INCA - the International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive - provides regularly updated descriptions of government policy on education in Australia, Canada, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the USA and Wales. INCA makes particular reference to the curriculum, assessment and initial teacher training frameworks in place, and focusses on education provided in schools and to the 3-19 age.
Production of the website is funded by the Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) in England and managed and updated by the International Information Unit at the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER).
Select the links below for responses to the most frequently asked questions we receive via the 'Contact INCA' feedback form:
Accessing data on the INCA website
Assessment
Certification and qualifications
Compulsory education
Curriculum
Differentiation and streaming
Glossary
Organisation of the school year/day
Printing data from the INCA website
Profiles of education/legislation
Special needs education
Teachers
Textbooks and other resources
Current reforms and debates
Information is available by selecting the country of your choice and the topic in which you are interested from the "Select country" and "Select subject/chapter heading" drop-down menus at the top of this page. From "Select type of education", choose "mainstream" for policy information relating to the mainstream education system or "special" for information on publicly-funded provision for students with special needs. Then select "Go".
To view the types of information you are likely to find under a specific subject/chapter heading, select 'definitions' from the "Select country" drop-down menu (at the very bottom of this menu), then select the subject/chapter heading of your choice, mainstream or special education and "Go".
Footnote references link to the original source of the data. This is for transparency for users. Click on the footnote reference and the top reference in the page of references you will be linked to is the specific reference for that data. Click on the 'back' button of your browser to return to your original location.
The keywords provide definitions for the glossary terms and abbreviations and acronyms used in all the individual country Archives. Glossary terms and abbreviations and acronyms are italicised throughout the INCA Archive. If a definition for a keyword is required, please refer to the keywords section of the specific country Archive.
The sources sections of the individual country Archives provide access to the full bibliographical references for that individual Archive. In addition, these sections provide details of education legislation and of selected further reading for the specific country Archive.
The grade/year level key for each individual country Archive provides a summary table of the age ranges for school education in the country concerned.
Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from the "Select subject/chapter heading" menu. Select 'mainstream' or 'special' from the "Select type of education" menu and click "Go". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to. (First phase, 6.1, provides data on pre-compulsory/early years education; second phase, 6.2, on compulsory primary phase education; 6.3 – or third phase – on compulsory lower secondary education; and fourth phase, 6.4, on (post-compulsory) upper secondary phase education in schools. These phases are based on the English model.)
In addition, the INCA Comparative Tables provide a summary of assessment arrangements across the countries of the INCA Web Archive. See Table 9. The comparative tables are regularly updated. A May 2007 thematic probe on standardised assessment arrangements in the INCA countries may also be of interest. See the thematic probes section of the website.
For detailed information, select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from the "Select subject/chapter heading" menu. Select 'mainstream' or 'special' from the "Select type of education" menu and click "Go". 'Assessment arrangements' provides information on assessment across the four phases of the Archive (6.1 - pre-school, 6.2 - primary, 6.3 - lower secondary and 6.4 - upper secondary education in schools). Select the phase of your choice, for example, 6.2 compulsory primary education. Where compulsory national testing or national assessment frameworks exist, this will be mentioned under the ‘Control’ sub-heading.
A summary of national assessment arrangements in the INCA countries, compiled in May 2007, was published as a thematic probe on the INCA website in August 2007. See the thematic probes section of the website. In addition, the INCA Comparative Tables provide a summary of assessment provision across the Archive countries. See Table 9.
Information on assessment in early years education in New Zealand, England and France is available by selecting the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu, ‘Assessment arrangements’ under the "Select subject/chapter heading" menu, and either mainstream or special education. ‘First phase’ – section 6.1 - provides information on pre-compulsory education.
The INCA Thematic Probe: Early Years Education (September 2001) and the thematic study report Early Years Education: an International Perspective (July 2002) also provide information on assessment during this phase.
Select ‘Japan’ from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from the "Select subject/chapter heading" menu. Choose either 'mainstream' or 'special' and "Go". Select ‘second phase’ (6.2) from the page you are linked to.
INCA does provide such information. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Choose either 'mainstream' or 'special' and "Go". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to. The information under the ‘Purposes’ and ‘Consequences’ sub-headings will be of interest.
Information provided under the ‘Student progression through the phase’ sub-heading in the ‘Internal school organisation’ Subject/chapter heading may also be of interest.
In addition, the INCA Comparative Tables provide a summary of progression issues across the Archive countries. See Table 6.
Information on moderation is available for some countries. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Choose either 'mainstream' or 'special' and "Go". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to. The ‘Grading process’ and ‘Administration’ sub-headings will be of interest.
Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Choose 'mainstream' or 'special', then "Go". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to. The ‘Grading process’ sub-heading will be of interest.
Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Choose 'mainstream' or 'special', then "Go". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to. The ‘Use of results’ sub-heading will usually provide information on school reports. The ‘Grading process’ sub-heading may also provide relevant information.
Summary information is available via the INCA Comparative Tables. See Table 9.
Detailed information for each of the country Archives is accessible via the ‘Assessment arrangements’ Subject heading. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Choose either 'mainstream' or 'special', then "Go". Select ‘second phase’ (compulsory primary education, 6.2) from the page you are linked to.
For a brief summary of national assessment and public examination arrangements across the INCA countries, see Table 9.
For detailed information, select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Choose 'mainstream' or 'special' under the "Select type of education" menu, then "Go". Information provided under the third and fourth phase headings of the page you are linked to (sections 6.3 - assessment in compulsory secondary education, and 6.4 - post-compulsory (upper) secondary education) are particularly relevant.
If your interest is in qualifications for students aged up to 19 in education provided in schools, select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Assessment arrangements’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Information provided under the third and fourth phase headings of the page you are linked to (sections 6.3 - assessment in compulsory secondary education, and 6.4 - post-compulsory (upper) secondary education) will be the most relevant. (The INCA website focuses on education provided in schools and to the 3-19 age range.)
NB: If you are interested in information on the equivalence of qualifications, visit the ENIC/NARIC website.
Table 5 of the Comparative Tables (Schooling: duration, phases, participation rates) outlines the duration of compulsory schooling across the countries of the INCA Archive.
Detailed information on the school leaving age for individual countries can be accessed by selecting the country of your choice under the "Select country" drop-down menu, and ‘Education Structure (ages 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Select sub-heading 3.1 ‘Compulsory education’ from the page you are linked to. If 'mainstream' is selected under the "Select type of education" drop-down menu, policy information on mainstream education will be provided. Select 'special' for information on students in publicly-funded special educational needs provision.
Table 5 of the Comparative Tables (Schooling: duration, phases, participation rates) outlines the duration of compulsory schooling across the countries of the INCA Archive.
Detailed information on the duration of compulsory education for individual countries can be accessed by selecting the country of your choice under the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Education Structure (ages 3-19)’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Select sub-heading 3.1 ‘Compulsory education’ from the page you are linked to.
You might also be interested in studying the ‘Grade/year level key’ for the country of your choice. Select a country and ‘Grade/year level key’ under "Select subject/chapter heading".
Table 5 of the Comparative Tables (Schooling: duration, phases, participation rates) outlines the duration of compulsory schooling across the countries of the INCA Archive.
Detailed information on school starting ages/admission to school for individual countries can be accessed by selecting the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Education Structure (ages 3-19)’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Select sub-headings 3.1 ‘Compulsory education’ and 3.2 ‘Educational phases (ages 3-19)’ from the page you are linked to.
Select the country of your choice (under the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Education Structure (ages 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Sub-heading 3.1 from the page you are linked to will answer this question.
Details of the compulsory subjects for the various phases of education across the INCA countries are available via the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ Subject heading. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu, and ‘Curricula (ages 3-19)’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to, then the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’. (First phase, 5.1, provides data on the curriculum in pre-compulsory education; second phase, 5.2, on compulsory primary phase education; 5.3 – or third phase – on compulsory lower secondary education; and fourth phase, 5.4, on (post-compulsory) upper secondary phase education in schools. These phases are based on the English model.)
If 'mainstream' is selected under the "Select type of education" drop-down menu, policy information on mainstream education will be provided. Select 'special' for information on students in publicly-funded special educational needs provision.
In addition, the INCA Comparative Tables provide a summary of subjects studied in primary and secondary education across the INCA countries. See Tables 7 and 8.
Policy information on the curriculum timetables for the various phases of education across the INCA countries is available via the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ subject heading. Select the country of your choice (under the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to, then the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’.
Details of the optional/elective subjects for the various phases of education across the INCA countries are available via the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ Subject heading. Select the country of your choice (under the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to, then the sub-heading ‘Optional/elective subjects’.
The INCA Comparative Tables provide a summary of subjects studied in primary education and in compulsory lower secondary education across the INCA countries. See Tables 7 and 8 respectively.
More detailed information is available by selecting the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ Subject heading (accessible via the "Select subject/chapter heading" drop-down menu) and the country of your choice (under the "Select country" drop-down menu). Then select the phase you are interested in. Information on the study of modern foreign languages will either be under the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’ or under ‘Optional/elective subjects’ (depending on its status).
Can generally be found in the INCA Comparative Tables. See Tables 7 and 8 which provide a summary of subjects studied in primary education and in compulsory lower secondary education across the INCA countries.
More detailed information is available by selecting the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ subject heading (from the "Select subject/chapter heading" drop-down menu) and the country of your choice (under the "Select country" drop-down menu). Then, select the phase you are interested in and the sub-headings ‘Compulsory subjects’ or ‘Optional/elective subjects’.
See ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ under the "Select subject/chapter heading" drop-down menu. Select the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Then, select the phase you are interested in. There is a specific sub-heading ‘Key skills’.
Select the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and the ‘Context and principles of education’ subject heading (under the "Select subject/chapter heading" drop-down menu). Then, select ‘1.2 Purposes of education’ and, under the sub-heading ‘1.2.2 Special programmes’, there will be information on key initiatives and programmes in the country concerned.
In addition, more detailed information on literacy and numeracy education across the countries of the INCA Archive can be accessed via the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ subject heading. Select the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ from the "Select subject/chapter heading" drop-down menu. Select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to, then the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’.
Select the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ (from the "Select subject/chapter heading" menu). Select the phase of your choice. General information on the aims behind the school curriculum is available under the sub-heading ‘Control’.
Information on the general aims and values of the education system is also available under the subject heading ‘Context and principles of education’. Select the country of your choice (under "Select country") and ‘Context and principles of education’ (from "Select subject/chapter heading"). Then, select the sub-heading ‘Aims, objectives, values, principles’ from the page you are linked to.
The thematic study Values and Aims in Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks may also be of interest.
See the thematic study Mathematics in the School Curriculum: an International Perspective.
Additional information on mathematics in the school curriculum is available by selecting the country of your choice (under "Select country") and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ (under "Select subject/chapter heading"). Select the phase of your choice, then the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’.
See the thematic study The Arts, Creativity and Cultural Education; an International Perspective and the thematic probe Arts and Creativity in Education: an International Perspective.
Additional information on arts education and creativity and cultural education in the school curriculum is available by selecting the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Select the phase of your choice and the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’ or ‘Optional/elective subjects’.
See the thematic studies Citizenship Education: an International Comparison (1999) and Active Citizenship in INCA Countries: Definitions, Policies, Practices and Outcomes (2006).
Additional information on citizenship education, character education, values education and/or moral education is available by selecting the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ (from "Select subject/chapter heading"). Select the phase of your choice and the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’ or ‘Optional/elective subjects’.
See the thematic probe Science for the 21st Century. Queensland (Australia), Ontario (Canada), France, the Netherlands and Sweden.
Additional information on science in the school curriculum is available by selecting the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ (under "Select subject/chapter heading"). Select the phase of your choice, then the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’ (or ‘Optional/elective subjects’ depending on the status of science education in the country concerned).
See the thematic probe Curriculum Review: an International Perspective.
Additional information on curriculum reveiw is available by selecting the country of your choice (from the "Select country" drop-down menu) and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ (under "Select subject/chapter heading"). Select the phase of your choice, then the sub-heading ‘Control’.
Some information on differentiation across the individual countries of the INCA Archive is available under the ‘Internal school organisation’ subject heading. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Internal school organisation’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Then, select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to, and the sub-heading ‘Organisation of teaching groups’.
A summary table of the organisation of internal groupings within schools across the countries of the INCA Archive is available. See the Comparative Tables Table 6 – School structures, access, internal grouping and progression.
More detailed information on setting and streaming for the individual Archive countries is available by selecting the ‘Internal school organisation’ subject heading. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Internal school organisation’ under "Select subject/chapter heading". Then, select the phase of your choice and the sub-heading ‘Organisation of teaching groups’.
Glossary terms and abbreviations and acronyms are used throughout individual country Archives. Such terms are italicised. To access a definition for a glossary term or abbreviation/acronym, select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Keywords’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". You will be linked to a detailed table of glossary terms and abbreviations and acronyms.
Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Education Structure (ages 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Select ‘3.2 Educational phases (ages 3-19)’ from the page you are linked to. The sub-headings ‘Length of school year (in days) and day (in hours)’ provide information on the average number of days per year students attend school, the organisation of the terms and holidays, and the organisation of the typical school day for the pre-compulsory, primary, lower secondary and upper secondary phases of education.
Details of the curriculum timetables for the various phases of education across the Archive countries are available via the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ subject heading. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Then, select the phase of your choice, and the sub-heading ‘Compulsory subjects’ from the page you are linked to.
Printable versions
To print using the 'printable versions' facility available via the navigation bar:
The relevant data for that complete section will be selected for you to print. Select the 'back' button to return to the print selection screen.
Alternative methods
To print the specific section of the INCA Archive you are visiting, select the 'printable page' option on the top right of the page. The whole of that section/page will be printed in printer-friendly format.
To print directly from within an individual Country Archive, just select the print icon once you're in the section you wish to print. The complete section will be printed automatically. If you wish to print only a selected amount of text, simply highlight this text, select 'file', then 'print', then check 'selection', and the relevant text will be printed.
If you encounter difficulties printing off pdf files from the INCA website (the thematic probes, thematic studies or comparative tables in particular), select the 'print as image' option from your PC.
