Oxford International Curriculum: FAQs

The Oxford International Curriculum is designed to be flexible - we recommend the following structure based on 36 teaching weeks and 45-60 minutes per lesson, with 30 minutes per lesson for Key Stage 1 English to allow time for daily phonics:

Maths: 5 lessons per week (primary); 4 lessons per week (lower secondary)
English: 5 lessons per week (primary); 4 lessons per week (lower secondary)
English as a Second Language: 5 lessons per week but can be stretched to 10 lessons per week
Science: 2 lessons per week (primary); 3 lessons per week (lower secondary)
Computing: 1 lesson per week
Wellbeing: 1 lesson per week (weekly or intensive)
Global Skills Projects: 1 lesson per week (weekly or intensive)

There is also flexibility in terms of the delivery of Wellbeing and Global Skills Projects (e.g. weekly or intensive) and principles of Wellbeing and Global Skills will be embedded across core subjects.

To experience the full benefits of the Oxford International Curriculum, we recommend that schools implement all six subjects. Whilst the subscription will allow access to the material for all subjects, schools can decide how to deliver these (and which subjects to deliver, e.g. in cases where a bilingual curriculum must be followed).

Yes, the Oxford International Curriculum offers a full Early Years Curriculum for young learners from the age of two, including learning frameworks, and teaching materials, as well as training for Early Years’ teachers. Find out more here.

The curriculum has been designed with learners in mind who have English as an additional language. There are two options for the English subject - English for first language learners, and English as a Second Language (ESL) for those that may need additional support, using Oxford Discover as one of our key resources. The language within the student facing materials also takes this into consideration.

All Oxford International Curriculum teaching and learning resources are English as an Additional Language (EAL) attentive and designed for an international audience. We expect Year 1-2 students to be able to read text at CEFR A1 level, Year 3-4 students to read text at A2, Year 5-6 students to read text at B1, and Year 7-9 students to read text up to B2. For Year 7, students at CEFR B1 level should be able to cope with language support from their teachers.

The Oxford International Curriculum supports the English National Curriculum (ENC) and all subjects are delivered in English; we would therefore recommend that teachers have some familiarity with the ENC and have a CEFR level of B2+ or above.

The Oxford International Curriculum for Wellbeing covers most of PHSE and the newer Relationship and Sexual Education (RSE) curriculum. For example, we feature the 'importance of relationships' as a core curriculum domain, with a focus on developing healthy relationships. The health education strand is largely covered by the 'Taking Care of the Body' and 'Taking Care of the Mind' domains in the Wellbeing Curriculum.

The Global Skills Projects strand of the Oxford International Curriculum offers interdisciplinary, project-based learning, with projects covering a range of global issues (many of which are conducive to STEM/STEAM projects, e.g. improving the way we access and use water, improving the way we travel, improving your community through technology, etc).

Global Skills Projects is an individual curriculum, a separate subject that can be delivered on its own with a project-based learning approach. Students carry out up to three termly projects throughout the academic year. The Global Skills Projects curriculum is also embedded through the teaching of core subjects, with lesson plans incorporating skills such as critical thinking, opportunities to build collaboration and teamwork, interpersonal skills, creative thinking and other key global skills.

Some schools are teaching online and using remote learning. The lesson plans give some suggestions for digital use. There are also different tools that can be used for online collaboration, so that students can still communicate, share ideas, share knowledge and to build their projects together.

It prepares students for going onwards to the International Independent Project Qualification (IPQ) and International GCSE Plus. Presentation skills, research skills and argument skills are a part of the curriculum for Global Skills Projects.

We highly recommend having the delivery of Wellbeing and Global Skills Projects as separate subjects, but there are options of delivering them in different ways. Some schools have used form time to embed the wellbeing lessons, for example, and they can also be delivered intensively, such as during a projects week at the end of term.

Global Skills Projects includes fantastic projects for students to get involved in to begin to develop global skills such as critical and creative thinking, and so teachers can make the most of those resources also.

The approach to teaching and learning can support the teaching of other languages, although this is not part of the subscription. Most of our schools do offer different languages; schools can use different resources for those and embed some of the principles included in the professional development and the curriculum itself.

The Oxford International Curriculum for Early Years and Key Stage 1 recommends books as part of its classroom resources that are aligned to Letters and Sounds, a systematic approach for teaching children to read using phonics. It is used in many schools in England, but is not a mandatory part of the English National Curriculum. Depending on your school's needs and its local context, for a more comprehensive phonics teaching programme we recommend that schools also use Floppy’s Phonics.

