1. New Curriculum

2. Why did it change?
‘The government says the curriculum changes are designed to catch up with the world's best education systems.
Prime Minister David Cameron says this "revolution in education" is vital for the country's economic prosperity.
"This is a curriculum that is rigorous, engaging and tough," said the prime minister

3. World Ranking
England's re-designed curriculum is meant to match the "world's best school systems". So where does England currently stand?
Pisa tests, run by the OECD, compare 15 year olds' abilities in reading, maths and science.
The most recent results show the highest achievers to be Asian school systems, such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, South Korea and Singapore. Finland flies the flag as top European performer.
England is ranked 25th in reading, 27th for maths and 16th for science, with results hovering around the average.
The OECD says England isn't so much getting worse, as being overtaken by other countries improving more quickly.
But there are other international tests. US researchers produce global league tables, known as PIRLS and TIMSS, also based on tests in maths, reading and science.
This shows a stronger performance for England, particularly in maths where it is in the top 10.
And another global education ranking from education firm Pearson, places the UK in sixth place with Finland and South Korea in the top places.

4. Changes to subjects
Maths will expect more at an earlier age. There will be a requirement for pupils to learn their 12 times table by the age of nine. Basic fractions, such as half or a quarter, will be taught to five year olds.
English will strengthen the importance of Shakespeare, with pupils between the ages of 11 and 14 expected to have studied two of his plays. Word lists for 8 and 9 year olds include "medicine" and "knowledge", by 10 and 11 they should be spelling "accommodate" and "rhythm".
Science will shift towards a stronger sense of hard facts and "scientific knowledge". In primary school, there will be new content on the solar system, speed and evolution. In secondary school, there will be a clearer sense of separate subjects of physics, biology and chemistry. Climate change will also be included.

5. Computing will teach pupils how to write code
Computing will teach pupils how to write code. Pupils aged five to seven will be expected to "understand what algorithms are" and to "create and debug simple programs". By the age of 11, pupils will have to "design, use and evaluate computational abstractions that model the state and behaviour of real-world problems and physical systems".
The history curriculum takes primary pupils through British history from the stone age to the Normans. They can also study a later era, such as the Victorians. "Significant individuals" studied include Elizabeth 1st, Neil Armstrong, Rosa Parks and suffragette Emily Davison. Secondary schools will teach British history from 1066 to 1901, followed by Britain, Europe and world events from 1901, including the Holocaust and Winston Churchill.
Anthony Seldon, head master of Wellington College, welcomed the idea of a more demanding curriculum, saying that "young people shouldn't be patronised by work that is too easy".
Factual knowledge is essential," he said, providing the "building blocks" for more advanced ideas in subjects in the sciences, arts and humanities.
He says it is important for all youngsters to learn a common core of knowledge.

6. Assessment Emerging Expected Exceeding Working below Working within
Working above

7. Reporting B B+ W W+
National expectation
Mastery

13. Testing At the end of Year 6 and 2, children will sit tests in:
Reading
Maths
Spelling, punctuation and grammar
Year 6 tests will be both set and marked externally, and the results will be used to measure the school’s performance (for example, through reporting to Ofsted and published league tables). Your child’s marks will be used in conjunction with teacher assessment to give a broader picture of their attainment.
They will be marked on a ‘scaled’ score.
Writing at Year 2 and 6 is teacher assessed according to a set of criteria which the children must achieve.
In 2017, Year 6 will also sit a multiplication test.
Year 1 will continue to have phonics tests.