In Detail, In Brief: A curriculum fit for the 21st Century

Giving children the opportunity to thrive at every stage of their development is at the heart of what this Government is doing. From building on the legacy of Sure Start by bringing in Best Start Family Hubs for new parents, all the way to our post-16 skills White Paper which will give young people clear routes through learning and into the jobs that will help them get on in life.

An important step was also taken last month with the publication of the Government’s response to Professor Becky Francis’s review into our curriculum. Labour promised to review the curriculum in our last manifesto with a focus on high standards and giving children a broad education.

Under the Conservatives, schools were pushed away from offering subjects like art and design, music and drama. Labour is reforming the way pupils’ attainment is assessed so that the arts can once again be at the heart of a rich and varied curriculum for all and not just the preserve of a lucky few and those who can pay.

In this day and age, many people are rightly concerned about how artificial intelligence and the rise of disinformation on social media is affecting our young people. That is why the new national curriculum will make sure that children are given media literacy so that they are not consuming information passively but rather engaging critically and recognising and rejecting disinformation. A reformed computing curriculum will also allow pupils to navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI and keep our young people ahead in the international race for talent in tech.

One of the most important steps in updating our curriculum is the focus on oracy or speaking skills. The ability to express ourselves clearly and confidently is crucial everywhere from our personal to our professional lives and now children will be given the skills to become assured and fluent speakers.

This column is an adapted version of one that appeared in The Pigeon magazine in December 2025. A copy of that edition is available here https://online.fliphtml5.com/eydyt/fzwx.