Curriculum requirements: academies

Last reviewed on 12 November 2021
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 43579

If you're reviewing or updating your curriculum, find out what you need to cover to stay compliant with requirements and meet DfE expectations.

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Contents

  1. Your trust is responsible for the curriculum in your school
  2. Key Stage 3 and 4 provision
  3. You also need to provide for your pupils' SMSC development
  4. Next steps

Your trust is responsible for the curriculum in your school

It must make sure the curriculum is "balanced and broadly based" and:

  • Promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils at the school and of society
  • Prepares pupils for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of later life

This is set out in section 1A of the Academies Act 2010 and section 2.1 of the National Curriculum framework.

There are some other requirements and expectations too, which we explain below.

  • Check your funding agreement to see what it says about curriculum in your trust
  • Ask your trust for more information or if you're unsure of anything in the agreement

You can see an example of how curriculum is covered in the DfE's model funding agreement (single academy trust from section 2.41, multi-academy trust from section 2.21). 

Academies don't have to follow the National Curriculum, but you must still teach the following subjects up

Also in this topic: Structuring the curriculum
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