Children and young people will leave school in the UK fully equipped to thrive in the modern world of work under reforms to breathe new life into the national curriculum unveiled today.
Responding to the recommendations of Professor Becky Francis’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government has confirmed steps to ensure every young person has a cast-iron grip on the basics of reading, science and maths, alongside the knowledge and skills required for life and work over the next decade – raising school standards and boosting opportunity under the Plan for Change.
The revitalised curriculum is a core part of how the government will deliver the Prime Minister’s target of two-thirds of young people participating in higher-level learning by age 25, ensuring they have the skills needed to get on in life.
For the first time, primary aged children will gain vital skills like how to spot fake news and identify misinformation and disinformation, helping them develop the critical thinking needed to challenge what they see and protect them from online harms. Primary pupils will also learn more about the fundamentals of money, recognising that children are now consumers often before they reach secondary school, while bringing important changes to strengthen children’s reading.
The government will introduce a new statutory reading test in year 8 and a strengthening of writing assessment in year 6 to spot pupils who need extra support at a crucial point in their development. Currently around 1 in 4 children leave primary school without being able to properly read and too many are leaving school without passing their GCSE English. The new year 8 test will pinpoint those who could benefit from further stretch, while repairing falling standards in the ‘lost years’ at the start of secondary, when too many working-class young people fall behind.
Under the new arrangements, arts GCSEs will be given equal status to humanities and languages, recognising their value in boosting confidence and broadening skills for a competitive job market. To complement this, a new core enrichment entitlement will offer all pupils access to civic engagement, arts and culture, nature and adventure, sport and life skills to build resilience and opportunity.
Schools will also be expected to work towards offering triple science GCSE as standard, which comes alongside the government exploring a new qualification for 16-18 year olds in data science and AI – helping more young people succeed in the science and tech careers that power our economy.
The government will publish a new oracy framework to ensure more young people become confident and effective speakers, building on the success of the reading and writing frameworks, and help teachers strengthen their teaching of oracy through practical tips, tried-and-tested strategies and examples of best practice.
Evidence shows that increased participation in extra-curricular activities is associated with higher academic outcomes, so the government is also setting out a new core enrichment entitlement, so that every child – wherever they go to school – has access to sport, the arts and more.
Joe Wolfensohn, Assistant Head of Biology at MyEdSpace, said: “It’s a really positive and much-needed review of an outdated national curriculum. The report finally shows some joined-up thinking across the key stages, which has been missing for far too long, and its pledges to teach students more real-life skills, for example in AI and mortgages, are very welcome.
“If these curriculum changes aren’t supported by additional funding, support or investment in the recruitment and retention of teachers, all they’ll do is put greater strain on a system already at breaking point, and end up being counter-productive. As teachers, we’ve seen several good ideas fail because the government gave no thought as to how they’d actually work in practice.”
Barney Hussey-Yeo, Founder and CEO of financial management app, Cleo AI, said: “This morning’s news that financial literacy will be added to the school curriculum is long overdue. For too long, young people have left school knowing how to analyse a poem but not how to budget, save or build credit. The result? The UK’s financial literacy rates trail countries like France and Canada, and too many people start adult life on the back foot.
“Teaching kids about money early gives them confidence and control in a world where finances touch almost everything. It’s about independence and resilience as much as numbers.
“At Cleo, we’ve spent years building AI that helps adults catch up on the financial education they never got. This curriculum change tackles the root cause – but for the millions who’ve already left school, the catch-up job continues.”
