Becky Francis curriculum review: how schools can prepare
The curriculum and assessment review was an independent review of England’s curriculum, assessment and qualifications systems. The review was chaired by Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, with the final report published in November 2025 – and it suggested the Department for Education (DfE) implements some significant changes.
What are the curriculum review’s key changes?
Some of the review’s biggest recommendations include scrapping the English Baccalaureate and the introduction of a triple science entitlement for all, as well as new English and maths tests for year 8 – all of which are already backed by the DfE.
In line with review recommendations, the DfE has also announced plans to introduce a new oracy framework, which was reported in Tes Magazine as aiming to help young people be “confident and effective speakers” – and support teachers to strengthen their teaching of oracy.
Other recommended changes to taught content of the curriculum include:
-
Adding RE to the national curriculum
-
Amending programmes like computing to be more modern and future-focused
-
Making citizenship compulsory in primary
-
Updating all programmes of study to represent today’s diverse society
The review also suggested exam time in key stage 4 should be decreased by at least 10%, and even more where possible – and the DfE has agreed to cut exams by 2.5-3 hours for the average student.
How can my school prepare for the curriculum changes?
The DfE has rejected the recommendation of introducing the changes in a phased approach, instead planning to launch the entire new curriculum at once.
As such, it’s essential you’re prepared. Changes aren’t planned to be implemented until September 2028, which means your school has time to understand and prepare for the new curriculum – but how can you ensure you're ready for the changes?
Specialist teachers and training
With changes to curriculum content including RE, modernised computing courses and triple science for more students, the new curriculum will make specialist teachers more essential than ever.
Professional development opportunities such as webinars and training courses are essential to ensure your teachers are equipped to teach with confidence.
Training such as Tes Institute’s Subject Knowledge Enhancement for Teachers course supports your teachers to develop their understanding of their subject, or trains them to teach a new one – so they have the skills and knowledge to teach new and updated curriculum content thoroughly and effectively.
Recruitment and teacher retention
Keeping your best teachers is as important as recruiting them. As well as ensuring your recruitment processes are efficient, it’s key that you’re supporting the wellbeing and professional development of your existing teachers.
Getting access to the best teachers is a big step in improving recruitment outcomes. With Tes Staff Management, you can reach four times as many teachers as the next best alternative, with 94% of UK teachers using Tes to look for jobs online.
A Staff Management subscription also helps you support and empower existing staff with unlimited safeguard training and access to online CPD courses, plus anonymous wellbeing surveys that show them their wellbeing matters.
Timetabling
Changes to the curriculum will bring new challenges for school timetabling. New subjects such as RE and citizenship – and changes to GCSE options with a new triple science entitlement – will make it more complex to create and manage your school’s timetables.
Using software like Tes Timetable simplifies timetable development, identifying clashes and automating time-consuming processes so you can focus on your teacher’s choices. Read our free guide to learn how better timetabling enables you to save time and money – all while improving teacher wellbeing.
Enrichment entitlement
While not a review recommendation, the DfE has also planned a new core enrichment entitlement for all students, which will be benchmarked to ensure students have access to enrichment activities across five categories.
Managing extracurricular activities effectively will be essential in adapting to a new emphasis on enrichment – and electronic club management is key to ensure efficiency.
Using software like Tes Clubs and Events helps you streamline the entire process, from scheduling clubs to tracking attendance and communicating with parents.
The platform puts all your extracurricular activities in one place, helping staff spend less time on admin and making it easier for your school to reach new government benchmarks.
Explore better club management
Be prepared for England’s new curriculum with Tes
Our range of software is designed for schools by experts, empowering you to be more efficient and better support students.
Streamlining processes across your school minimises time-consuming admin, so you can spend more time supporting teachers and planning for the new curriculum.