Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring that the Curriculum and Assessment Review focuses on the provision of (a) inclusive and (b) nurturing approaches to education.

The Curriculum and Assessment Review is being independently conducted by a group of education leaders and chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The terms of reference were published in July and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/curriculum-and-assessment-review.

The review has been asked to consider how to remove both barriers to learning and ceilings to achievement. It will support the innovation and professionalism of teachers, enabling them to adapt how they teach the curriculum to their students’ lives and life experiences. It will also ensure that the curriculum appropriately balances ambition, excellence, relevance, flexibility and inclusivity for all children and young people.

The role of the review group is to consider the evidence, the responses to the call for evidence and widespread engagement with the sector, and then make recommendations for the government to consider.

The review group will publish an interim report early in 2025 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 will consider changes in light of the recommendations of the review.