The national curriculum applies to pupils of compulsory school age in community and foundation schools, including community special schools and foundation special schools, and voluntary controlled schools.

The statutory subjects that all pupils must study are art and design, citizenship, design and technology, English, geography, history, information and communication technology, mathematics, modern foreign languages, music, physical education and science. The teaching of careers education, sex education and religious education is also statutory.

The curriculum also includes non-statutory programmes of study for:

• religious education, based on the Framework for Religious Education

• personal wellbeing, which includes the requirements for sex and relationship and drugs education

• economic wellbeing and financial capability, which includes the requirements for careers education.

• Year 7 from September 2008

• Year 8 from September 2009

• Year 9 from September 2010.

The national curriculum applies to pupils of compulsory school age in community and foundation schools, including community special schools and foundation special schools, and voluntary controlled schools.

The statutory subjects that all pupils must study are citizenship, English, information and communication technology, mathematics, physical education and science. The teaching of careers education, sex education, work-related learning and religious education is also statutory.

The curriculum also includes non-statutory programmes of study for:

• religious education, based on the Framework for Religious Education

• personal wellbeing, which includes the requirements for sex and relationship and drugs education

• economic wellbeing and financial capability, which includes the requirements for careers education.

At key stage 4 students are entitled to follow a course of study in a subject within each of four entitlement areas. The entitlement areas are:

• arts (comprising art and design, music, dance, drama and media arts)

• design and technology (comprising only that subject)

• humanities (comprising geography and history)

• modern foreign languages.

From September 2007, key stage 4 students have a statutory entitlement to have access to a course of study leading to at least two science GCSEs. Schools have to offer all students access to either science GCSE and additional science GCSE or all three of physics, chemistry and biology GCSEs. Schools may choose to offer other combinations of qualifications, but these must be in addition to, rather than instead of, these combinations.

The revised key stage 4 programmes of study for citizenship and PE become statutory in 2009, and for English, mathematics and ICT in 2010. This coincides with the introduction of new GCSE qualifications in these subjects.

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