Ministers have faced fierce accusations of "education vandalism" after Labour announced sweeping changes that dismantle key Conservative reforms intended to impose greater rigour across the UK's school curriculum. The plans, unveiled by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and developed through a review led by Professor Becky Francis, propose reducing the number of GCSE exams, simplifying primary school assessments, and abandoning efforts to prioritise what critics have called 'Mickey Mouse' subjects previously targeted by the Conservatives.
Central to these reforms is scrapping the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) requirements, a flagship policy introduced under former Tory Education Secretary Michael Gove. The EBacc has long encouraged pupils to study a core set of academically demanding subjects, including English, maths, sciences, a foreign language, and a humanity such as history or geography. This measure was designed to boost academic standards and widen access to top universities. However, the Labour proposals intend to give pupils the option to swap either a language or a humanity subject for a ‘creative’ alternative like art, drama, or dance — a move that has drawn sharp criticism from former Tory ministers like Sir Nick Gibb, who warned it risks a steep decline in the study of foreign languages and could exacerbate educational inequality by limiting language learning to mainly private and affluent schools.
The reforms also seek to reduce the overall volume of GCSE exams by at least 10 percent, aiming to ease exam stress among students by trimming around 2.5 to 3 hours of exam time per pupil. This aligns with changes to primary education testing, including eliminating the controversial requirement for Year 6 pupils to learn complex grammar terminology, a policy disliked by teaching unions for years. Instead of rote learning of grammar rules, pupils will now focus on the practical application of language skills.
Labour’s approach also places a strong emphasis on revising the curriculum to reflect contemporary social concerns. There will be a push to ‘decolonise’ content, ensuring that educational materials reflect the diversity of British society, and a heightened focus on climate change education. Professor Francis, who has a background in social justice and gender studies and has led the curriculum review, stated that these changes aim to maintain high academic standards while promoting equity and removing barriers to opportunity regardless of background. She assured that core academic rigour would not be compromised, despite critics’ fears of ‘dumbing down’.
The reforms have been welcomed by teaching unions such as the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), whose general secretary Pepe Di’Iasio praised the changes as long-overdue reforms in primary testing, GCSEs, and assessment measures. However, the Conservative opposition has been vociferous in its condemnation. Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott accused the government of lowering educational standards by focusing on climate change education at the expense of fundamental literacy and numeracy skills. She warned that fewer children would study history and languages after the age of 14 and that the reforms would mask declining standards in schools.
New elements of the plan include a statutory reading test for Year 8 pupils, a new GCSE offering in modernised computer science, and an entitlement for all GCSE students to study three separate sciences—biology, chemistry, and physics—addressing current gaps where some schools only offer combined sciences. The curriculum will also introduce citizenship education from primary school onwards, covering financial literacy and critical thinking skills such as spotting misinformation.
This curriculum overhaul marks a significant departure from 14 years of Conservative efforts to ‘toughen up’ the educational framework, which targeted grade inflation and promoted a ‘knowledge-rich’ agenda. Labour’s announcement confirms a shift towards a curriculum they argue is better suited for a rapidly evolving world but has sparked a heated debate over balancing academic rigour with inclusivity and contemporary relevance.
Professor Becky Francis, a CBE recipient and Fellow of both the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences, has spoken openly about integrating social justice themes and artificial intelligence into education. Her academic trajectory and focus on gender, race, and social class in educational contexts have drawn controversy, with some commentators arguing that such prioritisation risks neglecting the needs of lower-achieving pupils in favour of political or ideological objectives. Nevertheless, Labour insists that these reforms will modernise education and equip young people with the knowledge and skills required for the future.
The details of the reforms are due to be released for public consultation before an expected rollout in September 2028, indicating a phased approach to implementation amid ongoing political contention and debate within the education sector.
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- [2] (Guardian) - Paragraphs 1, 2, 3
- [3] (BBC) - Paragraphs 2, 4
- [4] (Times) - Paragraphs 3, 7, 9
- [5] (Independent) - Paragraphs 4, 7
- [6] (Telegraph) - Paragraphs 2, 5
- [7] (Financial Times) - Paragraphs 3, 8
Source: Noah Wire Services