National Education Policy 2020 | Primary School | Mastermind

The National Education Policy 2020 (NEP 2020) replaced the old 10+2 pattern with a 5+3+3+4 structure: five years of foundational learning (ages 3 to 8), three preparatory years (Classes 3 to 5), three middle years (Classes 6 to 8) and four secondary years (Classes 9 to 12). For parents, it means play-based early years, Class 1 at age six, and exams that test understanding rather than memory.

The Union Cabinet approved the policy on 29 July 2020, replacing an education policy that was 34 years old. Six years on, it is no longer a plan on paper. It decides the age at which your child enters Class 1, what a KG classroom looks like, and how the Class 10 board exam works.

If you are a parent in Indore choosing a school or planning the next few years, this guide explains what has changed in school education, what is still unsettled, and what to ask a school before you take admission.

What does the 5+3+3+4 structure mean for your child?

The curriculum will follow 5+3+3+4 instead of the usual 10+2 years of schooling. The numbers are not new classes or extra years of school. They are four stages, each matched to how children learn at that age. The biggest change is that the three pre-school years are now treated as part of school education, not as something that happens before it.

Stage	Age and classes	How children learn
Foundational (5 years)	Ages 3 to 8: three years of pre-school, then Classes 1 and 2	Play, stories, activities, early reading and number sense
Preparatory (3 years)	Ages 8 to 11: Classes 3 to 5	Activity-based learning continues, with textbooks and subjects introduced gradually
Middle (3 years)	Ages 11 to 14: Classes 6 to 8	Subject teachers, experiments, discussion, a third language and first exposure to vocational skills
Secondary (4 years)	Ages 14 to 18: Classes 9 to 12	Greater depth, critical thinking, more subject choice and board examinations

Why the first five years matter most

The policy puts its heaviest weight on the foundational stage. Its stated goal is that every child can read with understanding and do basic arithmetic by the end of Class 3. That is why a good pre-school today looks like play, phonics and hands-on material, not rows of children copying from a board. Our guide to the benefits of play school explains what those early years should build.

How is NEP 2020 different from the old 10+2 system?

The focus is now on the holistic development of your children by supplementing education with vocational training and extracurricular activities. The policy also removes the hard separation between arts, science and commerce, and between curricular and co-curricular activities. Here is the parent's version of what changed.

Area	Earlier (10+2)	Under NEP 2020
Pre-school	Outside the formal school structure	Part of the foundational stage from age 3
Class 1 entry	Often at age 5	At age 6, after three pre-school years
Teaching method	Textbook and rote led	Experiential, activity-based and competency-based
Exam questions	Mostly recall of what was memorised	More case-based and application questions
Board exams	One high-stakes attempt a year	Two sittings in a year for CBSE Class 10
Skills	Treated as extra-curricular	Vocational exposure from Class 6, skill subjects in Classes 9 and 10

What has actually changed in schools since 2020?

A policy only matters when it reaches the classroom. These are the changes parents of school-age children can already see.

Class 1 now starts at age six

Because the foundational stage begins at three, a child completes three pre-school years and enters Class 1 at six. Schools calculate age on a fixed cut-off date, so a child born a few weeks after it joins a year later. Check the cut-off before you plan, on the admission process page or with the school office.

New curriculum frameworks and textbooks

Two national frameworks turned the policy into classroom practice: one for the foundational stage in 2022 and one for school education (NCF-SE) in 2023. New NCERT textbooks based on them have been arriving class by class since then, and CBSE is introducing its revised Class 9 and 10 scheme from the 2026-27 session.

Two board exam sittings in Class 10

From 2026, CBSE holds the Class 10 board examination twice in the same academic year. The first exam is compulsory. The second is optional and lets a student improve in up to three subjects, with the better score counted. One difficult day no longer decides the result.

