Education

UK overhauls national curriculum to embed digital, financial, and cultural skills by 2028

Thursday, 6 November 2025 5:09AM UTC

The UK government announced a comprehensive overhaul of the national school curriculum, introducing new skills in digital literacy, financial capability, and cultural history aimed at better preparing pupils for the challenges of the 21st century, with full implementation expected by 2028.

The UK government has unveiled the most significant overhaul of the national school curriculum in over a decade, aiming to equip pupils with skills vital for a rapidly changing world. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson outlined a comprehensive reform package designed to prepare children for contemporary challenges, ranging from digital literacy and media awareness to financial capability and climate education. The changes, based on Professor Becky Francis’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, will be fully implemented by September 2028.

One of the core themes of the reform is equipping pupils to navigate the digital landscape with critical faculties. From primary school, students will learn to identify fake news and various forms of misinformation, a move intended to help them resist manipulation by "dark forces online," as Ms Phillipson put it. The curriculum will embed media literacy alongside a reformed computing syllabus that prepares pupils to confront challenges and opportunities such as artificial intelligence (AI). The Department for Education (DfE) also plans to explore the introduction of a new qualification in data science and AI for students aged 16 to 18, reflecting the growing importance of technology skills in the workforce.

Financial literacy will be taught from the primary stage onward, empowering young people to make informed decisions about money management, saving, and investing. These lessons will partly be delivered through mathematics and reinforced in citizenship classes. Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com, welcomed this development, highlighting the urgency of equipping children to face a world fraught with scams and financial pitfalls, although he stressed the importance of proper teacher training and resource allocation.

Citizenship education itself will become mandatory in primary schools, covering critical topics such as democracy, law, climate change, and broader media literacy. The government emphasised citizenship as a tool to ensure young people feel connected to democratic processes, particularly amid discussions about lowering the voting age to 16. Additionally, climate change education will be integrated into geography and science curricula, aiming to prepare students for the global environmental challenges ahead.

Notably, the reforms will dismantle the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc) introduced under former Conservative Education Secretary Michael Gove. The Ebacc’s focus on English, maths, sciences, humanities, and languages was criticised for narrowing students’ subject choices. The new framework seeks to restore breadth, encouraging uptake in arts subjects such as drama, music, and art and design. The DfE’s commitment to revitalising arts education recognises the sector’s cultural and economic significance. However, industry voices like UK Music have called for more substantial investment in music education to protect the talent pipeline and economic contributions of the creative industries.

The government will also require schools to offer triple science GCSEs, allowing students to study physics, chemistry, and biology separately as standard. While this move aims to raise science attainment, a shortage of physics teachers has been acknowledged as a significant hurdle. The DfE intends to work with schools to remove barriers and bolster the physics teaching workforce through targeted programmes.

Assessment and testing will see notable changes, with GCSE exam time reduced by up to three hours on average to alleviate the perceived "exam overload." Despite this easing at the end of secondary education, a new compulsory reading assessment is set to be introduced for Year 8 pupils, a proposal that has met with concern from teaching unions who warn against increasing mandatory testing. Ms Phillipson defended the measure, stressing the foundational importance of reading for all other learning.

The reforms introduce a new oracy framework to enhance speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills from early years through secondary education, reinforcing the development of confident communication across the curriculum. Also, a new qualification track called "V-levels" will formalise vocational education at level 3, sitting alongside A-levels and T-levels, in recognition of the need for clarity and quality in vocational pathways.

Moreover, schools will be expected to meet an enrichment entitlement that guarantees all pupils access to activities spanning civic engagement, arts and culture, outdoor adventure, sport, and life skills. While this policy aims to support well-rounded development, education leaders caution about the potential pressures on schools without clear allocations of additional funding.

Another key shift will see a more inclusive approach to history education, incorporating British Black and Asian histories more fully and reinforcing the compulsory teaching of the Holocaust. The DfE also plans to provide guidance on integrating local and regional history into curricula to make learning more relevant to students’ communities.

Overall, these reforms reflect a government ambition to prepare young people holistically for life and work in an evolving society, blending academic rigour with practical and cultural learning. The changes present challenges, including teacher shortages and resource demands, but signal a move toward a broader, skills-focused education.

