“Scheme of work” and “curriculum map” describe largely the same kind of document — what’s taught, in what order, with what assessment — but which term is used depends heavily on where a school sits. UK, Australian, and many international and Commonwealth-curriculum schools tend to say “scheme of work,” while North American and IB-influenced schools more often say “curriculum map.”
What both terms actually cover
Whichever name is used, the underlying document usually covers the same ground: topics and content in sequence, learning objectives, teaching approach, how learning will be assessed, and the resources involved — organized by term or unit so it’s usable for both planning and later review.
Why the terminology varies by region
UK schools inherited “scheme of work” from long-standing national curriculum planning conventions, and it’s carried through to Commonwealth-influenced systems in Australia, Singapore, and parts of Africa and the Caribbean. “Curriculum map” is more common in North America and among schools following international frameworks like the IB, where curriculum mapping as a formal practice has its own established vocabulary.
Building either from the same structure
A scheme of work and a curriculum map need the same underlying fields, whichever term your school uses. The UniCloud360 Curriculum Map Builder structures a term-by-term plan around learning objectives, topics, teaching strategies, assessment methods, and resources — the same five dimensions a scheme of work covers, exported as a print-ready PDF or CSV regardless of which name your institution uses for it.
A useful example for international schools
International schools often employ staff from several different educational backgrounds within the same department — a teacher trained in the UK system alongside one trained in a North American or IB context. Rather than each person defaulting to whichever term and format they’re used to, building every subject’s document with the same tool means the underlying structure is identical no matter what the document is called on its cover page. A UK-trained teacher can call their document a scheme of work, a colleague can call theirs a curriculum map, and a department head reviewing both still sees the same five fields in the same order.
Why the underlying structure matters more than the label
What actually makes a planning document useful for review, moderation, or handover to a new teacher isn’t its title — it’s whether the objectives, content, teaching approach, assessment methods, and resources are all documented clearly and consistently. Focusing on getting that structure right, rather than debating which regional term to use, is the more productive approach for a school with a mixed-background staff or an international curriculum framework.
Exporting for whichever audience needs it
Once the term-by-term content is complete, the same map exports as a print-ready PDF suited to a department meeting, moderation exercise, or new-teacher handover, or as a CSV for a school’s own record-keeping system. Because the underlying data is identical regardless of which regional term is used on the label, a school can standardize on one tool across all staff without needing anyone to change the vocabulary they’re used to.
Frequently asked questions
Is a scheme of work the same as a curriculum map?
Functionally, yes — both describe a structured, term-by-term plan of what’s taught, how, and how it’s assessed. The difference is mostly regional terminology rather than a difference in content.
Which term should I use for my school?
Use whichever term your school or curriculum framework already uses — UK and Commonwealth-influenced schools typically say scheme of work, while North American and IB schools typically say curriculum map.
Can I build a scheme of work with a tool labeled as a curriculum map builder?
Yes. The Curriculum Map Builder covers the same objectives-topics-strategies-assessments-resources structure a scheme of work needs, whatever your school calls the finished document.
Can staff from different educational backgrounds use the same tool consistently?
Yes. Since the tool’s structure doesn’t change based on regional terminology, staff trained in different systems can all use the same builder and produce documents with identical structure, whatever they call the finished document.
Does the exported document indicate whether it’s a scheme of work or curriculum map?
The document reflects whatever your school calls it — the underlying five-field structure is the same either way, so the choice of label doesn’t change what’s exported.
Final thought
Scheme of work and curriculum map are largely the same document wearing different regional names — build to the structure your planning actually needs, and use whichever term matches how your school talks about it.
