Schools and curriculum

• The national curriculum

  The English national curriculum means primary and secondary school children study the same subjects to similar standards - it's split into key stages with tests - and the basic school curriculum also includes religious education and sex education

• Apply for free school meals

  Check if your child is eligible for free school meals on your local council's website

• School closures

  School closures happen because of an emergency like severe weather - check whether your child's school is closed on your local council website

• School attendance and absence

  You can be prosecuted if your child has unauthorised absence from school - truancy, help with getting your child to school, and legal action to enforce school attendance

• School discipline and exclusions

  Schools can punish (discipline) pupils or exclude them - find out what schools are allowed to do, like search pupils for knives or drugs

• School term and holiday dates

  Find your child's school term, half term and holiday dates on your local council's website

• After school and holiday clubs

  Ask your council about after school clubs and holiday play schemes run by the school, private or voluntary organisations

• Apply for a special educational needs assessment

  Apply to the council for a special educational needs (SEN) assessment for your child

• Become a school or college governor

  Register your application to be a school or college governor - you can help decide how a local school or college is run

• Bullying at school

  Bullying at school and the law - what your school and the police must do about bullying and how you should report it

• Check school performance tables

  Get statistics for schools in England, and compare information about performance, pupils, finance, staffing and Ofsted reports - performance tables, league tables

• Children with special educational needs (SEN)

  Children with special educational needs (SEN) can get the help they need to get an education - school action, statements and assessments

• Complain about a school

  Complain about a school - complaints process, when to complain to the Department for Education, the Education Funding Agency or Ofsted

• Education and attendance information from your council

  How your council encourages attendance at school - truancy, unauthorised absences, education welfare officer

• Health and safety for school children

  Schools are responsible for your child's safety while they're at school or on a school trip

• Help with school clothing costs

  Financial help to pay for your child's school clothing - school uniform, games kit

• Illness and your child's education

  What happens if your child can't go to school for health reasons - responsibilities of the local council and school and how medical needs are handled at school

• Look up your exam timetable

  Exam dates given by AQA, CCEA, Edexcel, OCR and WJEC for GCSE, GCE A and AS levels, GNVQ, VCE, ELC, AEA, FSMQ and STEP exams

• School leaving age

  Information on the age you can leave school in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

• School meals - healthy eating standards

  Food in schools must meet nutritional standards and include high-quality meat, poultry, fish and vegetables so that children have healthy, balanced diets

• School uniform

  Find out about help with buying uniform, what happens if your child breaks the rules, and what to do if you think the uniform should change