How to understand the National Curriculum levels

Understanding the National Curriculum levels can be difficult especially if you are not involved in the education system. At this time of year you will be receiving reports back from your children’s schools telling what level they are currently working at from 2a to 4c what does this actually mean? In this article the aim is to give you a clear understanding of how the system works so you can truly understand how your child is doing.

The National Curriculum levels are used to compare a child’s ability against the national standard of achievement. They are used in key stages 1, 2 and 3 for English, Maths and Science. Each level is divided in three different levels, with A being the highest and c being the lowest. This means level 1C is the lowest level and 8A is the highest level.

The best thing to do is put these levels into context, so below is a graph which shows where a child should be at a particular age.

From this chart you will be able to see where your child is in relation to the national average. It is expected that the majority of 11 year-old children will achieve level 4 by the end of year 6. This is the level the government considers the minimum required for children to be able to access the high school curriculum.

These levels are then sub divided as mentioned earlier into A, B and C:

·        

      C the child has started to work at the level

·         B working well within the level

·         A the child has reached the top of the level and is working towards the next level

Typically a child is expected to progress at a level every two years (e.g. a child working at level 3A in year 4 will be expected to be working at level 4A in year 6). However this isn't always the case as every child is different and will progress at their own rate.

Hopefully through this article you have an understanding of how the national curriculum levels work. If not the best thing to do is to talk to the school. This way you will be able to get a clear understanding of where your child is working at and I they need any extra support or if they are doing fine and just need to carry on.

Thanks,

From the 10ticks team