Are your policies falling into place?

School leaders are often confident that their curriculum is broad, balanced and ambitious, yet evidence continues to show that policies and schemes of work do not always fully align with statutory expectations.

The key question is not whether a policy exists on the website, but whether it clearly sets out what pupils learn, why they learn it, and how it ensures that every child makes progress.

Game transfer phenomena, including Stickgold’s work on the Tetris effect, describes how repeated engagement with a task can lead to its patterns being mentally rehearsed and automatically carried over into thought and perception, even outside the activity itself. In teaching, this suggests that clear, practical and consistently reinforced policies are more likely to become embedded classroom routines rather than remain abstract guidance. In coaching terms, it highlights the importance of aligning policy, training and practice so that effective habits are repeatedly rehearsed, embedded, and improve consistency over time.

If you are reviewing curriculum documentation, you might ask yourself:

• Do all pupils have an expectation of progress, and is this actively planned for and supported in practice?

• Is curriculum intent sufficiently ambitious for pupils of different ages, aptitudes and needs?

• Does provision effectively support pupils with SEND, including those with EHC plans?

• Does provision effectively support pupils with EAL, ensuring access and progress across the curriculum?

• Are schemes of work implemented consistently across subjects, key stages and staff?

• Does the curriculum actively avoid undermining fundamental British values in both content and delivery?

• Does the curriculum prepare pupils appropriately for life in modern British society, including knowledge, skills and understanding needed for future opportunities?

A strong curriculum should cover a broad and balanced range of learning, including linguistic, mathematical, scientific, technological, human and social, physical, and aesthetic and creative education. It should also make explicit how speaking and listening, literacy, numeracy, communication skills and vocabulary development are taught, rather than assuming these happen implicitly. Have you aligned this with the subjects taught in your school?

For children below compulsory school age, provision should be clearly linked to personal, social, emotional and physical development alongside communication and language. Activities should be purposeful and matched to developmental needs, supporting progression in knowledge, language and independence rather than existing as disconnected experiences. We teach pupils to read the question. Have you looked at everything written here and are you confident you can deliver?

In PSHE, it is important to consider whether the curriculum genuinely reflects the school’s aims and ethos. Pupils should be supported to develop respect for others, including those with protected characteristics, and to engage in age-appropriate relationships education. In secondary settings, careers education should be impartial, broad and informative, enabling pupils to understand a wide range of pathways and make informed choices about their future. PSHE should also support preparation for the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of life in modern British society. How will you demonstrate this?

Online safety provision should ensure that pupils are taught how to stay safe online in a meaningful and balanced way. The curriculum should reflect the 4 Cs from Keeping Children Safe in Education: content, contact, conduct and commerce. At the same time, schools should be careful that over-restrictive filtering does not unnecessarily limit what pupils can be taught or explore in a safe and educational context. Online safety should be embedded across the curriculum rather than treated as a stand-alone topic. When and where do you teach about online safety?

SMSC and fundamental British values should be actively promoted across school life rather than confined to policy statements. Pupils should be supported to develop self-knowledge, self-esteem and self-confidence, and to understand the difference between right and wrong while respecting the law of England. They should gain a broad understanding of public institutions and services, develop appreciation of their own and others’ cultures, and show respect for protected characteristics. Teaching should promote respect for democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect, while ensuring that political issues are taught in a balanced and impartial way.

Ultimately, curriculum policy should not be treated as a compliance document alone. It should provide clarity and coherence for staff, ensuring that intent is understood and implemented consistently in practice.

Teaching is a vocation, and when curriculum intent is realised well, pupils develop confidence, understand what they are learning, recognise why it matters, and are inspired towards future success and a lifelong love of learning.