core subjects

British

plural noun

education three foundation subjects (English, mathematics, and science) that are compulsory throughout each key stage in the National Curriculum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The cuts announced Wednesday will transform how the paper covers core subjects, including sports and foreign news.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 4, 2026

Those results could then inform the citizens’ assembly process — identifying core subjects to discuss, as well as the kinds of information needed to answer the most important questions.

From Salon • Dec. 22, 2024

The main changes are to qualifications in the core subjects - English, Welsh, maths and sciences.

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2023

That year, Beijing also banned private-tutoring companies from making a profit from teaching core subjects and offering classes on weekends or holidays.

From Reuters • Jan. 17, 2023

She tells me that the three days a week that we meet, teacher-collaborators will instruct on core subjects.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023