What the experts say…
THE MAKINGS OF A CONTEMPORARY CURRICULUM
Comment by JACQUI O’HANLON, Deputy Executive Director and Director of Creative Learning at the Royal Shakespeare Company
T
he curriculum’s influence on young lives and futures cannot be underestimated, and we welcome the government’s recognition that every child should have access to creative arts subjects and experiences. The removal of the EBacc will make a material difference to the choices available to young people. In our ‘Time to Listen’ research published in 2018 which analysed responses from 5,500 young people we reported that the EBacc had downgraded the value and importance of arts subjects. The government today recognises the need for parity for arts subjects which will now be given equal status to humanities and languages.
STRENGTHENING
FINANCIAL EDUCATION IS A MAJOR STEP FORWARD
Comment by SARAH PORRETTA, CEO of Young Enterprise
I
t is excellent news that the Curriculum & Assessment Review has recognised the vital importance of financial education as an
essential skill to better prepare young people for work and life. The decision to strengthen financial education within the national curriculum – embedding it more deeply into citizenship, maths and as a life skill at secondary
level, and extending it into primary education as a statutory element – marks a major step forward.
Financial literacy is not just a classroom subject, it is a life skill that underpins social mobility, resilience, future economic wellbeing and the country’s growth. Teachers have told us repeatedly that they need time, training, and resources to deliver this effectively, and parents and children are desperate for more financial education. Today’s announcement offers a real opportunity to make that possible.
As the leading organisation working directly with schools and educators on financial education, we look forward to working with the Government to help design and roll out this strengthened curriculum.
We look forward to ensuring that every young person, from primary through to secondary school, leaves education with the financial confidence and skills they need to thrive in life and work.
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www.education-today.co.uk
It is heartening to see the important emphasis on oracy following the work of the Oracy Commission, and a strengthening of Drama provision with a recognition of the subject’s value as part of a broad and balanced curriculum that builds students’ confidence and prepares them for later life.
All in all, this is a vision for a revitalised, contemporary curriculum that can equip young people with vital skills for life and work. We look forward to continuing our work with schools across the country to improve learning and life outcomes for children and young people.
A MUCH-NEEDED REVIEW – BUT ADDITIONAL SUPPORT WILL BE NEEDED TOO
Comment by ALEX SARYCHKIN, Head of English, and JOE WOLFENSOHN, Assistant Head of Biology at MyEdSpace
Alex Sarychkin: The reduction in exam hours is a smart move that will ease the burden on students, while the new Year 8 reading and maths tests will be very useful in helping teachers identify where students need extra support earlier on.
That being said, while the report rightly highlights the limitations of the current curriculum and encourages teachers to broaden their approach, the real obstacle here is time. Our teacher colleagues are already stretched thin, and with more teachers leaving the profession, the ones that stay will be facing even more pressure.
These curriculum changes need to be accompanied by an increase in the use of technology to deliver them. Screen-based assessments and flexible, mixed models of schooling can take a lot of pressure off teachers and encourage more of them to stay in the profession, while also transforming how students learn and show progress. Platforms using live-streamed teaching and AI to enhance learning, such as MyEdSpace, have already proved they can boost grades and create more engagement among schoolchildren. There’s real potential here to build on that momentum.
Joe Wolfensohn: 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.
December 2025
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