We recommend that schools implement all six subjects from your subscription to get maximum benefit. However, there is flexibility to choose what is most relevant for your context, for example if you have your own computing programme that you want to follow. The approaches to teaching and learning can be applied to subjects that are not being taught through the curriculum.

Assessment for Learning can be achieved with the Oxford International Curriculum by using an online formative assessment tool and end-of-year tests. Assessment Frameworks for core subjects define each Learning Outcome with a Developing, Secure or Extending statement of attainment or competence. Teachers can use these frameworks and tools as well as other classroom elements to determine a child's overall grade.

The Oxford International Curriculum includes access to formative assessment tools as well as end-of-year achievement tests for Years 6, 7, 8 and 9. Certificates upon completion are administered locally by teachers. In future years, end of phase standardised testing will be offered as an option for Year 6 and Year 9 students and will be charged separately on a per-candidate basis.

The Oxford International Curriculum will provide seamless progression from Early years and Primary, to Lower Secondary, to international qualifications, including Oxford International AQA Examinations:
- International GCSEs
- International AS/A-levels
- International Independent Project Qualification (IPQ)
For further information on OxfordAQA, please visit the OxfordAQA exams website.

Testbase is a formative assessment tool, and all schools who subscribe to the curriculum will have access to this. Depending on the subject - Maths, Science or English - teachers can create bespoke quizzes from a question bank to share for assessment for learning purposes. For years 6, 7, 8 and 9 we have end of year assessments that are marked by teachers, you would receive a mark-scheme with different papers, so there is a more knowledge-based and more practical application in these end of year tests.

For Testbase, your school will receive an account where each teacher can login, as part of the subscription.

The end of year tests are all hosted on Oxford Owl, along with the schemes of work, lesson plans and curriculum booklets.

There are online modules on assessment in the professional development programme, with live training on formative and summative assessment, and overall assessment literacy, as part of the support that we provide to schools.

There is the option of continuing from Oxford International Curriculum to OxfordAQA exams. But, with the right teaching and learning from Year 1 to Year 9, pupils will be well prepared for any examination. The curriculum is agnostic in terms of preparation for secondary and advanced study, developing transferable skills and the building blocks any child needs, such as complex problem solving in international curricula, including OxfordAQA. Ten years of learning with Oxford International Curriculum helps prepare students for International GCSEs and beyond, maximising exam outcomes regardless of awarding body.

Please see the Oxford International Curriculum recommended resources, they are English as an additional language (EAL) attentive and follow an international approach.

Whilst recommended resources are provided for Maths, Science and Computing, the Oxford International Curriculum is designed to be resource agnostic for these core subjects. Specified English resources are required for the Oxford International Curriculum for English and the Oxford International Curriculum for English as a Second Language. All recommended resources are English as an Additional Language (EAL) attentive and follow an international approach.

Project Packs are designed to guide students through the process of creating a project, providing a structure within which they can express their creativity, and increasingly develop their own learning journeys.
- These packs introduce project themes, bringing topics to life, and encourage students to place them into a local and global context
- While there are many different pathways through a given topic, the project packs guide students through a clearly-defined process of creating a solution to a given problem
- Process sheets ensure that students are able to reflect on each stage of the process, enabling students to develop their creativity, critical thinking and communication skills
- Complementary teacher-facing project pack material delves deeper into the skills students can be encouraged to develop throughout the course of their projects, linking to the curriculum’s learning outcomes, and the Global Skills Projects Assessment Framework

The Oxford International Curriculum includes a comprehensive professional learning and development programme in order to provide teachers and school leaders with the necessary support to successfully deliver the Oxford International Curriculum. Training is certified by Oxford University Press and is delivered through a blended, flipped classroom approach. There is a combination of asynchronous digital content (i.e. that can be accessed at any time) and synchronous training, which is carried out live and builds on the work that the teachers have completed in advance.

As part of the Oxford International Curriculum subscription, teachers will have access to training in a range of areas, including the Oxford International Curriculum framework, key approaches to teaching and learning, special series on wellbeing in the classroom, project-based learning and skills development, as well as assessment and subject-specific professional development. A range of relevant topics for school leaders are also covered, such as embedding a whole-school approach to wellbeing, change management, and gathering evidence of impact.

