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Secondary Curriculum

With its commitment to an ambitious, coherent and inclusive education for all students, the United Curriculum for Secondary has been a powerful tool for United Learning schools - from Carlisle to Bournemouth - and an important part of our success.

At United Learning, we’re passionate about improving the life chances of the children and young people we serve. That's why our subject advisers, curriculum leads and teachers have spent more than five years developing a curriculum package that embodies the principle of entitlement - the notion that all pupils, regardless of background or circumstance, are entitled to an ambitious, coherent and inclusive curriculum.

We’re offering an exciting opportunity to be a part of the next stage of our curriculum development, as we make the United Curriculum for Secondary more widely available. We’re inviting schools to be some of the first outside of United Learning to use our curriculum, as we begin to share Year 7 resources in a selection of subjects for September 2023.

The United Curriculum will not only provide a suite of resources that can be adapted for your local context, it will also offer end-of-year assessments, allowing you to benchmark students against those in more than fifty United Learning schools.

By working with us at this introductory stage, you can access the package for a discounted rate, and can help shape the United Curriculum and its assessments to make it as impactful as possible for your school.

Tried and tested

Adaptable and currently used by our schools from Carlisle to Bournemouth. Knowledge is sequenced from KS2 through KS3 and beyond - and schools can tailor it to their local context.

Supports teachers - particularly new and non-specialist - with sequences of lessons and guidance on how to adapt the resources for individual classes.

Provides opportunities for all students to see themselves reflected positively in the curriculum, and opens their eyes to new perspectives.

Provides a wide range of resources, so teachers can focus their time on adapting them for individual classes - not developing resources from scratch.

Our development over the past three years has been such that United Curriculum resources were/are a godsend. It has given shape and purpose to our delivery.

Head of English Department, United Learning school

What will be included

Comprehensive curriculum documents

Clearly setting out the substantive and disciplinary knowledge that will be taught and reviewed  in each unit, and how bigger concepts will be developed over time.

Lesson by lesson resources

Including schemes of work, slides that can be shared with students, and resources that can be printed for them - but only where needed, so you can save on printing.

Knowledge organisers

Printable resources that your teachers can adapt and use according to your school’s policies. 

End of year assessments *

The additional option of the papers that will be sat by thousands of United Learning students, and the ability to analyse your school's results against ours.
*at additional cost.

Pricing

Core Subjects

English

Maths

Science

Curriculum Only

£2
per pupil, per subject, per year, +VAT (20%)

Curriculum & End of Year Assessment

£2.50
per pupil, per subject, per year, +VAT (20%)
Humanities

History

Geography

Curriculum Only

£1
per pupil, per subject, per year, +VAT (20%)

Curriculum & End of Year Assesment

£1.50
per pupil, per subject, per year, +VAT (20%)
FULL PACKAGE

English

Maths

Science

History

Geography

Curriculum Only

£5
per pupil, per year, +VAT (20%)

Curriculum & End of Year Assessment

£7
per pupil, per year, +VAT (20%)

The United Curriculum is sequenced so that ideas are explicitly taught and revisited, ensuring concepts are deepened over several years. For this reason, the United Curriculum is available for a minimum term of three years, to help you maximise the benefits of the curriculum for your school.

The amount you pay each year is dependent on the number of pupils in the year groups you have purchased access for. We don’t charge by the overall size of your school: instead, we will confirm which year groups you wish to access, and the number of pupils in each year group, at the start of each year. This means that you only pay for what you need. 

The United Curriculum is sequenced so that ideas are explicitly taught and revisited, ensuring concepts are deepened over several years. For this reason, the United Curriculum is available for a minimum term of three years, to help you maximise the benefits of the curriculum for your school.  

Please note: We will not be reopening the pilot for Religious Studies this term, we hope to extend this for schools to join later this year, if you are interested in our RS curriculum, please get in touch and we will keep you updated.  

Why choose the United Curriculum?

