Everyone's approach to designing a subject curriculum is different. It can be helpful to see examples from others, but they're often hard to come by. That's why we're sharing the steps we take, to help inspire and guide your thinking. Watch our video and download our quick guide to kick start your planning. 

Watch our video guide on curriculum design

We’ve broken down the approach we take into seven steps. Watch Chris Fountain from our Education team guide you through what you should consider at each stage of the process in this short seven minute video.

How to design a subject curriculum

Follow these seven steps to plan a subject curriculum:

Decide the time frame, outcome and requirements of your curriculum


Decide what you want students to know and be able to do by the end of the curriculum.

Select the core content that students will need to study, considering the national curriculum and relevant exam board specifications.

Organise your content into overarching concepts or big idea


Arrange the core content into ‘big ideas’ or concepts that will run throughout the whole curriculum.

Break down the core content into manageable units. Put the units into a logical sequence and distribute them across the year groups.

Audit the breadth and diversity of your curriculum


Stop and take some time to review your curriculum to check it covers a wide range of topics and where applicable, cultures.

It’s best to start by designing the units for the first year group, working through to the final year group. Read our 

After each year of teaching, gather feedback from all your teachers and tweak the sequence, unit content or organisation principles.

Download our free curriculum design guide

Access our free quick guide and use it to inspire your planning. The guide includes prompt questions for each of the seven steps to help guide your thinking.

Save the document to your Google Drive by clicking on File > Make a copy. Or download a copy by clicking on File > Download.

refreshing your curriculum using Oak resources

 to learn about the six curriculum principles that guide our lesson and curriculum design. You can also 

search our thousands of free, adaptable lesson resources

Need to design a subject curriculum but not sure where to start? Our 7 easy steps curriculum design guide is the perfect free guide for any teacher.

How to design a subject curriculum in 7 easy steps

Are you looking to make changes to your curriculum? You can easily update whole units or part of a unit using our resources; there’s no need to reinvent the wheel.

 to support your lesson delivery. They’re carefully sequenced to help you build a clear plan of learning and free you up to spend your time tailoring the content to your pupils. To get you started, follow these four steps. Watch our short video and download our free quick guide to help guide your planning. 

We’ve broken down the approach we take into four steps. Watch Chris Fountain from our Education team explain what you should consider at each stage of the process.

How to refresh your curriculum using Oak resources

Four steps to follow to refresh your curriculum

Look through your existing curriculum. What’s not working? Are there units that are no longer relevant? Are there any topics you could integrate to add more diversity or breadth?


 to find a topic. Read through the core content listed for each lesson to help you decide which units are most relevant.


Consider where else in the curriculum you teach related content

 Which units are most similar to the unit you’re integrating? What will pupils learn about the topic before and after they study this unit? Are definitions, explanations and teaching methods consistent?


Adapt the unit to meet the needs of your pupils and school


What else will your pupils need to learn in this unit to ensure they progress within your curriculum? Add scaffolding, stretch tasks or additional lessons where they’re needed to support your wider school-curriculum aims.

To help you make the most of your next planning session, download our free quick guide. It includes helpful prompt questions for each of the steps to guide your thinking.

Save the document to your Google Drive by clicking on File > Make a copy. Or download a copy by clicking on File > Download.

 and learn about the six curriculum principles that guide our lesson and curriculum design. You can also 

search our thousands of free, adaptable teaching resources

Does your curriculum need a refresh? Watch our short video on making changes using our resources and start planning using our free quick guide. 

Are you designing a unit of study from scratch or updating one you already have? It can be hard to know where to start. We’re sharing six steps to inspire and inform the way you design coherent and purposeful units for your pupils. Watch our short video and download our free quick guide to use in your planning. 

identify the most important content for supporting you to meet your curriculum aims;

sequence the content into a logical unit plan; and,

Watch our video guide on how to write a unit plan

We’ve broken down the approach we take into six steps. Watch Chris Fountain from our Education team explain in what you should consider at each stage of the process, in this quick six minute video.

How to design a unit of study


Start at the end. Decide what you want pupils to know and be able to do by the end of the unit.


Place the unit within your existing curriculum


Find units within your existing curriculum that closely match your new unit, so you can make sure knowledge and ideas develop sequentially and logically.


Decide on the unit’s core content and vocabulary


Write down the key learning points, tier 2 and tier 3 vocabulary that pupils need to learn so you can make sure it’s incorporated.


Sequence the content and create a unit plan


Work out how many lessons you have available to teach the unit and put together a plan that lists each lesson in a sequence.



It helps to create the lesson resources in blocks of three or four, so you can create consistency and links between them.



Each time the unit is taught, gather feedback from the teachers and then iterate the unit to reflect the feedback.

Access our free quick guide. It includes prompt questions for each of the steps, which you can use to guide your next planning session.

Save the document to your Google Drive by clicking on File > Make a copy. Or download a copy by clicking on File > Download.

Want inspiration to help you design a unit of study? Our handy guide and quick six minute video tutorial take you through the steps we follow.

Oak's curricula

Subject

School phase

Our approach to curriculum

Our blogs on curriculum design

How to design a subject curriculum in 7 easy steps

How to refresh your curriculum using Oak resources

How to create a unit of study