England’s national curriculum is set for its biggest overhaul in more than a decade, with financial literacy, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital awareness joining traditional core subjects.
Under new reforms announced by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, pupils will learn about mortgages, budgeting, and how to spot fake news and AI-generated content.
The move, aimed at modernising education and narrowing the attainment gap, follows a comprehensive review commissioned by the government last year.
Phillipson said the government’s goal was to revitalize education while keeping a “firm foundation in key areas like English and maths.”
She noted that better sequencing of lessons would ensure pupils avoid repetition without removing essential content.
The reforms will also see the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) a performance measure introduced in 2010 scrapped.
The Department for Education described the EBacc as constraining, saying its removal, alongside changes to the Progress 8 ranking system, would allow for a broader study of arts and creative subjects.
Other key changes include new lessons on climate change, citizenship, and diversity representation, as well as giving oracy (speaking and listening skills) equal importance to reading and writing.
However, former Conservative schools minister Nick Gibb warned that scrapping the EBacc could “lead to a decline” in the study of foreign languages.
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott also criticised the plan as “education vandalism”, while Liberal Democrat spokesperson Munira Wilson questioned how schools would fund the new initiatives amid tight budgets.
Phillipson said schools would be given four terms’ notice before implementing the new curriculum. Prof Becky Francis, who chaired the review, described the reforms as “evolution, not revolution”, adding that they were designed to support disadvantaged students and strengthen life skills in a rapidly changing world.