Consistency and Support

Through comprehensive lesson resources, all teachers – including new, non-specialist and supply – are supported to deliver high quality lessons, giving you greater confidence in the consistency of provision in every lesson.

Research Driven

Based on Rosenshine principles, the United Curriculum is designed to deliver content in small steps, provide ample opportunities for modelling, guided and independent practice and review, and to minimise cognitive overload.

Ambitious for pupils

The high expectations of our broad and balanced curriculum ensure that all students are taught the knowledge to which they are entitled, and that they are well prepared for KS4 – whichever exam board is used.

Inclusive

The United Curriculum ensures that all pupils can see themselves reflected positively in the curriculum, and that they are encouraged to see beyond their own experiences.

Time

Adaptable documents allow teachers to make the best use of their time by removing the need to create resources from scratch.

Coherent and sequenced

Support your HoDs with a curriculum that carefully sequences substantive and disciplinary knowledge and concepts from KS2 and across subjects where appropriate – such as applying maths in science and geography.

Frequently asked questions

What is the United Curriculum for Secondary?

The United Curriculum has been developed over several years by our subject advisers, curriculum leads and teachers, and has been tailored by individual schools - from Carlisle to Bournemouth.

We are beginning to share this curriculum - which has been used so successfully in United Learning schools - with schools outside our group.

It includes curriculum documents to support HoDs, as well as knowledge organisers and lesson resources to support teachers. If you choose to, you can also access the end of year assessments based on the curriculum, and compare your students’ results with those in United Learning schools.

How can my school get the most from the United Curriculum?

Every school is different, and you can use the curriculum in the way that suits you best.

Most schools use it as a framework for what to teach, confident in the coverage and ambition of the curriculum.

Many teachers use it as a library of reliable resources that they can adapt quickly and easily to create lessons for their individual classes.

In times of staff absence, the resources provide resources that ensure continuity of learning and reduce the worry of cover.

What value can my school get from the United Curriculum?

It gives you, your SLT and your heads of department or faculty the confidence of having an ambitious curriculum, which can be adapted for your local context.

It helps to ensure that every student is given access to the same important knowledge and content – including when lessons are being covered by short or long-term supply teachers or non-specialists.

It supports teacher wellbeing and workload by providing high quality and student-friendly resources. Teachers no longer have to trawl websites or create resources from scratch – the United Curriculum allows teachers to focus on adapting the resources to meet the needs of their class.

Please note: The United Curriculum for secondary gives you a high-quality curriculum intent that your teachers can adapt for your local content. It also provides you with the tools to implement it effectively – but no one can replace the teachers in your classrooms, and it is up to you to deliver the maximum impact.

What is the pedagogical approach of the curriculum?

Our curriculum is based on the Rosenshine principles.

From designing the curriculum, to delivering knowledge in small steps, to regularly reviewing and building on content, to ensuring that there are prompts for teacher modelling, to providing scaffolds for guided practice – our curriculum is entirely built on research.

Of course, teachers using our curriculum can adapt it to meet their needs.

Who developed the United Curriculum for Secondary?

The curriculum has been developed over several years in partnership with United Learning secondary schools across the country, led by qualified experts and experienced subject advisers who have a wealth of experience in teaching in schools. 

Which subjects are available in the United Curriculum for Secondary?

In the first instance, our curriculum includes resources for English, Mathematics, Science, History, Geography and Religious Studies.

Resources for Year 7 are currently available. The curriculum for Year 8 and 9 will follow for September 2024.

What’s included in the End of Year Assessments?

Our assessments have been developed by our subject experts, and are the same ones that will be completed by thousands of students in United Learning.

You will get:

  • End of year exam papers for the subjects you subscribe to, which link to the curriculum. These are released after Easter to all schools within and outside United Learning, just like a formal exam series.
  • Full instructions and guidance on how to prepare students for assessments and how to run them in your school in the very broad window.
  • Access to the summary results from more than fifty United Learning schools, enabling you to becnhmark your students’ progress against  a cohort of thousands of United Learning students.
When will you be releasing Year 7 resources?

