The Act requires state schools to provide pupils with a balanced, broad curriculum, which promotes their social, intellectual, spiritual and physical development. Secondary school teachers are responsible for the teaching of individual subjects - occasionally, some may have double subject areas of responsibility. Generally, though, the larger the school, the less common this is. Many Secondary schools are large enough to have departments, where several teachers deliver the curriculum in a particular subject. In these cases, the department head, or co-ordinator is responsible for the curriculum.
Most subjects have several areas, and pupils have to cover every one.
In Key Stage 3 Maths, for instance, there are four main areas. Levels show what a pupil has learned. They need to use their knowledge of the pupil's everyday performance, as well as any other form of assessment they may have used to determine levels of achievement. At the end of the Key Stage, pupils' progress and performance is also measured through the levels they achieve in National Tests . National Tests at Key Stage 3 Teachers' assessments should be going on throughout these three years, and the results discussed with parents.