Part Ii – the Curriculum
Article 3: Interpretation: the curriculum
11.Article 3 defines the terms used in this Part.
Article 4: General duty in respect to the curriculum
12.Article 4 sets out the general requirements for the curriculum of every grant-aided school and places a duty on the Board of Governors and principal of every school to ensure that the curriculum of the school satisfies these requirements.
Article 5: The curriculum: main requirements
13.Article 5 describes the curriculum requirements in more detail. Schools must include religious education in accordance with Article 21 of the Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 1986 and meet the requirements of Articles 6 to 9 of this Order.
Article 6: Areas of learning and contributory elements
14.Article 6 requires the curriculum of every grant-aided school to include the areas of learning and contributory elements for pupils in each key stage as set out in Schedule 1.
Article 7: Minimum content
15.Article 7 requires schools to teach pupils the minimum content of each area of learning for each key stage. The Department is required to specify, as soon as practicable, the minimum content, as appropriate, for the areas of learning at each key stage. The minimum content must include the knowledge, understanding and skills for each area of learning’s contributory elements.
Article 8: Skills
16.Article 8 requires schools to ensure that pupils acquire and develop the listed cross-curricular skills and any other skills specified by the Department and requires the Department to specify, as soon as practicable, levels of progression for cross-curricular skills.
Article 9: Assessment
17.Article 9 requires schools to assess pupils in each school year in all key stages. The Department is required to specify, as soon as practicable, appropriate assessment arrangements for areas of learning, cross-curricular skills and any other skills specified by the Department.
Article 10: Orders under Article 7 to 9: supplementary
18.Article 10 enables orders made by the Department which specify minimum content, other skills, levels of progression and assessment arrangements to give effect to documents prepared and published by the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (NICCEA).
Article 11: Core syllabus for religious education
19.Article 11 re-enacts Article 13 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.
Article 12: Determination of curriculum policy and of curriculum
20.Article 12 re-enacts, with minor consequential amendments, Article 10 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.
Article 13: Duties with respect to requirements of this Part
21.Article 13 re-enacts, with minor consequential amendments, Article 11 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.
Article 14: Development Work and Experiments
22.Article 14 re-enacts Article 14 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.
Article 15: Exceptions by regulations
23.Article 15 re-enacts Article 15 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.
Article 16: Pupils with statements of special educational needs
24.Article 16 re-enacts Article 16 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order1989.
Article 17: Temporary exemptions for individual pupils
25.Article 17 re-enacts Article 17 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order1989.
Article 18: Access to courses: pupils in key stage 4 and Article 19: Access to courses: pupils over compulsory school age
26.Articles 18 and 19 require Boards of Governors to provide pupils in key stage 4 (Article 18) and pupils over compulsory school age (Article 19) with access to a minimum number of qualifying courses leading to qualifications approved by the Department. The Department will specify the number of courses for pupils in key stage 4 and for pupils over compulsory school age but in each case at least one third of the courses must be applied courses and at least one third must be general. Schools can meet this requirement if the course is provided by the school itself or on behalf of the school under arrangements made with others under Article 21.
Article 20: “Applied” and “general” courses
27.Article 20 requires the Department to issue lists of applied and general courses and to revise these as necessary.
Article 21: Arrangements for provision of secondary education on behalf of a grant-aided school
28.Article 21 enables Boards of Governors to make arrangements with other grant-aided schools, further education colleges and other approved bodies to secure the provision of secondary education on the school’s behalf and enables further education colleges to provide secondary education under arrangements entered into with schools under this Article.
Article 22: Exceptions
29.Article 22 enables the Department, following consultation, to give directions providing for some or all of Article 18 or 19 or both Articles to be modified or disapplied in certain cases.
Article 23: Curriculum advice and support by boards
30.Article 23 re-enacts Article 29 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989.
Article 24: Provision of Information
31.Article 24 re-enacts Article 31 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 with an amendment to provide that details of a pupil’s assessment can be made available to another school at the request of the pupil’s parents.
Article 25: Complaints
32.Article 25 re-enacts Article 33 of the Education Reform (Northern Ireland) Order 1989 with amendments to enable complaints about access to courses under Articles 18-22 to be considered by a complaints tribunal.
Article 26: Application of this Part
33.Article 26 specifies those Articles in Part II which apply to a nursery school, a nursery class in a primary school and a school established in a hospital.
