If there's one thing you can count on in life, it's change. And so it is for education. Those of us who have been around a while have already seen numerous curriculum and assessment changes. In 2025 there another will be announced by the Curriculum and Assessment Review Panel.
What is the review about?
Over the years, I've learned to approach these announcements with curiosity and caution. Apologies if this makes me sound cynical, but experience makes me question whether we're looking at real improvements or just another reshuffling of priorities. While the finer details have not been decided, there does appear to be some indication of the review's focus from the government's 5 Missions for a Better Britain: Breaking Down the Barriers to Opportunity, 2023, the Call for Evidence Curriculum and Assessment Review, 2024 and the Curriculum and assessment review - aims, terms of reference and working principle 2024.
The good news is that the emphasis of the review is on 'evolution, not revolution'. There is clearly an aim to prevent overburdening schools and teachers with increased workloads. Whether this aim is realistic remains to be seen, but the messaging from the review panel suggests that schools will be able to build on the existing strengths of their curriculum rather than feel the need to change things that are already working well.
So, what can we expect? While the full changes will not be known for some time, the table below provides some highlights from the Curriculum and Assessment Review - aims, terms of reference and working principle. These highlights are shown against some simple statements (based on my opinion) on what this might mean for primary schools.
Curriculum and Assessment Review: Review Aims, Terms of Reference and Working Principles Review Aims (July 2024) | What might this mean for primary schools (my views only) |
Cutting-edge curriculum, equipping children and young people with the essential knowledge and skills which will enable them to adapt and thrive in the world and workplace of the future. | Taking a fresh look at your curriculum and considering how to remove/update any content that is out of date. For example, updating the history curriculum to better reflect the place of diverse communities and individuals in British history. |
The review will build on the hard work of teachers and staff across the system who have brought their subjects alive with knowledge-rich syllabuses, to deliver a curriculum which is rich and broad, inclusive, and innovative. | Building on the work you have already done to embed knowledge across your curriculum to ensure that you also have a good progression of skills in all subjects. For example, not just knowing the names of the primary and secondary colours but knowing how to mix and apply them too. |
The review will also ensure that the curriculum and assessment system are aligned and operate together in a coherent manner. | Ensuring that your assessment procedures are fully aligned with your curriculum for all subjects. For example, making sure that assessment is fully embedded within the curriculum and assesses what is actually taught. Assessment providers will need to update their systems to support schools to do this. |
Learning is effectively sequenced. | Re-evaluating whether your curriculum is effectively sequenced across all key stages and year groups for all subjects. For example, you might need to revisit your curriculum progression framework to make sure it is in line with any new programmes of study. |
A broader curriculum, so that children and young people do not miss out on subjects such as music, art, sport and drama, as well as vocational subjects. | Revisiting those subjects in your curriculum that have had less attention. For example, you might need to broaden opportunities for subjects such as art and music in your school timetable. However, this will probably mean the curriculum will need slimming down in other subjects to achieve this. |
Embedding digital, oracy and life skills in their learning. | Introducing new programmes of study for oracy and other 'softer' skills into your curriculum. For example, this could mean embedding new programmes of study or simply highlighting where these skills are already taught in your curriculum. |
A curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring all children and young people are represented. | Adapting existing content to reflect greater diversity in your curriculum. For example, this might mean adding more diverse people, places and cultures to your curriculum. |
Enabling them (schools) to adapt how they teach the curriculum to their students’ lives and life experiences. | A greater emphasis on curriculum localisation and cultural capital in your curriculum including local resources, buildings, places and people. For example, looking for ways to increase parental and community involvement. |
All state schools, including academies, will be required to teach the national curriculum. | Ensuring the curriculum reflects the national curriculum even if you are an academy. |
Ensuring that children build on their learning and development in the early years. | Reevaluating how well your school curriculum is sequenced from the early years onwards. For example, looking for ways to build clearer learning pathways between the EYFS and Y1. |
Positive outcomes for children and young people who are from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds, have a special educational need or disability and/or are otherwise vulnerable. | Seeking ways to enable all children to access the curriculum. For example, looking for smaller steps in progression and seeking resources and teaching strategies that better support learners with SEND to access and make progress across the curriculum. |
Emerging issues
In a recent article in Schools Week, 'Becky Francis reveals 'emerging themes' from curriculum review, highlights some of the feedback from schools so far'. Comments included that teachers feel 'disempowered and deprofessionalised by overstipulation and the challenge to cover content' in the curriculum and that there have been frequent complaints that assessment and exams 'dictate' the curriculum. Moreover, teachers feel that focusing on assessment and testing has led to 'deprioritisation of certain subjects'. Francis says, 'Literally, what I hear is 'getting through the content'. That's a phrase that teachers have used repeatedly.'
For more information on what the roadshows are highlighting so far, it is worth reading the full article, which you can find on the Schools Week website.
There isn't anything new or exciting in the feedback yet, and much of what has been said is commentary that I hear regularly in my work with schools. Nevertheless, it's good that there is a means to give that feedback directly to the people who will set the school course for the next five years.
Supporting you through the review
There have been numerous reviews of the national curriculum since I started teaching in 1993 and several since 2010, when I set up my company, Cornerstones Education. Over the years, we've worked with thousands of primary schools, helping them to navigate curriculum change. As a person who likes change and evolution, I have welcomed the opportunities each review has brought to look at things anew and make improvements. There is usually good and bad in every review, so it is often more about the flexibility teachers are given for adapting and implementing new content that matters rather than the content itself. For many schools, however, and I have heard it said frequently, they do not have the will or energy to make more changes to their curriculum, having spent the last few years since the pandemic changing and improving their curriculum to meet Ofsted guidelines and expectations. So, while the scale of the changes remains to be seen, if you want to avoid more work and curriculum fatigue, it is worth looking for a commercial solution to make those changes for you and support you through the review. Of course, I am biased, but Cornerstones is the best because of its quality, the team offers one-to-one support, and you can adapt and use it flexibly rather than as an off-the-shelf package. But if that's not for you and you want to do your own, then using Curriculum Simplexity as a guide will help.
Final Thoughts
Change is inevitable in education, and this curriculum and assessment review could be a step in the right direction. Some things need updating, expanding, slimming down and replacing. Giving your views on this through the Call for Evidence will hopefully have helped the review panel see the strength of feelings from teachers and other educators.
We all know the curriculum is never 'finished', and the best curriculums constantly evolve through a cycle of continuous development. But as with any reform, the devil will be in the detail. Will it empower primary schools and teachers to create curriculums we can be happy with and proud of? Will this period of evolution help us build engaging and modern curriculums that help all children progress and love learning? I hope so.
And, of course, I'll be here to support you through the changes, through regular blogs and resources, keeping things as simple as possible and making the complexities of the review feel doable.
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