Questions that test understanding

CBSE papers now carry a much larger share of competency-based questions, which ask a child to apply a concept to a new situation. A child who has only memorised answers finds these hard. This is the reason activity-based learning has moved from a nice extra to a real academic advantage.

CBSE issues fresh circulars every session, so always confirm what applies to your child's class with the school or on cbseacademic.nic.in.

What does NEP 2020 say about mother tongue and English?

This is the part parents worry about most, and it is often misreported. The policy says that, wherever possible, the medium of instruction until at least Class 5 should be the home language, mother tongue or regional language. The words "wherever possible" matter. It is a direction, not a ban on English-medium schools.

English continues to be taught as a language throughout, and the three-language formula brings in a third language from the middle years, with at least two of the three being Indian languages. Including the mother language as the medium of instruction is a good idea for young children, who understand new concepts fastest in the language they speak at home. But English remains important for higher studies and work, so ask each school plainly how it balances the two in the early classes.

What does NEP 2020 change after school?

The policy covers college as well, though this matters to parents of young children only in the long run. Degrees are becoming more flexible, with multiple exit points and an Academic Bank of Credits that stores the credits a student earns, so that a break in studies does not mean starting again.

The policy also proposed a single regulator, the Higher Education Commission of India, for all higher education except medical and legal courses. A bill to create it, under the name Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan, was introduced in Parliament in December 2025.

What are the drawbacks of NEP 2020?

The National Education Policy 2020 sounds good on paper. However, the NEP comes with drawbacks too, and parents should know them.

• Uneven implementation. Changes arrive class by class, and schools differ widely in how well teachers have been trained for activity-based and competency-based teaching.
• The age-six rule can cost a year. A child who misses the cut-off by a few weeks waits a full session, which is hard for families who started pre-school early.
• The language question is not settled. Parents who want English fluency and parents who want mother-tongue learning both have fair concerns, and practice varies from school to school.
• The label is easy to claim. Almost every school now says it is NEP-aligned. The proof is in a classroom in session, not in a brochure.
• Not yet a legal right. The policy recommends extending free and compulsory education to cover ages 3 to 18, but the Right to Education Act still covers ages 6 to 14.

How does Mastermind School follow NEP 2020?

Mastermind School covers the first stages of the 5+3+3+4 structure across two campuses. The Pre-Primary Campus in Bicholi Mardana runs Play Group to KG-II on the foundational-stage approach, with Montessori activities, phonics and a reading programme. If you are looking at pre-primary in Indore, that page shows the age bands for each class.

After KG-II, children continue to Class 1 at Mastermind High School in Dudhia, which teaches the CBSE curriculum (Affiliation No. 1031472) for Class 1–10. Concepts are taught through five working labs, and Abacus, Coding, Robotics, Chess and Yoga are part of the regular timetable. The CBSE curriculum page sets out how each stage is taught.

The school's first Class 10 batch appears for the board examination in 2027, under the two-sitting system. The secondary stage in NEP runs to Class 12, and Mastermind currently offers up to Class 10, so students are guided into Class 11 elsewhere.

What should you ask a school about NEP 2020?

• How do you teach in Play Group to Class 2: through activities, or through textbooks and written work?
• What is your age cut-off date for Nursery and for Class 1?
• How do you assess young children, and what does the report card show beyond marks?
• Which languages are taught, and from which class?
• Can I see a class in session and a lab being used?
• How are teachers preparing students for competency-based questions?

Key Takeaways

• NEP 2020 was approved on 29 July 2020 and replaced the 10+2 pattern with 5+3+3+4.
• The four stages are foundational (ages 3 to 8), preparatory (Classes 3 to 5), middle (Classes 6 to 8) and secondary (Classes 9 to 12).
• Pre-school is now part of school education, and Class 1 begins at age six.
• CBSE Class 10 students now get two board exam sittings in a year, with the better score counted.
• Exam papers reward understanding and application, so how a school teaches matters more than before.
• Mother-tongue instruction is advised "wherever possible"; English continues to be taught.
• Every school claims NEP alignment. Visit a class in session before you believe it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the 5+3+3+4 structure in NEP 2020?

