The Essentials Curriculum (e-book)

Everything you need to plan for progression in Disciplinary Knowledge.

 The Essentials Curriculum is a comprehensive e-book designed to help schools plan for meaningful progression in Disciplinary Knowledge across all subjects. Rather than prescribing content, it identifies the key ways of thinking, working and communicating that define expertise within each discipline—what it means to think like a historian, a scientist, an artist or a geographer.

Organised over three clear Milestones—Key Stage 1, Lower Key Stage 2, and Upper Key Stage 2—the Essentials Curriculum sets out the specific disciplinary aspects that pupils should develop at each stage. These aspects are written to be applied flexibly to any substantive topic, enabling schools to maintain curriculum coherence while allowing freedom in topic choice.

By following the progression outlined in the Essentials Curriculum, teachers can ensure that pupils not only know morebut also think more deeply within each subject. The result is a curriculum that builds intellectual rigour, supports long-term learning, and strengthens links between subjects through shared disciplinary principles.

What’s Included:

• Essentials Curriculum e-book: A complete guide to planning for progression in Disciplinary Knowledge across all subjects and phases.
  (This must not be shared or published on your school website.)

• Publishable text-only version: Ready-to-upload content for your school website, clearly explaining your curriculum intent and structure for parents and the wider community.

See below for downloadable samples showing how the Essentials Curriculum is structured and how its disciplinary aspects can be applied to a wide range of topics.