📌 Reference Map:

^[1] (Chronicle Live) - Paragraphs 1-10, 13-15
^[2] (Gov.uk) - Paragraphs 1-3
^[3] (Sky News) - Paragraphs 8, 11, 14
^[4] (Education Hub) - Paragraphs 2, 4, 6
^[5] (Gov.uk) - Paragraph 1
^[6] (MusicRadar) - Paragraph 9

Source: Noah Wire Services

More on this

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/uk-news/11-major-school-changes-parents-32820018 - Please view link - unable to able to access data
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-curriculum-to-give-young-people-the-skills-for-life-and-work - The UK government has announced a comprehensive overhaul of the national curriculum, aiming to equip students with essential skills for the modern world. Key reforms include teaching primary pupils to identify fake news and misinformation, enhancing financial literacy, and making citizenship education compulsory in primary schools. The curriculum will also focus on arts education, introduce a new oracy framework, and ensure all students have access to extracurricular activities. These changes are set to be implemented by September 2028.
https://news.sky.com/story/biggest-schools-shake-up-in-england-in-a-decade-to-cut-gcse-exam-time-and-add-ai-and-fake-news-lessons-13463831 - In a significant shake-up of England's education system, the government plans to reduce GCSE exam time by up to three hours per student. The reforms also include introducing new Year 8 tests to identify learning gaps earlier, making citizenship lessons mandatory in primary schools, and overhauling the Key Stage 2 grammar, punctuation, and spelling test. These measures aim to modernise the curriculum and better prepare students for future challenges.
https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2025/11/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-changes-to-the-national-curriculum/ - The UK government's Curriculum and Assessment Review has led to significant changes in the national curriculum. These include compulsory citizenship education in primary schools, a refreshed computing GCSE, and a statutory entitlement for triple science GCSEs. The reforms also introduce a new primary oracy framework and a combined secondary oracy, reading, and writing framework. Additionally, a core enrichment entitlement will ensure all pupils have access to activities across five categories, including civic engagement and arts and culture.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-launches-curriculum-and-assessment-review - The UK government has launched a wide-ranging Curriculum and Assessment Review, chaired by Professor Becky Francis CBE. The review aims to establish a curriculum that drives high standards and sets all young people up for life and work. It will look closely at key challenges to attainment and barriers that hold children back, particularly those who are socioeconomically disadvantaged or have special educational needs or disabilities. The review is expected to publish recommendations in 2025.
https://www.musicradar.com/music-industry/without-investment-in-music-education-our-talent-pipeline-is-at-risk-of-drying-up-along-with-the-huge-opportunities-for-economic-growth-it-brings-uk-music-draws-up-five-point-plan-to-turbocharge-music-education - UK Music has urged the UK government to significantly enhance investment in music education to preserve and expand the country's music talent pipeline and its associated economic benefits. The CEO, Tom Kiehl, proposed a five-point plan to strengthen music education, including recruiting 1,000 new music teachers, aligning teacher training bursaries with other subjects, developing rehearsal spaces in deprived areas, reversing recent university arts funding cuts, and promoting vocational music qualifications. The plan emphasizes that music education underpins a sector employing 216,000 people and contributing £7.6 billion to the economy.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scottish_Languages_Act_2025 - The Scottish Languages Act 2025 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament concerning the promotion of Scots and Scottish Gaelic. The Act provides access to Gaelic medium education in more secondary schools and enables the use of Scots in the school curriculum. It gives both Gaelic and Scots 'official status', though this is largely symbolic. The Act establishes certain geographical areas as 'areas of linguistic significance' for the promotion of these languages, though the process for their establishment is not clear in the text.

Noah Fact Check Pro

The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may warrant further investigation.

Freshness check

Score: 9

Notes: The narrative presents recent developments in the UK government's education reforms, with the earliest known publication date being 4 November 2025. The report is based on a press release from the Department for Education, which typically warrants a high freshness score. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-curriculum-to-give-young-people-the-skills-for-life-and-work?utm_source=openai))

Quotes check

Score: 8

Notes: Direct quotes from Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson are included. The earliest known usage of these quotes is from the press release dated 4 November 2025. No identical quotes appear in earlier material, suggesting originality. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-curriculum-to-give-young-people-the-skills-for-life-and-work?utm_source=openai))

Source reliability

Score: 10

Notes: The narrative originates from a reputable organisation, the Department for Education, and is based on a press release dated 4 November 2025. This source is considered highly reliable. ([gov.uk](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-curriculum-to-give-young-people-the-skills-for-life-and-work?utm_source=openai))

Plausability check

Score: 9

Notes: The claims about the curriculum overhaul align with recent government announcements and are covered by multiple reputable outlets, including the BBC. ([feeds.bbci.co.uk](https://feeds.bbci.co.uk/news/articles/cddr3v6j9mmo?utm_source=openai)) The narrative includes specific details such as the introduction of financial literacy and media awareness, which are consistent with the government's stated plans. The language and tone are appropriate for the topic and region.

Overall assessment

Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS

Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH

Summary: The narrative is based on a recent press release from the Department for Education, dated 4 November 2025, detailing the UK government's major overhaul of the national school curriculum. The content is original, with no evidence of recycled material, and is supported by information from reputable sources. The claims are plausible and consistent with other reports on the topic. The language and tone are appropriate, and the source is highly reliable.

UK education reforms
curriculum overhaul
digital literacy
arts and culture education