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.

Responding to the recommendations of Professor Becky Francis’s Curriculum and Assessment Review (5 November 2025), 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.

Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, said:

It has been over a decade since the national curriculum was updated, and 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.

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.

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.

Key reforms include:

• 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.
• 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.
• Supporting schools to develop a triple science offer, ahead of introducing a statutory entitlement for all GCSE pupils.
• A new primary oracy framework, and a new combined secondary oracy, reading and writing framework so these are embedded across the whole curriculum.
• Exploring a new language qualification which banks progress and motivates pupils to want to continue studying, complementing existing GCSEs and A levels.
• 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.

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.

Supportive quotes:

Ruth Marvel OBE, Chief Executive, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, said:

We are delighted that the Government has pledged to create a new enrichment entitlement. This is a watershed moment that will ensure every pupil, no matter their background, can experience an enriched education and have equitable access to the activities and experiences that engage, inspire and develop, as a complement to the academic curriculum.

At DofE we see every day the positive impact enrichment opportunities have on young people and their communities: they boost confidence and essential life skills, develop independence and social capital, improve wellbeing and resilience, and support belonging, school attendance and attainment.

We look forward to continuing to work with Government to make the vision of an enrichment entitlement a reality for all.

Jane Gratton, Deputy Director of Public Policy at the British Chambers of Commerce said:

It is essential that every young person finishes their education with the knowledge and skills to move successfully into working life.

Business will welcome curriculum changes that improve employability - such as team working, oracy, literacy, digital and financial skills. It’s crucial that every student can access an appropriate qualification pathway to help keep them engaged – and in education or work.

With business, education providers and Government working together – we can ensure our future workforce is ready for the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Kate Varah, Co-CEO and Executive Director, National Theatre, said:

The National Theatre welcomes the government’s commitment to put the arts and creativity back at the heart of school life and ensure that every child has access to high-quality education, wherever they grow up.

Access to drama and arts subjects are an essential part of a broad, rich and inclusive curriculum. They introduce a huge body of knowledge and skills, helping students to build their understanding of the world, and supporting them to develop independence alongside key skills including confidence, problem solving, collaboration and self-expression.

Removal of the EBacc, a stronger Drama curriculum at Key Stages 1-3, ensuring that content studied is representative of modern society, and entitlement to extra-curricular arts enrichment are all vital steps towards equal access to arts education.

Our Artistic Director Indhu Rubasingham and I look forward to working with the government and partners across the country to ensure all young people can enjoy a high-quality Drama education, and benefit from the essential skills for life and work that it provides.

Sir Hamid Patel CBE, Chief Executive of Star Academies, said:

The Government’s response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review shows 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.

Prof. Andrew Charlton-Perez OBE, University of Reading, said:

It’s brilliant that all children will now learn about climate and nature at school. This will help the next generation to be better informed and choose their own future path. It will put young people, and the UK economy, in a stronger position to benefit from the green transition that the world is already going through. I can see many opportunities to shape the core climate education content in Science and Geography. The rare opportunity to ensure the detail in the curriculum is up to date with the latest science should not be missed.