Explanatory note

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 revokes the Education (National Curriculum) (Attainment Targets and Programmes of Study in Mathematics) Order 1989 and refers to a new Document entitled “Mathematics in the National Curriculum (1991)”. The Order provides for the attainment targets and programmes of study set out in the Document to have effect for the four key stages of a pupil’s compulsory schooling. The number of attainment targets described in the Document is reduced from the number described in the previous Document. The Document sets out 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 for each key stage.

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.