education and Skills (DfES) (now DCSF) published the first non-statutory national framework for religious education (RE). The framework endorses the entitlement to RE for all students, irrespective of their social or cultural background. It sets out the national expectations for teaching and learning in RE and aims to ensure that all children benefit from a consistently high quality of RE teaching.²⁸⁴  Further information is available here.

In 2000, the (then) QCA also published non-statutory schemes of work for religious education in primary and secondary schools.  The schemes of work are designed to provide support materials for teachers, by demonstrating ways in which a locally agreed syllabus for religious education can be interpreted for the classroom.²⁴⁶

All locally agreed religious education syllabuses must 'reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian, whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain'. The majority of acts of collective worship are required to be 'wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character'. ²⁴⁶

Each LA is also required to establish a Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE). The SACRE may require the LA to review its locally agreed syllabus for religious education and has a role in supporting the effective provision of religious education and collective worship in schools. Each SACRE must comprise representatives from several groups including local religious groups, teachers' associations and the school governing body. Headteachers may apply for the requirement for broadly Christian worship to be lifted for some or all students, if this requirement appears to be inappropriate for the whole school or for a particular category of students. Applications should be made to the local SACRE. At the request of parents, religious education and worship may be provided according to a particular faith or denomination, provided that denominational worship does not replace statutory non-denominational collective worship and the school does not incur additional cost.⁴²⁵

At the request of a parent, any child in a maintained school (that is, a publicly-funded school) must be excused from receiving religious education.²⁰⁴

Sex education
All secondary schools which are maintained schools must offer a programme of sex education to students, which must include teaching about AIDS, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections. Although parents have the right to withdraw their children from sex education lessons, they do not have the right to withdraw their children from lessons which cover the requirements of the National Curriculum science programme of study dealing with aspects of human biology and reproduction.⁵⁰ 

Careers education and guidance
During this phase, schools must also provide a programme of careers education for all students. ²⁷⁶

National Curriculum at key stage 3, aged 11 to 14 years
The National Curriculum at key stage 3 (students aged 11 to 14 years) comprises the following compulsory subjects:

• The core subjects:

• English,
• Mathematics
• Science.

The special status of core subjects is accorded to these subjects because competence in language, numeracy and scientific method is considered a necessary basis for the remainder of the curriculum and for all aspects of later life.

• The foundation subjects:

Design and technology

Information and communication technology, ICT

History

Geography

A modern foreign language

Art and design

Music

Citizenship

Physical education (PE). ^44, 213

Required reading for English at key stage 3

QCA/QCDA guidelines prescribe the following reading for 11- to 14-year-olds:

• A Shakespeare play
• Works of fiction by two major pre-1914 writers
• Poetry by four major poets published before 1914. ³⁸⁵

The guidance also states that students must read works from the following categories, although teachers have more flexibility to choose which authors to study:

• Two works of fiction by major writers published after 1914
• A drama by a major playwright
• Poetry by four major poets published after 1914
• Recent and contemporary writers
• Major writers from different cultures and traditions. ³⁸⁵

The National Curriculum at key stage 4 (age 14 to 16) comprises the following compulsory subjects:

The core subjects:

• English
• Mathematics
• Science

The special status of core subjects is accorded to these subjects because competence in language, numeracy and scientific method is considered a necessary basis for the remainder of the curriculum and for all aspects of later life.

The foundation subjects:

• Design and technology
• Information and communication technology (ICT)
• A modern foreign language
• Citizenship
• Physical education.²⁴⁶

Some changes to these compulsory subject requirements at key stage 4 have been implemented since September 2004.  See "New flexibility in the key stage 4 curriculum since September 2004" below.

Schools are also required to provide religious education and collective worship, and to offer a planned programme of sex education and careers education and guidance to students between the ages of 14 and 16. ^{38, 125}

Students must generally study at least eight subjects during this key stage and can take final examinations in all of them. The majority of students are likely to take examinations in at least five subjects at the end of this key stage. For English, mathematics and science the examination is likely to be a GCSE. For the other subjects, students may take a GCSE, GCSE Short Course or an alternative qualification (see section 6.3). ²⁴⁶

Under the revised National Curriculum, since August 2000, there have been two differentiated programmes of study in mathematics at key stage 4 - higher and foundation. The higher programme is designed to stretch the highest attaining students, whilst the foundation programme is designed to provide an appropriate learning programme for those students who have not achieved a secure level 5 (in the National Curriculum eight-level scale, see 6.3.6) at the end of key stage 3. The foundation programme provides more direct links with applications of mathematics and handling data from real-life contexts.¹⁵⁹

