Children in England will soon learn how mortgages work, how to budget, and how to spot AI-generated misinformation, as part of the biggest shake-up of the national curriculum in more than
a decade.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government wanted to “revitalise” lessons for a modern world while maintaining “a firm foundation” in English, maths and reading.
The reforms follow a wide-ranging government review aimed at narrowing attainment gaps between disadvantaged pupils and their peers.
Finance, fake news and AI
Under the new plans, financial literacy will be taught through maths and compulsory citizenship lessons, giving pupils a practical understanding of borrowing, budgeting, and mortgages.
Students will also learn to identify misinformation and disinformation, including AI-generated content, with the government considering a new post-16 qualification in data science and AI.
Other proposed changes include:
- Cutting average GCSE exam time by up to three hours per pupil
- Ensuring every student can take three science GCSEs
- Adding more content on climate change and diversity
- Elevating oracy — speaking and listening — to the same importance as reading and writing
The charity Voice 21 called the move on oracy “a vital step forward” for improving young people’s communication skills.
End of the EBacc
The government confirmed it will scrap the English Baccalaureate (EBacc)— a key school performance measure introduced in 2010.
The Department for Education (DfE) said the EBacc had become “constraining” and that its removal, along with changes to the Progress 8 ranking system, would encourage schools to offer a broader range of GCSE subjects, including the arts.
Former Conservative minister Nick Gibb criticised the move, warning it could cause “a precipitous decline in the study of foreign languages,” which he said would become concentrated in private schools.
Balancing reform and resources
Head teachers have broadly welcomed the proposals but warned they will need “sufficient funding and teachers” to deliver them.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, called the review “a sensible, evidence-based set of reforms,” but said schools “do not currently have all the resources they need.”
The Liberal Democrats backed the curriculum’s broadening but criticised the decision to drop the EBacc entirely.
Implementation and concerns
Phillipson told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the new curriculum would be rolled out carefully, giving schools four terms’ notice before implementation.
She denied that new topics would replace old ones outright, saying improvements would come through “better sequencing” and avoiding repetition.
The government will also press ahead with reading tests for Year 8 pupils, despite the review’s call for compulsory English and maths tests in that year group.
An ‘evolution, not revolution’
Review chair Professor Becky Francis said the reforms aimed for “evolution, not revolution.”
She noted that England’s pupils already perform well internationally, but that many “start falling behind” during their first years of secondary school — especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Francis also defended the call for greater diversity in teaching materials, saying it was about recognising contributions “to science and cultural progress,” not removing traditional core texts.
Political reactions
Shadow Education Secretary Laura Trott accused the government of “education vandalism,” claiming the changes would “leave children with a weaker understanding of our national story.”
But Phillipson insisted the reforms would give pupils a broader, more relevant education, saying:
“I want young people to have a good range of options — including art, music and sport. And I know that’s what parents want too.”