It is the new way school years are grouped under NEP 2020. Five foundational years cover ages 3 to 8 (three years of pre-school plus Classes 1 and 2), followed by three preparatory years (Classes 3 to 5), three middle years (Classes 6 to 8) and four secondary years (Classes 9 to 12). It replaces the old 10+2 pattern.

When was the National Education Policy 2020 approved?

The Union Cabinet approved the National Education Policy 2020 on 29 July 2020. It replaced the National Policy on Education of 1986, which had been in place for 34 years. Since then it has been put into practice in phases through new curriculum frameworks, new NCERT textbooks and CBSE circulars issued each academic session.

What is the right age for Class 1 under NEP 2020?

Under NEP 2020, a child enters Class 1 at six years of age, after three years of pre-school. Schools calculate age as on a fixed cut-off date for the session, so a child born shortly after that date joins the following year. Always confirm the exact cut-off date with the school before planning admission.

Has the 10+2 system been scrapped? Are board exams still held?

The 10+2 grouping has been replaced by 5+3+3+4, but the total years of schooling up to Class 12 are the same. Board examinations in Class 10 and Class 12 continue. What has changed is their design: more questions test application, and CBSE Class 10 students now get two sittings in a year.

Are there really two board exams in CBSE Class 10 now?

Yes. From 2026, CBSE conducts the Class 10 board examination twice in an academic year. The first exam is compulsory for all students. The second is optional and allows a student to improve in up to three subjects, with the better score retained. Check the current year's rules with the school, since CBSE updates them.

Will my child be taught in Hindi instead of English under NEP 2020?

Not necessarily. NEP 2020 says the home language or mother tongue should be the medium of instruction until at least Class 5 "wherever possible". It does not ban English-medium schooling, and English continues to be taught as a language. Practice differs between schools, so ask each school how it uses languages in the early classes.

Are there exams in pre-school and Classes 1 and 2 under NEP 2020?

The foundational stage is meant to be free of formal written tests. Teachers are expected to assess children by observing them during activities and by looking at their work, and to share progress with parents regularly. If a pre-school relies on written exams and ranks for three-to-five-year-olds, it is not following the foundational-stage approach.

Is NEP 2020 fully implemented in CBSE schools?

It is being implemented in phases, not all at once. The stage structure, the age-six rule for Class 1, new textbooks for several classes, competency-based questions and two Class 10 board sittings are already in place. Other changes, including the revised Class 9 and 10 scheme, are being introduced class by class through CBSE circulars.

Which NEP 2020 stages does Mastermind School in Indore cover?

Mastermind School covers the foundational stage at its Pre-Primary Campus in Bicholi Mardana (Play Group to KG-II) and continues through the preparatory, middle and first half of the secondary stage at Mastermind High School in Dudhia (Class 1 to 10). After Class 10, students are guided into Class 11 at other CBSE schools.

Does the Mastermind School bus cover Pipliyahana?

Yes, Pipliyahana is on the school's bus network, along with several other areas of East Indore. Buses are GPS-tracked and have a female staff member on board. For the pickup point nearest your home and current routes, see the safety and transport page or call the school office.

Conclusion

NEP 2020 is best understood as a change in how children are taught, not only in how classes are numbered. The early years are meant to be joyful and hands-on, the middle years to build real understanding, and the board years to carry less fear than they used to.

The policy is the same for every CBSE school in Indore. What differs is how seriously each school practises it. Use the questions above, visit during school hours, and judge by what you see children doing in the classroom.

Visit the Campus

The clearest way to understand NEP 2020 is to watch it in a classroom. Come and see how the foundational and primary years are taught at Mastermind School, and ask our teachers anything this guide did not answer.

Book a campus visit or contact the school to speak with our team.