Flexibility in the key stage 4 curriculum since September 2004

The Government's strategy paper on the future of education for 14- to 19-year-olds in England proposed further extending the flexibility offered to students during key stage 4. In addition, the Education Act 2002 ²⁷⁵ created a legislative distinction between key stages 1 to 3 (5- to 14-year-olds) and key stage 4 (14- to 16-year-olds) with a view to facilitating opportunities to tailor education to the needs of individual 14- to 16-year-olds.  As a result, the following changes to the statutory curriculum at key stage 4 began to take place in September 2004:

Statutory changes and implementation timeline

Since September 2004: the study of design and technology and a modern foreign language has no longer been compulsory at key stage 4.

• In September 2004: a new category of curriculum entitlement areas was introduced comprising the arts, design and technology, the humanities and modern foreign languages. This means that schools have to make these areas of the curriculum available to all students who wish to follow courses in them.
• Since September 2004: there has been a new statutory requirement for all students in key stage 4 in maintained schools to be offered some work-related learning.  A non-statutory framework sets out the minimum experience that schools should provide.
• Since September 2006: there has been a new science programme of study at key stage 4. ²⁸⁰

In addition, in February 2005 the 14-19 Education and Skills White Paper was launched.  This outlined the Government's strategy to improve educational provision for 14- to 19-year-olds.  The ensuing reforms will be introduced gradually between 2005 and 2015.  The four main pillars of the White Paper are:

• Vocational opportunities from the age of 14 which provide clear routes to higher education and/or employment.
• A renewed focus on mathematics and English for all students in secondary education.
• New opportunities for the most able students to be challenged.
• Tackling the disengagement that leads to some students leaving education at an early stage. ³³⁷

Subsequent to the White Paper, a 14-19 Implementation Plan was published in 2005.  This aims to ensure that post-16 participation rates rise to 90 per cent by 2015. The Plan includes:

• The introduction of specialised diplomas, designed in partnership with employers, that combine skills development and general education. The first five diplomas were made available in 2008.
• Personalising learning at key stage 3, including funding to provide extra support to those falling behind. ³³⁸

The aim is for all the above aspects of the 14-19 reform plan to be in place by 2013. ³³⁸

Additional information is available at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/14-19/.

Young Apprenticeships programme

A 2006 report by the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) found that Young Apprenticeship programmes are proving to be a successful alternative to the traditional key stage 4 curriculum. Under the programme, which began in September 2004, students spend two days each week working towards nationally recognised vocational qualifications, while still continuing to follow the core National Curriculum. Vocational opportunities are offered in the areas of engineering, business and administration, motor, art and design, health and social care, performing arts, textiles, hospitality, and sports management, leadership and coaching. 50 days’ work experience is an additional feature of the programme. ³⁸³

Work-related learning, which became compulsory for all students at key stage 4 in September 2004 (see above), consists of three main strands:

• Learning through work, with direct engagement, for example, in work experience or part-time jobs, enterprise activities in schools and subject learning in vocational contexts.
• Learning about work, gaining knowledge and understanding, for example, through vocational courses and careers education.
• Learning for work, developing skills for enterprise and employability, for example, through problem-solving activities, work simulations, and mock interviews.

There is no statutory requirement for formal assessment of what students have gained from their work-related learning programmes.²⁸⁴ 

In addition, guidance has been produced to help schools teach young people 'enterprise skills' such as innovation, creativity, risk management and business understanding.  The guidance is based on the experience of more than 700 schools and forms part of a wider enterprise education strategy. ³⁴³

Time allocation

The amount of time to be devoted to each subject is not prescribed.  Indeed, the National Curriculum documents for England make clear that the National Curriculum should be used as a framework, which schools incorporate into their curriculum.  Consequently, it is a matter for schools to decide how much time the National Curriculum should take.  It is not necessary, for example, for students to study all National Curriculum subjects each week, term or year and a school may decide to concentrate on particular subjects during particular terms of particular years.  There are, however, recommended weekly lesson times (excluding breaks and collective worship).  These amount to 24 hours for students aged 11 to 14 and 25 hours for 14- to 16-year-olds.  In addition, in all key stages, schools are urged to devote two hours each week to physical activity, including the National Curriculum for physical education and extra-curricular activities.  In December 2004 the Government further declared that all students in schools in England should be doing a minimum of two hours' PE and sport at school by 2010, and that facilities and staffing will be put in place to give young people the chance to take part in a further two to three hours of sport outside school hours. ^{246  294}

