The Education (National Curriculum) (Attainment Targets and Programmes of Study in History) (Wales) Order 1991

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Order)

Section 4(2) of the Education Reform Act 1988 places a duty on the Secretary of State to establish the National Curriculum by specifying appropriate attainment targets, programmes of study and assessment arrangements for each of the foundation subjects.

Section 4(4) allows for such an Order, instead of containing the provisions to be made, to refer to provisions in a Document published by Her Majesty’s Stationery Office and to direct that those provisions shall have effect according to the Order.

This Order accordingly refers to “History in the National Curriculum (Wales)” and provides for the attainment targets and programmes of study set out in it to have effect for the four key stages of a pupil’s compulsory schooling. In the fourth key stage (that is, from the beginning of the school year in which the majority of pupils in his class attain the age of fifteen to the time when the majority of such pupils cease to be of compulsory school age), the school may offer the pupil the option of following either Model A or Model B. Model B covers a wider range of study than that for Model A.

The Document sets out up to ten levels in respect of attainment targets to cover the full range of abilities and maturities of pupils of compulsory school age; the Order accordingly specifies as part of each attainment target the appropriate range of attainment levels.

The Order further provides that any examples printed in italics in the Document are for illustrative purposes only, and do not form part of the Order.