Once you've accessed the specific section you wish to print and you have this on screen, simply highlight this text, select 'file', then 'print', then choose 'selection', and the relevant text will be printed.
Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Education Structure (ages 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". This section provides information on the general structure of the system. The ‘Internal school organisation’ subject heading provides more detailed information on within-school organisation.
The INCA website also features 'system summaries'. These concise briefings provide an overview of education in a selected country. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu, then 'System summary' under "Select subject/chapter heading".
Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Context and principles of education’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Section 1.2.1 of the page you are linked to - ‘Aims, objectives, values, principles’ - usually provides some information on recent legislation which has influenced educational provision.
In addition, under the ‘Sources’ subject heading for each individual country Archive, there is a legislation section which lists recent legislation of importance for education.
A summary of recent educational reforms/legislation is also provided in Table 4 of the Comparative Tables.
INCA provides one country Archive for each of the featured countries describing mainstream provision, alongside an additional Archive describing publicly-funded provision for children with special educational needs. If ‘mainstream’ is selected from the "Select type" drop-down menu, the policy information accessed will reflect mainstream provision. Select ‘special’ for information on publicly-funded special educational needs provision.
Yes. Choose the country of your choice, then 'Initial teacher training' from the "Select subject/chapter heading" drop-down menu. If 'mainstream' is selected under the "Select type of education" drop-down menu, policy information on mainstream education will be provided. Select 'special' for information on students in publicly-funded special educational needs provision.
Some background information on teachers/teaching staff is also included in the 'Internal school organisation' sections of the INCA Archive. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Internal school organisation’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Then, select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to. The sub-sections entitled ‘Teacher specialisation’ provide information on whether teachers in a specific phase are specialist subject teachers or generalists, whether they are civil servants and, in many cases, some general background information.
All INCA country Archives now include sections on initial teacher training for students with special needs. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu; 'Initial teacher training' from "Select subject/chapter heading", 'special' from "Select type of education" and "Go".
See the thematic probe Control and Supply of Textbooks.
In addition, a comparative table outlining the arrangements for the control and supply of school textbooks in the INCA countries is included in the Comparative Tables. See Table 10.
Detailed information on the control and supply of textbooks across the INCA countries is also available under the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ subject heading. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Then, select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to, and the sub-heading ‘Curriculum materials’.
Where online resources are provided to assist teachers, information is available under the ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ subject heading. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and ‘Curricula (age 3-19)’ from "Select subject/chapter heading". Then, select the phase of your choice from the page you are linked to, and the sub-heading ‘Curriculum materials’.
Additional information may also be available under the ‘Links’ subject heading for individual country Archives. Select the country of your choice from the "Select Country" drop-down menu and ‘Links’ from "Select subject/chapter heading".
Information on current educational reforms and debate is included in the 'Context, principles and reforms of education' sections of the INCA website. Select the country of your choice from the "Select country" drop-down menu and 'Context, principles and reforms of education' from "Select subject/chapter heading", then select 'Purposes of education' from the page you are linked to. Sub-heading 1.2.2 'Special programmes' provides information on aspects of current educational reform and debate which impact on the curriculum, assessment and initial teacher training frameworks.
If you use INCA as a source for a policy briefing, research project, personal research, assignment, essay or other written output, we would be grateful if the website could be referenced as follows:
O'Donnell, S., Byrne, A., Goram, R., Higginson, C., Sargent, C. and White, E. (2009). The International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks (INCA) Internet Archive [online]. Available: http://www.inca.org.uk [xx month, year].
If you use an INCA Thematic Probe as a source - accessible via the INCA thematic probes page - each probe needs to be referenced separately. The thematic probe title and author name(s) are provided on the first page of each individual thematic probe. An example citation is provided below:
Boyle, A. (2008). The Regulation of Examinations and Qualifications: an International Study (INCA Thematic Probe) [online]. Available: http://www.inca.org.uk/ofqual-08-3736_regulation_of_examinations_and_qualifications.pdf [xx month, year].
INCA thematic studies - accessible via the thematic studies webpage - also need to be referenced individually. The thematic study title and author name(s) are, again, provided on the front page of the individual thematic study. An example citation is provided below:
Nelson, J. and Kerr, D. (2006). Active Citizenship in INCA Countries: Definitions, Policies, Practices and Outcomes (INCA Thematic Study) [online]. Available: http://www.inca.org.uk/pdf/Active_Citizenship_Report.pdf (xx month, year].
If the INCA Comparative Tables have provided a helpful source of information to you, the citation should be:
O'Donnell, S. and Sargent, C. with Gray, J. (2008). International Review of Curriculum and Assessment Frameworks Internet Archive: INCA Comparative Tables [online]. Available: http://www.inca.org.uk/INCA_comparative_tables_July_2008.pdf [xx month, year].