At 22:30 on Tuesday 4 November the DfE released a press release on reforming the national curriculum in response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review, published today, when the full government response is also published.
The Review has been informed by research evidence, data, and a wealth of perspectives from experts, stakeholders and the public, including more than 7,000 responses to a Call for Evidence, and a range of research and polling. The Review’s interim report published in March acknowledged that the EBacc performance measures have impacted student choice, as is made clear in our Report Cards: the Review heard “strong” concerns about the EBacc and the status of Arts subjects from our sector.
This is CLA’s headline analysis based only on the government’s press release in response to the Review.
It is clear from this release that the government is seeking to introduce a broad and balanced, inclusive and innovative curriculum. We have been told that the government is making “crystal clear” that Arts subjects are an entitlement for every child.
We have been told there will be a strong focus on access and equity across curriculum reform and we welcome this commitment. As part of an inclusive curriculum, CLA has long been calling for a focus on representation, breath and relevance across the curriculum for Arts subjects, so that children can see themselves reflected in what they are learning. We look forward to reporting more on this soon.
We will share a detailed analysis of both the review itself and the full government response next week, by which time we anticipate being able to address the specifics around changes for each Arts subject.
For now, we do know that we are seeing some very big wins for Arts subjects …!
8 HEADLINES FOR ARTS SUBJECTS FROM DFE PRESS RELEASE
- EBacc to be scrapped: “Changes to school performance measures – removal of the EBacc and reforms to Progress 8 – to encourage students to study a greater breadth of GCSE subjects including the arts, humanities and languages alongside English, maths and science. This follows the failure of the EBacc measure to encourage take up of subjects including languages and constraining student choice.”
CLA take: We are delighted to see this as the foundational policy change. CLA has long been calling for the EBacc to be scrapped, and our annual Report Cards reveal its damaging impact in eroding Arts subjects in schools since 2010. We look forward to learning more about the proposed reforms to Progress 8 - Parity for arts subjects: “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.”
CLA take: We are so pleased to see this. We have long been calling for parity for Arts subjects with other subject areas. For a decade and a half, we have had a lack of value ascribed to Arts subjects within the state education system in England and now this structural subject inequality is set to be removed. And it is good to see an enrichment entitlement which includes the Arts that can sit alongside a core Arts curriculum offer. - Skills for life and work: The government tells us that a reformed and revitalised national curriculum will “equip young people with vital skills for life and work”.
CLA take: We are very happy to see this. Our Capabilities Framework sets out how Arts subjects provide children with skills for life and skills for work through seven capabilities: agency; wellbeing; collaboration; communication; empathy; creativity and interpretation. - The value of critical thinking for countering disinformation: “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.”
CLA take: We’re pleased to see this focus on challenging disinformation. Our Capabilities Framework includes Interpretation as one of seven key capabilities developed through studying Arts subjects. This embraces critical thinking, meaning making and reflective judgement, all of which enable children and young people to challenge disinformation and support informed decision making. - A future-facing curriculum: “Reforms to update the national curriculum will enable young people to seize opportunities so they can achieve and thrive in the modern world, including navigating the threat of fake news and online disinformation.” The press release tells us that “Children and young people will leave school fully equipped to thrive in the modern world of work under reforms to breathe new life into the national curriculum unveiled today.”
CLA take: We’re pleased to see this future-facing emphasis – through our Blueprint for an Arts-rich education we have long been calling for a high-quality, modern, future-facing curriculum. - Foundations, knowledge and skills: We’re told there are set to be: “High standards for every child with strong foundations in oracy, reading, writing and maths especially in primary and the ‘lost years”’ at the start of secondary.” 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.” 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.
CLA take: We’re pleased to see reference to skills as well as knowledge here. We knew there would be a focus on a curriculum that is “knowledge rich” but we wanted to see recognition of the value of skills development. We have examined how Arts subjects are knowledge-rich in a series of CLA Latest Thinking articles. We also welcome the reference to oracy (see below) and the importance of Key Stage 3. - Oracy: “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.” As well as a new primary oracy framework there will be a new combined secondary oracy, reading and writing framework so these are embedded across the whole curriculum.
CLA take: We’re pleased to see the inclusion of oracy after its surprising omission from the Interim Report back in March. As was reported by the Oracy Education Commission in October 2024, “Arts education offers unique conditions and context for pupils to engage in dialogue, express themselves and develop their oracy skills through creative processes. Opportunities to speak, listen and engaged in creativity and experimentation, which can be developed through Arts education, play a crucial role in children’s development.” Our Capabilities Framework includes communication as one of seven key capabilities developed through studying Arts subjects. - Enrichment: There will be a new core enrichment entitlement for every pupil – covering civic engagement; arts and culture; nature, outdoor and adventure; sport and physical activities; and developing wider life skills – to build resilience and opportunity.
“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. The government will publish a new set of enrichment benchmarks with schools asked to ensure every child has access to activities across five categories of enrichment. Ofsted will consider as part of routine inspection how this expectation is being met, with information also made available to parents through a new information service – school profiles.”
CLA take: We know that Arts activities and experiences beyond the curriculum are extremely valuable in supporting attainment and achievement, but have always argued that the arts belong in the curriculum – enrichment provision cannot be a substitute for curriculum delivery. So we warmly welcome the government’s commitment to the arts both with the curriculum and in an enrichment entitlement.
OTHER KEY REFORMS AND SCHEDULE FOR IMPLEMENTATION
- 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.
- Making citizenship compulsory in primary, ensuring all pupils learn media literacy and financial literacy, law and rights, democracy and government, and climate education early on.
- Replacing the narrowly focused computer science GCSE with a broader, future-facing computing GCSE and exploring a new qualification in data science and AI for 16–18-year-olds.
- Supporting schools to develop a triple science offer, ahead of introducing a statutory entitlement for all GCSE pupils.
- Exploring a new language qualification which banks progress and motivates pupils to want to continue studying, complementing existing GCSEs and A levels.
- 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, the new national curriculum will be digital and machine-readable, to support teachers to more easily sequence their school curricula.
The new curriculum will be implemented in full, for first teaching from September 2028. Government will aim to publish the final revised national curriculum by spring 2027 – giving schools four terms to prepare for the changes.
SECRETARY OF STATE COMMENTS AND WIDER RESPONSE
In setting the scene for the new reforms, Bridget Phillipson said: “It’s more crucial than ever that young people are equipped to face the challenges of today, so they can seize the exciting opportunities that life has to offer. The path to our country’s renewal runs through our schools: they must be an epicentre of the strongest possible foundations of knowledge, and the skills to excel in the modern world. From the fundamentals of reading to the present danger of spotting fake news, as part of our Plan for Change, these landmark reforms will help young people step boldly into the future, with the knowledge to achieve and the skills to thrive as the world around us continues to rapidly evolve.”
Other figures quoted in the press release were Ruth Marvel OBE, Chief Executive, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award; Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce; Kate Varah, Co-CEO and Executive Director, National Theatre; and Sir Hamid Patel CBE, Chief Executive of Star Academies.
Sir Hamid Patel commented on the government’s “principled determination to build on the very best practice that has been developed by schools. It spurs ambition and innovation while recognising the increasingly complex challenges faced by the sector. The demands that reform places on teachers have been acknowledged, with a sensible implementation timeline and signposting of reputable sources of support”.