Homework in key stages 3 and 4

The Government has published recommended guidelines for the amount of time each week which students in key stages 3 and 4 in England should be spending on homework. This documentation recommends that students in Years 7 and 8 (aged 11-12 and 12-13 years) should spend between 45 and 90 minutes each day on homework; those in Year 9, aged 13-14, should tackle between one and two hours a day; and students in Years 10 and 11 (aged 14-16) should be taking home between 90 and 150 minutes of homework each evening.⁷⁰

5.3.3 Optional/elective subjects

The National Curriculum does not constitute the whole curriculum for schools, but is an important element of the school curriculum. The school curriculum comprises all the learning and other experiences that each school plans for its students and schools have discretion to develop the whole curriculum to reflect their particular needs and circumstances. ^204,34

For example, schools may also cover cross-curricular themes such as economic awareness, environmental education, political and international understanding (education for citizenship), including an awareness of European identity and European historical, cultural, economic and social aspects.  QCA/QCDA continues to foster discussion about wider curriculum issues, producing written guidance where particular needs have been identified.¹⁹¹

5.3.4 Formulation of curriculum

The National Curriculum is defined in terms of:

• Core subjects and foundation subjects and other aspects of learning. (Although the National Curriculum is specified in terms of separate subjects, schools are not required to teach the subjects discretely.  The way teaching is timetabled and how lessons and subjects are organised is not prescribed and is for each school to decide.)
• Four key stages of learning and assessment.
• Programmes of study, which set out what students should be taught in each subject and in each key stage.  Programmes of study set out the minimum statutory entitlement to the knowledge, understanding and skills for each subject at each key stage. Schools are free to teach subjects and subject material other than that specified in the programmes of study. Teachers use the programmes of study as the basis for planning schemes of work. Particular teaching methods and textbooks may not be prescribed as part of a programme of study; these are chosen by the teachers. ^118, 38  QCA/QCDA has developed non-statutory schemes of work for teachers of students in key stage 3 (aged 11 to 14 years).  These are available in science, design and technology, information and communication technology (ICT), history, geography, modern foreign languages (French, German and Spanish), art and design, music, physical education (PE) and religious education (RE). They are based on the National Curriculum programmes of study and are designed to show how the programmes of study can be interpreted for the classroom. ²⁴⁶ 
• Attainment targets, which set out the expected standards of students' performance. They identify distinct elements within the different subjects so as to assist teachers in planning, teaching, assessing and reporting students' work.
• Eight level descriptions of increasing difficulty, which set out standards of students' performances at the end of key stages 1, 2 and 3, for all National Curriculum subjects. There is an additional description above level 8 to help teachers in differentiating exceptional performance. Level descriptions do not apply at key stage 4.¹¹⁸  

At key stage 4, the curriculum content is also drawn from specifications for General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations and other approved examinations.

5.3.5 Key skills

Key skills in England are identified as the skills needed to succeed in work, education and everyday life, ¹⁴¹ and these key skills are embedded in the National Curriculum.  There are six key skills: communication, application of number, information technology, working with others, improving own learning and performance, and problem solving.¹⁴¹

Communication

The key skill of communication includes skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Skills in speaking and listening include the ability to speak effectively for different audiences; to listen, understand and respond appropriately to others; and to participate effectively in group discussion. Skills in reading and writing include the ability to read fluently a range of literary and non-fiction texts and to reflect critically on what is read; and the ability to write fluently for a range of purposes and audiences, including critical analysis of their own and others' writing. Opportunities for developing this key skill are provided through the subject of English in particular, but are also provided through students' use of language across the curriculum.³⁵

Application of number

The key skill of application of number includes developing a range of mental calculation skills and the ability to apply them within a variety of contexts. Skills include developing the understanding and use of mathematical language related to numbers and calculations in order to process data, solve increasingly complex problems and explain the reasoning used. Students need to be able to apply calculation skills and the understanding of number to problems in other National Curriculum subjects and to real-life situations. Opportunities for developing this key skill are, of course, provided explicitly in mathematics.³⁵

Information technology

The key skill of information technology includes the ability to use a range of information sources and ICT tools to find, analyse, interpret, evaluate and present information for a range of purposes. Skills include the ability to make critical and informed judgements about when and how to use ICT for maximum benefit in accessing information, in solving problems or for expressive work. The ability to use ICT information sources includes enquiry and decision-making skills, as well as information-processing and creative thinking skills and the ability to review, modify and evaluate work with ICT. Opportunities for developing this key skill are provided explicitly through the subject of ICT and through students' use of ICT across the curriculum.³⁵

