Steplab - Coherent professional development for a coherent curriculum
A response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review (2025) in partnership with the Confederation of School Trusts.
Ongoing project
娇色导航 and the Curriculum
Following the General Election on the 4th July 2024, The Labour Government committed to a range of policies, relating to education, in the . The Labour manifesto pledged to a review of the national curriculum in England, which was referenced in the speech:
‘an 鈥榚xpert led鈥 review of the curriculum and assessment, which would 鈥渃onsider the right balance of assessment methods whilst protecting the important role of examinations鈥 (the manifesto noted the importance of 鈥渁n excellent foundation in reading, writing and maths, and support to develop essential digital, speaking, and creative skills鈥)’
In accordance with this policy, the Secretary of State for Education, Bridget Phillipson, announced a to inform the Curriculum and Assessment Review on 25th September 2024. This closes on 22nd November 2024. On 21st October 2024,听Education Minister of Northern Ireland, Paul Givan, also announced a . 娇色导航 will be engaging with these reviews in various ways throughout their duration.
As an educational organisation, 娇色导航 has a strong track record for disseminating research on the subject of curriculum. We would like to take this opportunity to share some of our most relevant publications and projects to assist our members in engaging with this important milestone in UK educational policy.听
Update – March 2026
Review chair Becky Francis said her recommendations are 鈥渁mbitious but achievable鈥 and have the 鈥減otential to bring about important and lasting change that improves the educational experiences and outcomes of children and young people鈥. Read the latest responses to the review below.
The conclusions and recommendations of the independent review of the curriculum, assessment and qualifications system in England – Published 5th November 2025.听
Becky Francis and review team publish their initial findings and set out the next phase of work which will focus on four key areas. Please follow the link above to read the report.
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Responses to the Curriculum & Assessment Review (& Interim Report)
Education Uncovered - Shining a Light on School Reform in England
Will the Francis curriculum and assessment review provide the radical look at the in-the-round impact of England鈥檚 school system on young people that is desperately needed?
It seems unlikely.
Data on young people's mental health and satisfaction with school may not be being given enough attention in this review. Image: iStock/Getty Images
Five realignments for curriculum design
As upcoming curriculum reform unfolds across England and Northern Ireland, schools are being invited to reconsider how their curriculum visions relate to profound and unprecedented societal...
We need a revolution in the primary curriculum for England, not an evolution
Like many headteachers in the state sector, I was excited in 2024 when the newly elected Labour government called for a curriculum and assessment review. Many of us in the primary phase (ages...
Evolution or business as usual? The interim report for England鈥檚 national curriculum review
The election of a Labour government in the UK in July 2024 heralded optimism that some serious problems with England鈥檚 national curriculum and assessment system, evident since 2014, would...
Curriculum: Theory, policy and practice
娇色导航 invites contributions from authors to a new 娇色导航 Blog series exploring the theme of Curriculum. We welcome posts that reflect on, critique or offer research-informed insights into curriculum...
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A selection of 娇色导航 Publications that feature the Curriculum
Curriculum in a Changing World
50 think pieces on education, policy, practice, innovation & inclusion
The Curriculum Journal
The Curriculum Journal is an international peer-reviewed journal that publishes original contributions to the study of curriculum, pedagogy and assessment. Papers reporting empirical studies and...
Autumn 2023
Research Intelligence issue 156: Intersectionality: Teaching & learning in UK schools
The 娇色导航 Guide to Decolonising the Curriculum
Equity and Inclusion in Educational Research and Practice
娇色导航 Bites, issue 8: Toward a digital future of curriculum, pedagogy & assessment
In the last three decades, digital technologies have become an integral part of our lives, societies and education systems worldwide.听The Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns since early...
娇色导航 Bites, issue 9: What are we educating for?
This 娇色导航 Bites collection started out as a seminar series听in which policymakers, educational practitioners and researchers came together to discuss what we are educating for across the English...
Award winning BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant Research Reports
Sounding right, sounding white: Interrogating language, race and curriculum in secondary education
Funded by the British Curriculum Forum Curriculum Investigation Grant 2021鈥2022, this project explored the impact of offering lower KS3 pupils a curriculum that contrasted significantly with the...
Towards curriculum design coherence in primary geography education for sustainability
This report shares the work of four primary teachers from the West Midlands of England involved in a curriculum investigation project funded by the British Curriculum Forum. The project aimed to...
Students as the co-creators of the sustainability curriculum
Developing an introductory course on climate change, social justice & sustainability
Diversifying our curriculum: Rediscovering the power of our narrative voices
Funded by the 2021鈥2022 British Curriculum Forum Curriculum Investigation Grant, this project aimed to investigate the degree to which a secondary school in England included a multitude of...
2023 娇色导航 School Research Award
娇色导航 is pleased to announce our new award aimed at encouraging the development of research skills in the curriculum of secondary schools.听 The 娇色导航 School Research Award aims to promote the value...
