England’s upcoming Curriculum and Assessment Review findings could shake up what and how schools approach teaching and learning. Are you ready? 

England’s Curriculum and Assessment Review is expected to bring about significant changes. We hope to see an implementation timeline and insights around the key areas of investigation in the upcoming interim report, expected ‘exceedingly soon’ (at time of writing on 17th March). Keep reading to the end to get our ‘Curriculum change readiness checklist’ and understand what you should be thinking about now to help prepare for and adapt to the upcoming changes. 

While the educational world in England awaits the interim report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, there’s an understandable surge of research commissioned by various players. However, despite some interesting speculations at BESA’s curriculum conference on the 13th March, not much light has been shed so far on what the report will include. 

At the APPG for Schools, Learning and Assessment in Westminster at the end of February, review chair Becky Francis used the phrase ‘trade-off’ repeatedly when answering questions about particular curriculum subjects or aspects of assessment. We’ll be looking out for anything more concrete about those trade-offs when the report is released. As reported by Schools Week, Francis made some interesting suggestions at the ASCL conference on the 15th March. She hinted at scrapping the EBacc, keeping GCSEs, SATs, A levels and T levels, and providing more time for teaching arts, D&T, computing and ICT at KS4. 

What providers should be thinking about now

Our team has a deep understanding of the UK education landscape. We have been working closely with schools to gain insight into what teachers expect and how providers can support them to navigate change. Our range of services can help you prepare for and adapt to the upcoming changes. For example, research with schools, development of pilot materials, or audits of your backlist. Get in touch to ask about a strategy session with our team. 

What our team is thinking about now:

• key areas where change is likely, and how teachers will react
• the role of technology in adapting to new frameworks
• how to future-proof curriculum resources. 

What do teachers and schools expect from England’s Curriculum and Assessment Review? 

While recommendations will be published in 2025, experts believe we’ll see change by 2026 at the earliest. Some educationalists have already outlined the changes they would like to see. These include fewer tests for primary pupils and less content at GCSE. Other suggestions include calls for greater focus on the arts and humanities, the decolonisation of the curriculum, and a revamp for climate education and for the schools admissions process. (Read about experts’ ambitions for change in Education Insights 5: The Future of Curriculum and Assessment.) However, the limited time available in a taught timetable requires prioritisation. This inevitably leads to certain subjects or areas of learning being dropped or left out to make space for others.

A curriculum or assessment review can become the catalyst for dramatic shift. Either because of change to high stakes assessment, the official validation of a pedagogic movement, or a structural change. Spotting a potential large-scale transformation allows you to adjust your investment at portfolio level. This could prove to be even more important than identifying subject-level changes. 

What are we likely to see in the review? 

• Trade offs: Francis has suggested there has been ‘a trade-off between breadth and depth’ in the existing curriculum offer, ‘which can make it harder for pupils to master a subject fully’. Ebacc reform, anyone?
• Cautious, and evidence based changes rather than revolution. In this context, the definition of evidence-based remains to be seen.

Which big questions might be answered in the interim report?

• Will there be any changes to  assessments at Primary? Will calls to to review or remove phonics and times tables tests be heard? Will the ongoing plea to abolish the end-of-KS2 national tests be acknowledged?
• How the review will balance the need to retain an internationally well-regarded set of qualifications with calls for students’ assessment burden to be reduced. Is the answer to reduce the number of exams students are asked to sit?
• Consideration of skills like critical thinking and oracy and how to fit them into a packed curriculum. Again with the caveat of ‘trade-offs’ – what will be cut to make way?
• Whether the government has the appetite for substantial reform when teachers have many other pressures upon them. In the words of Bridget Phillipson on 15th March: ‘we need a core curriculum in all schools, one that builds on the past, but is fit for the future, rich in knowledge, broad and deep, cutting-edge’.

How can providers support educators to navigate change?

This is the first major review of the English national curriculum and assessment across all phases and key stages for a decade. The express aim of the review is to modernise the system and find out what is and isn’t working. Significant changes to curriculum and assessment present considerable challenges to those of us designing and delivering education services over the long term. Cutting edge solutions become old hat; backlists dramatically decline; and competitors find it easier to challenge the market leader. Understanding what schools need and designing a solution that makes it easy for them can transform a portfolio. Getting it wrong can mean a decade of missed opportunities. 

Gathering insight from customers and using your expertise to innovate, are both crucial. If your diagnosis of the problem is correct, and you can design an effective solution, then there are immense opportunities to both gain market share and deliver better educational outcomes. Understanding the scale of the problem is key. Does your research suggest a tweak to an existing product, or the opportunity for something new?

Curriculum change readiness checklist

• Plan a programme of research with schools
• Audit your existing products and services and your customer experience
• Develop and test pilot materials 
• Optimise your publishing process for speed to market 
• Explore AI and other technology 
• Develop a curriculum and assessment change communications plan 
• Improve your professional development offer

It would be fantastic to hear about your plans and see how we can inform your strategic thinking or support you to adapt to upcoming changes. For example, through development of pilot materials, audits of your backlist, or reviews of your publishing process. Get in touch to ask about a strategy session with our team.