England’s schools are on the cusp of a sweeping transformation, as the government unveils the first major overhaul of the national curriculum in more than a decade. The reforms, announced on November 5, 2025, promise to bring classroom learning into the modern age, equipping students with practical skills for life and work—while igniting a fierce debate about the future of education.
Among the most striking changes: children will soon be taught how to budget, understand mortgages, and spot fake news—including content generated by artificial intelligence. These lessons, set to begin in 2028, mark a clear shift toward preparing pupils for the complex realities of contemporary society, according to the Department for Education (DfE), as reported by BBC News.
“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,” said Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson. She added, “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’s Plan for Change, built on recommendations from Professor Becky Francis’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, aims to address both academic and practical gaps. It will introduce a new statutory reading test in Year 8 and strengthen writing assessment in Year 6, targeting the roughly one in four children who currently leave primary school unable to read well, as highlighted by the National Literacy Trust. The hope is to spot pupils needing extra support at critical junctures, particularly in the so-called “lost years” at the start of secondary school, when many working-class students fall behind.
But the reforms go far beyond literacy. In a move applauded by creative communities, arts GCSEs will be given equal status to humanities and languages. The government will scrap the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), a performance measure introduced in 2010 that critics say has stifled student choice. The DfE acknowledged that the EBacc “has to some degree unnecessarily constrained students’ choices,” limiting their engagement with arts and vocational subjects. Without it, schools will be encouraged to offer a broader range of GCSEs, including music and the arts.
This development drew praise from singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, who campaigned for greater investment in music education and the removal of the EBacc. “These curriculum reforms give young people hope and the opportunity to study music,” Sheeran said, according to BBC News. “Without the encouragement I received in school, especially from my music teacher, I wouldn’t be a musician today. My music education went beyond learning and playing. It helped me find confidence in myself, and music itself was—and still is—so important for my mental health.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer echoed this sentiment, thanking Sheeran for his advocacy and promising to revitalize the arts in schools. “Learning music at school made a huge difference to my life. We will make sure every child has access to those experiences... so that creativity isn't a privilege, but a right,” Starmer wrote in a letter to Sheeran.
The curriculum overhaul also includes a new core enrichment entitlement, guaranteeing all pupils access to civic engagement, arts and culture, nature and adventure, sport, and life skills. These activities, the government argues, are vital for building resilience and expanding opportunity for every child. Schools will be expected to offer triple science GCSE as standard, and the DfE is exploring a new qualification for 16-18 year olds in data science and AI—fields seen as crucial for the future economy.
Additionally, the government plans to reduce the volume of GCSE exams by 10%, responding to criticism that England is an “international outlier” in exam load, rivaled only by Singapore. Professor Becky Francis, who led the curriculum review, explained, “It’s a very intense and elongated time, as anyone who’s been a parent of GCSE-age pupils knows, but we don’t want to trade standards and reliability.” The DfE will work with Ofqual and exam boards to ensure qualifications remain robust even as exam time is trimmed.
Another key recommendation is the introduction of compulsory citizenship lessons in primary schools, covering finances, democracy, and government. This means that even the youngest students will learn about budgeting, mortgages, pensions, and the workings of democracy—preparing them for informed adult life. Notably, research cited in the review found that most children aged 7 to 17 make online purchases, with two-thirds doing so without adult supervision, underscoring the need for robust financial education.
There’s also a renewed focus on digital literacy. Children will be taught to navigate the pitfalls of misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated content, and to develop critical thinking skills to protect themselves online. The DfE will replace the current computer science GCSE and is considering new qualifications in data science, AI, and languages.
However, not everyone is cheering the changes. Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott lambasted the reforms as “educational vandalism,” arguing, “Labour’s idea of boosting social mobility is to teach primary school children about climate change instead of making sure they can read, write and add up properly.” She warned that scrapping the EBacc could mean fewer students studying history and languages, and claimed, “It will be the disadvantaged children who will suffer the most.”
Former Conservative schools minister Nick Gibb also expressed concern, predicting a “precipitous decline in the study of foreign languages,” which he said would become increasingly confined to private schools and wealthier families. The Liberal Democrats, meanwhile, welcomed the broader curriculum but criticized the outright scrapping of the EBacc, calling instead for its reform.
Head teachers and educational leaders have generally welcomed the review’s evidence-based approach but cautioned that successful implementation will require “sufficient funding and teachers.” Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, remarked, “It’s ironic that the government keep asking for more and more from a pot that is actually getting smaller and smaller. We'd ask the government to look carefully at school finances and make sure they invest so that we can make sure we can implement the shared aspirations and ambitions of this report.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson has emphasized that the changes are about “better sequencing” of curriculum content, not simply swapping out old lessons for new ones. She promised that schools would have four terms’ notice before being expected to teach the new curriculum, and that the revised national curriculum would be published by spring 2027 for implementation in September 2028.
As the dust settles on the announcement, one thing is clear: England’s education system is poised for a major shift, with passionate voices on all sides. Whether these reforms will deliver the promised renewal—or spark further controversy—remains to be seen. But for now, students, teachers, and parents alike are bracing for a new era in the classroom.
