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Curriculum requirements: academies

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

Last reviewed on 13 July 2023
School types: All•School phases: All•Ref: 43579
Contents
  1. Your trust is responsible for the curriculum in your school
  2. Your Key Stage (KS) 3 and 4 provision
  3. You must provide religious education (RE) for all pupils
  4. You must teach relationships and sex education, and health education (RSHE)
  5. PSHE isn't statutory, but you're expected to teach it 
  6. You also need to provide for your pupils' SMSC development
  7. It's likely your funding agreement will also include these requirements
  8. Consider these other things
  9. 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 agreements:

Your Key Stage (KS) 3