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Further 娇色导航 Publications with a Focus on Curriculum and Assessment
Spotlight on SEND: Curriculum design and practice
On 24听March 2022, the British Curriculum Forum (BCF) ran the Spotlight on SEND: Curriculum Design and Practice online event. The event focused attention on research-informed curriculum design and...
Exploring issues in secondary subject English: Reconnecting curriculum, policy and practice
Evidence suggests that opportunities for students to enjoy talk, reading and writing in the subject of English are increasingly delimited in maintained secondary schools in England. The pressures...
Doing cynefin: Exploring ideas on belonging, connectedness and community in the Curriculum for Wales
Wales is a small country that is distinctive in its landscape, culture and language. This gives the notion of place a particular resonance in Wales and reinforces the significance of local...
Unpacking the complexities and challenges of education in Northern Ireland
Stimulating debate with Ulster University鈥檚 Transforming Education project
Primary Assessment
A new report from an expert panel convened by 娇色导航 sets out the case against the government鈥檚 proposal to use a baseline assessment test of pupils in reception to hold schools in England to...
娇色导航 and the British Curriculum Forum (BCF)
The British Curriculum Forum is the successor to the British Curriculum Foundation which was incorporated into 娇色导航 in 2014. The BCF has been in existence for over 40 years (and was previously known as The Association for the Study of Curriculum).听
British Curriculum Forum
The British Curriculum Forum aims to bring together all those with an interest in collaborative curriculum, research and development. Through events and grants, the BCF supports communication and...
A Curriculum For Wellbeing
This British Curriculum Forum virtual resource brings together education professionals from different systems and sectors in education to听share their ideas around curriculum development and...
Education and the climate crisis: A curriculum for sustainability
A 娇色导航 Blog special issue from the British Curriculum Forum
A research approach to curriculum development: A British Curriculum Forum event report
A collection of groundbreaking new work on collaborative curriculum, research and development.
Curriculum makers and thinkers: the case for curriculum studies in teacher education
Teachers鈥 planning and design of the curriculum often brings into question how they learn to do this important task and how and their role in curriculum making is shaped. In this talk I discuss...
娇色导航 in the News
娇色导航 BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant Winner awarded Betty Campbell Diversity Award
Llanwern High School, the 2021 BCF Curriculum Investigation Grant winners have been awarded the first Betty Campbell MBe award for promoting the contributions and perspectives of Black, Asian and...
Background to Michael Gove鈥檚 response to the Report of the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum Review in England
On 11th June 2012, Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Education, published a letter in response to the Final Report of the Expert Panel for the National Curriculum Review in England. Mary...
The runs from 25 September to 22 November 2024.
Spanning from key stages 1 to 4 and 16 to 19 education, the review will look closely at the key challenges to attainment for young people, and the barriers which hold children back from the opportunities and life chances they deserve 鈥 in particular those who are socio-economically disadvantaged, or with special educational needs or disability (SEND).
It will also look at whether the current assessment system can be improved for both young people and staff, while protecting the important role of examinations. Following the review, all state schools 鈥 including academies which currently do not have to follow the national curriculum 鈥 will be required by law to teach the national curriculum up to age 16, giving parents certainty over their children鈥檚 education.
鈥楴ational conversation鈥 on curriculum begins
Professor Becky Francis has launched a call for evidence seeking views on the current curriculum and assessment system to help shape the future of education.
Rebecca Jane听Francis, CBE,听FAcSS, FBA (born 7 November 1969) is a British educationalist and academic, who specialises in educational inequalities. Since January 2020, she has been Chief Executive of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF).
“The curriculum belongs to the nation. And especially, it must work for the young people who follow it, and the teachers and lecturers that communicate it.”[Professor Becky Francis]
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Membership
The review is chaired by听Professor Becky Francis CBE, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF). Additional members are:
- Gary Aubin听– Specialist Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) consultant and author of the听
- Professor Jo-Anne Baird听– Director of the Oxford University Centre for Educational Assessment
- Professor Nic Beech听– Vice-Chancellor of the University of Salford
- Cassie Buchanan OBE听– CEO of the Charter Schools Education Trust
- Professor Zongyi Deng听– Professor of Curriculum and Pedagogy at University College London
- Jon Hutchinson听– Director of Curriculum and Teacher Development at the Reach Foundation
- John Laramy CBE听– Principal and Chief Executive of Exeter College
- Dr Vanessa Ogden CBE听– CEO of the Mulberry Schools Trust
- Lisa O鈥橪oughlin听– Principal and CEO of the Nelson and Colne College Group
- Funmilola Stewart听– Trust Leader for Anti-Racism and Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion across Dixons MAT
- Sir Ian Bauckham CBE听(Observer) – Interim Chief Regulator at Ofqual
Detailed听听is also available.
Becky Francis – 娇色导航 Conference 2021 Keynote Lecture
Educational inequality remains a challenge to social justice in the UK and across the world, and education research has an important role to play in addressing this. In order to do so effectively,...
