The British

Curriculum
A Guide for Parents

Durham School for Girls

2021 ‫الثقة للحياة‬
Confidence for Life
 Durham School for Girls

What is the British Curriculum?

The British Curriculum is a highly structured curriculum designed to meet all students’
needs—challenging brighter children and providing support to those who need
additional help through differentiated teaching and learning activities.
It focuses on a breadth of knowledge across various subjects, guiding children
towards globally-recognised GCSE & A Level examinations. Throughout the British
Curriculum, there is a focus on core subjects, such as maths, English, and science.
As children progress through their education, they are able to narrow subject areas,
which allows them to excel in areas in which they have higher interest and ability.
In the Primary years, the curriculum remains as broad and balanced as possible, with a
strong focus on child-centred learning. Teachers continually assess and adjust plans as
they teach to meet the needs of their pupils.

‫الثقة للحياة‬
Confidence for Life
 Durham School for Girls

The British Curriculum structures learning in a way that guides students through a
variety of subjects including not only ‘core’ subjects such as maths, science, and
literature, but also the arts, humanities, and more. Starting in the early years, students
focus on the fundamentals of their subjects, and as students progress, the curriculum
dives deeper into these subjects, exploring not only the more nuanced and complex
aspects of the subjects, but also how they relate to other areas of study.
Unlike other systems, the British curriculum planning is not fixed. Teachers adjust their
plans to meet student needs, understanding what must be covered by the end of the
key stage.
The British system is organised in well-defined blocks known as ‘Key Stages’. The first
stage is the Early Years for students from 2 years old through 5 years old. Once the
student enters primary level, they start with Key Stage 1 (KS1), from ages 5 to 7, before
moving on to KS2, which lasts from age 7 to 11.

‫الثقة للحياة‬
Confidence for Life
 Durham School for Girls

After completing the primary Key Stages, students begin the secondary
stages with KS3 and KS4, which are for ages 11-14 and ages 14-16,
respectively. Students who plan to continue to university may then begin the
pre-university KS5, where they will study from age 16 to 18. Since the stages
are explicitly defined and students are assessed at the end of each Key Stage,
the stages provide a simple, clear overview of the progress a student has
made.

Many schools around the world offer the British Curriculum. Though not
compulsory, the British Department of Education does offer a voluntary
accreditation scheme for British Schools Overseas (BSOs). These schools
must follow specific guidelines and maintain a certain level of quality to
maintain their prestigious accreditation and ensure their students’ education
is up-to-date and transferable.
How is my child assessed – EYFS & Primary?
In the Early Years (ages 2 to 5), learning is play based. Children acquire their first notions of
numeracy and literacy through active, playful activities. By the end of the Early Years, most children
have acquired basic reading and number skills and a grounding a second language.
Assessment at this key stage is through on-going formative observations leading to a professional
judgement as to whether the child is working towards, meeting or exceeding the Early Learning
Goal (ELG)
In the Primary school (ages 5 to 11) the focus is on learning good fundamental Maths and English
language skills. Science, Technology, Humanities and Art are covered as multidisciplinary topics or
themes and through projects.
Assessment at this stage is through on-going formative observations and feedback against the
learning objectives leading to a professional judgement of whether the child is working towards,
meeting or exceeding the age-related expectations for their particular year group. In addition, a
number of formal national assessments take place at various stages. The Year 1 phonics screening
check (repeated at Year 2 if the child does not meet the required pass mark) the Year 4
multiplications check as well as Standard Assessment Tests at the end of Year 2 (KS1) and Year 6
(KS2) all build to give teachers and parents an overall picture of how well the child is perfoming
academically.
How is my child assessed – Secondary?
The curriculum in lower Secondary (ages 11 to 14) is more subject based and aims
at building student's ability to work independently and think critically. At this stage,
the emphasis is on exposing students to opportunities in a wide range of subjects
so that they can begin to form ideas of where their interests lie.
Assessment at this stage is through on-going formative observations and
feedback against the learning objectives leading to a professional judgement of
whether the child is working towards, meeting or exceeding the age-related
expectations for their particular year group. In addition, a national assessment
takes place at the end of Key Stage (KS)3.
Upper Secondary students follow iGCSE (ages 14 to 16) and iA/S-Level (age 16 to
18) courses. At iGCSE, students study English, Maths, Science and Arabic plus an
additional three subjects from a selection. At iA/S Level students specialise further
and chose three or four subjects from a range of options. In addition, at Durham
School for Girls Doha we offer dual-credits with the State University of New York.
 Is the British Curriculum Right for Your Child?
The British curriculum will be right for your child if you value education
as a journey, not a destination. British curricula schools seek to inspire
young people to want to develop their skills, and assessment is often
based on what students ‘can do’ as opposed to what they ‘know.’
Pupils are encouraged to develop critical thinking and problem-solving
skills as well as think creatively and develop socially rather than
merely memorise and recall facts.
This approach supports Qatar Vision 2030 by equiping our girls to
develop enquiring minds and participate fully in political and economic
spheres, especially in decision making roles.
‘Confidence for Life’