Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a national curriculum which focuses on British (a) culture and (b) history in state-maintained secondary schools.

The government has established an independent Curriculum and Assessment Review, covering ages 5 to 18, which is chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The terms of reference were published in July and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review.

The review will seek to deliver a broader curriculum that reflects the issues and diversities of our society, ensuring all children and young people benefit from a curriculum that represents them and their families, regardless of background, and equips them to shape our response to the challenges of our changing world.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review Group will publish an interim report in the new year setting out their interim findings and confirming the key areas for further work. The final review with recommendations will be published in autumn 2025.

The government intends to legislate so that, following the review and the implementation of reforms, academies will be required to teach the new national curriculum, alongside other state-funded schools. This will give parents certainty over their children’s education.