Teach Secondary Issue 14.8

On board this issue: Meera Chudasama is an English, media and film studies teacher FROM THE EDITOR “Welcome… KEEP IN TOUCH! Sign up for the weekly TS newsletter at teachwire.net/ newsletter At last, it’s here. OnNovember 5th 2025, the independent review of England’s curriculum, assessment and qualifications system overseen by Professor Becky Francis published its final report. Many across the professionwere awaiting its contents with keen interest, and for good reason. The government’s official response seems to suggest that review’s recommendations will be adopted in full –which, as noted in this issue’s news section, will include a higher status for arts subjects, a new core enrichment entitlement and students taking triple science GCSE as standard. Those proposals go some way towards addressing concerns that secondary educators have expressed for some time – but it’s arguably the review’s recommendations forKS1/2 that give the clearest indication of a philosophical shift having taken place. See how, for example, the report baldly states that the primaryEnglishProgrammes of Study should, “Include a stronger focus on using and applying grammar rather than on identifying theoretical constructs by name, which is not developmentally appropriate ormeaningful.” That’s a pointed rejection of whatever remains ofMichael Gove’s educational legacy if ever I saw it. And thus, the pendulumswings back. Arts specialists will be celebrating and writing out their shopping lists. Sitemanagers will be telling excited history teachers which rooms they can use for their after-school wargaming club. Science teachers will be cautiously appraising their inventories. However, it’s worth considering the timeframes involved here. The last comparable overhaul of what schoolsmust teach took place under the then coalition government, which set out its ownNational Curriculumplans inOctober 2013, and had themcome into force fromSeptember 2014. Here in the present day, we’ve been told to expect Labour’s final curriculumto arrive in spring 2027, and schools to start teaching it fromSeptember 2028. At that point, there’ll be another General Election due before the academic year is out, if we haven’t already had one by then. I’magain reminded of howFinland’s EducationAgency operates largely outside of direct party political influence, setting a broad outline for the country’s National Curriculumwhich then serves as a basis for the curriculums adopted by differentmunicipalities and/or schools. Givenwhere we currently are, and the prevailing chatter regarding the prospects of certainUKparties come election time (mentioning no names here, butMelissa Benn has some thoughts on that over on page 17), I can’t helpwondering if this is the start of another 14-year curriculumstretch, or whether things will dramatically change again sooner rather than later... Enjoy the issue, CallumFauser callum.fauser@theteachco.com Aaron Swan is an English teacher Hannah Carter is a headteacher based at The Kemnal Academies Trust Daniel Harvey is a GCSE and A Level science teacher and behaviour lead Meena Wood is an author and a former principal and HMI Colin Foster is a professor of mathematics education Create more time for teaching All your classroom tasks in one place with Class View in SIMS Next Gen parentpaygroup.com/sims 03 teachwire.net/secondary