To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will assess the extent to which schools teach specific factual content above that which is proposed in the programmes of study included in the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority secondary curriculum review. (127317)

We have no plans to make such an assessment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the consultation launched by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on 5 February on the secondary curriculum (a) relates solely to the revised key stage 3 programme of study and (b) includes (i) the revised key stage 4 programmes of study and (ii) the content of the sections entitled curriculum lenses, Organising the curriculum and curriculum dimensions on the secondary curriculum review website. (127319)

The statutory consultation launched by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority on 5 February relates to proposed changes to the statutory programmes of study and level descriptions at key stages 3 and 4.

QCA has also invited separate comment on supporting materials to accompany the proposed programmes of study, including the content of the sections entitled curriculum lenses, Organising the curriculum and curriculum dimensions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority considered the content of maths curricula in use in (a) Japan, (b) South Korea, (c) Flemish-Belgium, (d) Singapore, (e) Chinese Tapei and (f) Hong Kong when designing the new programme of study in mathematics as part of the secondary curriculum review. (127326)

Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) curriculum advisers keep up to date with developments in other countries and with international studies and surveys, especially from countries where achievement in mathematics is higher than that in the United Kingdom. While the QCA has not drawn from the curriculum of any specific country when designing the new programmes of study for mathematics, the background knowledge gained was used in its preparation.