We’re working hard to prepare the United Curriculum for sharing outside United Learning, and resources will be released in batches in the half term before teaching through to September 2024.

When will resources for Year 8 and Year 9 be released?

We’re releasing the curriculum in batches. Resources for Year 8 and Year 9 will be launched in the summer of 2024, ready for teaching in September 2024.

Will you be offering resources for Key Stage 4?

Yes, we currently have curriculum resources for our schools at Key Stage 4. We hope to make this available to more schools in due course. Watch this space!

Can we trial the curriculum?

A selection of our Year 7 resources will be available to view and use on the curriculum website, so that you can get a real feel for what we offer. Additional examples for older year groups will be released in due course.

Can I purchase the curriculum as a tutor or home educator?

The curriculum is currently only available to schools. Get in touch if you’d like to keep updated about any changes in the future. 

How much does the curriculum cost?

The cost is at a per-pupil rate that is affordable for all schools. This per-pupil cost allows all your teachers and support staff to access the curriculum resources

You can purchase individual subjects at a set cost per pupil, or together as a complete package. You can view our pricing packages further up on this page.

A curriculum is never ‘done’ and the central curriculum team are regularly responding to feedback and adapting resources. The rate is per year, to ensure that your teachers can always access the most up to date resources.

The discounted, introductory prices per pupil will be fixed for three years.

Why are you offering resources at a discount?

While the curriculum has been used by our schools for several years, sharing the curriculum with schools outside United Learning is a new challenge for us.

We’d like to work with schools to refine and shape the package so that it is as impactful as possible for those outside United Learning.

The discounted rate - which is fixed for three years - reflects this introductory programme.

Why is there a minimum term of 3 years?

The United Curriculum has been sequenced so that ideas are explicitly taught and then revisited, and that concepts are deepened over several years. Committing to three years will maximise the benefits of the curriculum.

Across all subjects, example resources will be available to view, download and trial, so that you can explore what we offer before you commit to working with us.

How will I be billed?

We will ask you to tell us the number of students in all relevant year groups at the start of the academic year, and use that figure to calculate the total cost. Your cost for that year is fixed even if your roll changes, and you will be sent an invoice for a single annual payment, to minimise paperwork.

We know your needs might change over time, and you can change or grow your package - for example, by adding additional subjects, or access to additional year groups - on request. However, during the first three years of your contract, you cannot make any changes that will reduce your package below the initial contract agreement. For example, if you originally purchase full access to all Year 7 resources, your minimum payment in years two and three of your contact will be equal to the cost of full access to all Year 7 resources multiplied by the number of pupils currently in Year 7.

Do you have a similar curriculum for Primary Schools?

Yes – click below for more information about our Primary Curriculum.

Are these resources the same as those on Continuity Oak?

No. The resources on Continuity Oak were produced during the Covid-19 pandemic to help students learning at home. We have retained those resources on Continuity Oak, and they can still be accessed free of charge, but they are not updated.

Continuity Oak is a tool for home learning that puts the curriculum in the hands of pupils. United Curriculum is a package for schools, to be used in the classroom by teachers and leaders.

The United Curriculum is a complete curriculum package, and is reviewed and updated as necessary. It also includes end of year assessments, and additional support for teachers.

If I subscribe to the United Curriculum, will I be expected to join United Learning?

No. The United Curriculum is a standalone offer that we think many schools can benefit from.

How is my data used and stored?

You can see how your data is used and stored by viewing our Privacy Policy here

How teachers access United Curriculum

The United Curriculum uses Wonde to identify teachers in a school’s MIS who are then able to log on via Microsoft or Google single sign-on.  You can find out more about how we use Wonde and the data we require access to here:

Security & Compliance

We have security measures in place to prevent personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed unlawfully and follow strict procedures as to how your personal data is processed, to prevent any unauthorised person from obtaining access to it.  You can see more information on the security measures we have in place here:

Secondary curriculum news

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Registered address: United Learning, Worldwide House, Thorpe Wood, Peterborough, PE3 6SB.

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