The key skill of working with others includes the ability to contribute to small-group and whole-class discussion, and to work with others to meet a challenge. If students are to work with others they must develop social skills and a growing awareness and understanding of others' needs. All subjects should provide opportunities for students to cooperate and work effectively with others in formal and informal settings, to appreciate the experience of others and consider different perspectives, and to benefit from what others think, say and do.³⁵

Improving own learning and performance

The key skill of improving own learning and performance involves students reflecting on and critically evaluating their work and what they have learnt, and identifying ways to improve their learning and performance. They need to be able to identify the purposes of learning, to reflect on the processes of learning, to assess progress in learning, to identify obstacles or problems in learning and to plan ways to improve learning. All subjects should provide opportunities for students to review their work and discuss ways to improve their learning.³⁵

The key skill of problem solving involves students developing the skills and strategies that will help them to solve the problems they face in learning and in life. Problem solving includes the skills of identifying and understanding a problem, planning ways to solve a problem, monitoring progress in tackling a problem and reviewing solutions to problems. All subjects should provide students with opportunities to respond to the challenge of problems and to plan, test, modify and review the progress needed to achieve particular outcomes.³⁵

Thinking skills, which complement the above six key skills, are also embedded in the revised National Curriculum. It is intended that these should enable students to focus on 'knowing how' as well as 'knowing what', that is to say enabling them to learn how to learn. The thinking skills are:

• Information processing skills: to enable students to locate and collect relevant information, to sort, classify, sequence, compare and contrast, and to analyse part/whole relationships.
• Reasoning skills: to enable students to give reasons for opinions and actions, to draw inferences and make deductions, to use precise language to explain what they think, and to make judgements and decisions informed by reasons or evidence.
• Enquiry skills: these should enable students to ask relevant questions, to pose and define problems, to plan what to do and how to research, to predict outcomes and anticipate consequences, and to test conclusions and improve ideas.
• Creative thinking skills: to enable students to generate and extend ideas, to suggest hypotheses, to apply imagination, and to look for alternative innovative outcomes.
• Evaluation skills: to enable students to evaluate information, to judge the value of what they read, hear and do, to develop criteria for judging the value of their own and others' work or ideas, and to have confidence in their judgements.³⁵

Textbooks are not approved by the State, although there are certain prescribed set texts which students must study at secondary level in order to meet the requirements of examination syllabuses set by examining groups, for example, literature texts.³⁶  (The selection of texts for examination syllabuses is a complex process. Panels of examiners, practising teachers and representatives of further and higher education and industry are involved in the selection process and suggestions from individual teachers are also considered by examination boards. The texts selected must satisfy the government requirement that they should 'allow detailed critical responses which explore language, structure and meaning'. Shakespeare, prose, poetry and drama have to be studied in relation to social, historical and cultural influences, with an awareness of varying reader responses. Boards monitor a text's success in terms of the quality of the answers it provokes from students. Each year every marker of examination papers submits a report on this and on other aspects of the answers, which is fed back to centres through chief examiners' summations. ) ¹⁷⁶

Textbooks are produced by commercial publishers.36

In general, for most subjects, compulsory booklists do not exist (unless texts are specifically set for the purposes of external examinations, see above). Teachers are free to teach using their own choice of textbooks and other materials, and are responsible for determining teaching methods. However, in accordance with the requirements of the National Curriculum programmes of study for English, students in key stages 3 and 4 should study plays, novels, short stories and poetry from the English literary heritage, including some Shakespeare; recent and contemporary drama, fiction and poetry written for young people and adults; and drama, fiction and poetry by major writers from different cultures and traditions.  QCA/QCDA provides advisory lists of recommended authors for each of the above categories. ^{36, 35}

Maintained schools provide textbooks for students during compulsory secondary education and may not charge for books or stationery.³⁶

There is an official National Curriculum website at http://curriculum.qca.org.uk. This provides online access to the National Curriculum programmes of study at all key stages and for all subjects, and provides links to relevant teaching resources.

Other materials

All schools have computers available for use by students. Teachers may also use audio-visual equipment such as television, videos, slides, radio and audio recordings. The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (Becta) is the focus for expertise in the use of technology in learning.³⁹ 

Teachers' TV

Teachers’ TV, a digital television channel, was launched in 2005. It is editorially independent and airs programmes on teacher training and development, resources for the classroom and education news. ³⁹³