The National Curriculum review was published this November, the first review of its kind in over 10 years. This review looks at what children aged 5–19 are learning throughout the nation, through research, polling and more than 7,000 evidence submissions.
As Christians, we recognise the importance of education for helping children flourish. As such, we should strive to see all children being given access to high-quality education, reflecting their value as image-bearers of God. The national curriculum review is useful for this purpose as it highlighted the areas where children are not receiving high-quality education across the board.
The review concluded that overall, the current curriculum is working well, citing a “broad and well balanced” approach, yet there are still areas that need to be improved.
"Our curriculum sits at the centre of an education system that has forgotten too many children – white working-class children; children with special educational needs and disabilities; the children who are bright but bored, not engaged as they should be and not achieving as they should."
Secretary of state for education
Secretary of state for education
One of the most important recommendations is to make religious education (RE) a part of the national curriculum. This would outline the core content of RE that would be taught, standardising what students learn in the subject, with the review recommending the curriculum be developed by representatives from faith groups, secular groups and those from the education sector.
The review acknowledges the role of religion in shaping society on both the local and international scale, and thus the importance of all students having access to high-quality religious education. The review states that “understanding the tenets of Christianity also unlocks a wider understanding of British culture in terms of Christianity’s historic influence and how it has shaped modern-day Britain.”
What does this mean for religious education?
Currently, RE is a “basic curriculum” subject, which means that all schools have a duty to provide teaching, but parents have the right to withdraw their children from all or any of the lessons. This also means that the syllabus of religious education is set by local councils that are often underfunded and rely on volunteer input. Academies and faith schools also have the freedom to determine their own curriculum for RE.
This means that provision for religious education in many schools is inconsistent and “tokenistic”. The review found that RE in many schools does not “prepare pupils adequately for life beyond school”. Further, a 2021 review by Ofsted found that only 58% and 47% of non-faith schools and academies respectively had RE taught by a specialist subject teacher.
We welcome the streamlining of religious education and see this as a positive step forward towards improving religious literacy amongst children and young people. A robust RE curriculum could mean that more pupils will be able to hear and engage with the truth of Christianity, whilst having a broader understanding of the multi-faith society around them. However, standardising RE could impact the ability of state-funded, faith-based schools to explicitly proclaim the gospel in their lessons.
Other proposals made in the review
In addition to changes to RE, the review included recommendations such as reducing the amount of time spent in GSCE exams by 10%, as well as developing a programme to provide guidance for adapting the curriculum for special educational needs students. Our increasingly digital world was addressed, with calls to strengthen teaching in various areas including digital literacy, climate and sustainability, financial literacy and media literacy.
The review sought the implementation of a third pathway of level 3 education for 16 – 19-year-olds, dubbed “V levels”. Currently, the two main pathways are A levels, geared towards university entrance, and T levels, technical pathways which are occupation specific. The review found that out of all 16-year-olds studying at level 3 education, 25% of those take courses that do not contain either A or T levels.
Currently provisions for other pathways are unclear and not cohesive, and often leave students confused as to what to choose. Instead, V levels will provide a clear third option, which will offer both vocational and applied qualifications with pathways to university entrance, employment and apprenticeships in mind. This means V levels could help ensure that all students are able to secure a pathway towards a vocation they desire.
A new national curriculum based on these recommendations is expected to be published in 2027, to be adopted by schools for 2028. We will continue to respond to government consultations and equip members on how they can respond as the government begins to develop its curriculum.
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