Yes. Training in enquiry-based and project-based teaching and learning approaches will be provided to all Oxford International Curriculum schools as part of our continuous professional development (CPD) programme.

Oxford University Press will work with schools to identify training needs and to develop a bespoke professional development plan. Depending on the pathway, teachers will complete around 20 modules, with approximately 40 hours of combined training over the course of the 3-year programme.

The CPD programme includes specific training on delivering the Wellbeing and Global Skills Projects strands, as well as training in enquiry-based teaching and learning which relates to all subjects. Subject-specific training will also be provided for core subjects. We may also be able to provide support in the use of specific subject resources, e.g. Activate (Science) or MyMaths, for example.

Yes, we would certainly recommend a whole-school approach. All teachers will be able to access the digital training materials and are welcome to attend relevant workshops on these two subjects.

There are three subscription options. Early Years and Primary, Lower Secondary, and all-through curriculum from Early Years to Year 9.

All prices include a comprehensive programme of professional development for your teachers and leaders, all formative and summative assessments, and access to all the curriculum materials for all subjects. Prices do not include access to accompanying Oxford University Press digital materials such as MyiMaths and Kerboodle, these products will need to be ordered separately. Please contact your local Educational Consultant to discuss the subscription best suited to your institution

Teachers and school leaders will need to be able to access Oxford Owl to download digital teaching and learning resources, as well as accessing online Professional Development content. In addition, we would recommend that Oxford International Curriculum schools identify a member(s) of staff that can take on a coordinating role to support programme delivery at Primary and/or Lower Secondary levels.

The Oxford International Curriculum supports the English National Curriculum and all subjects are delivered in English; we would therefore recommend that teachers have some familiarity with the English National Curriculum if possible and have a CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) level of B2+ or above.

Once you’ve signed your Purchase Agreement, your local Educational Consultant will place your order and an invoice will be emailed to your finance controller. Over the next 1-2 weeks, you will receive the following emails to get you started with the Oxford International Curriculum:
• Order confirmation and access to your Oxford Owl subscription from Oxford University Press Customer Services
• Access to your Testbase subscription directly from Testbase
• A personalised digital Welcome Pack (please note, your physical plaque will be sent by courier) from Oxford University Press Sales Support
• Orientation information, including on-demand films guiding you through Oxford Owl and Testbase from Oxford University Press Sales Support
• Contact from Oxford University Press Professional Development to arrange your training

The annual subscription for Oxford International Curriculum is priced very competitively. It includes curriculum frameworks, schemes of work, lesson plans, worksheets, tests, and extensive professional development training, as well as access to an online test-maker, annual training events and refreshed test content. Your local Educational Consultant will be able to discuss pricing with you.

Your local Educational Consultant can answer any questions that you have. There is further information and resources on our website at oxfordinternationalcurriculum.com.

You'll receive a welcome pack to introduce you to the curriculum and a beautiful plaque for you to display in your school.

For each subject curriculum you will receive:
- A year on year progression of learning outcomes for every group
- Overview and detailed schemes of work to support planning and preparation
- Lesson plans for each lesson, ensuring you have coverage of specific learning outcomes
- Accompanying worksheets and project packs
- Assessment framework with criteria linked to every learning outcome in the curriculum
- Continuing professional development for teachers and school leaders

These materials and professional development programme links are all hosted on the Oxford Owl platform. This platform has a renewable 3-year subscription that can be purchased for Early Years and Primary, Lower Secondary, or all-through.

The end of year tests are all hosted on Oxford Owl, along with the schemes of work, lesson plans and curriculum booklets. There are online modules on assessment in the professional development programme, with live training on formative and summative assessment, and overall assessment literacy, as part of the support that we provide to schools.

All schools who subscribe to the curriculum will also receive an account for Testbase, a formative assessment tool.

Yes, we have school case studies on our website and you can also contact your local Educational Consultant for more information.

Schools need to meet criteria found in the purchase agreement, which are centred around core themes and values, such as: Purpose and Direction, School Management, Teaching and Learning, and Standard Legal Requirements (for example around Safeguarding, Health and Safety policies, etc).

Schools are required to self-evaluate against the criteria and Oxford University Press may require the school to provide evidence that the school is ready to meet the criteria before the Purchase Agreement is signed, for example by requesting certificates or by undertaking site visits. For the full list of criteria please ask your local Educational Consultant to show you the Oxford International Curriculum Purchase Agreement.