What does the Curriculum and Assessment Review mean for technology and computing education?
As part of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, techUK worked with its Digital Skills in Education Policy Group to respond to the Call for Evidence in November 2024, emphasising the need to take action to ensure learners are being equipped with the skills they will need to navigate a society and economy enabled by current and emerging technologies such as AI.
techUK responds to the Curriculum and Assessment Review
techUK submitted its response to the government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review Call for Evidence, sharing the tech sector’s view on how the curriculum must evolve to prepare learners for our digital future.
techUK conducted a survey of parents and guardians working in technology to gauge their views on how they felt their children were being prepared for the future of work to inform its response. It found that confidence in schools’ ability to prepare children for future jobs was moderate, with over half feeling somewhat confident, and over a quarter saying they were very unconfident. Notably, a significant majority said schools lacked a focus on core competencies and soft skills, and 59% of those polled said their children were not pursuing computing qualifications.
The review panel has now published the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, setting out its recommendations to government. Following publication, the government has published its response to the report, which includes many of techUK’s recommendations.
Government has committed to:
Creating a fully digital version of the national curriculum, which visually represents the links within between subject areas and supports teachers to contextualise learning across traditional subject boundaries in the classroom.
Ensuring that applied knowledge and skills in areas like financial, media and digital literacy will be embedded into the revised curriculum.
Ensuring subject-specific disciplinary skills including critical thinking, creative thinking and problem solving are clearly articulated in the relevant refreshed programmes of study, as well as opportunities to practise social and emotional attributes such as resilience.
Rebalancing the Computing curriculum, including the creation of a refreshed Computing GCSE, and exploring a new level 3 qualification in data science and AI
The creation of a new vocational pathway at level 3 – V Levels – and has launched a consultation on post-16 Level 3 and below pathways.
Working with employers on opportunities to draw links between the curriculum and future careers.
Moving forward, government will lead on work to enact proposed changes to programmes of study and subject content. The report notes that there will be opportunities to provide further feedback on draft content through the statutory consultation process in 2026.
The government aims to publish the revised curriculum by spring 2027, with implementation from September 2028.
techUK welcomes the final report of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, and the accompanying government response. We are pleased to see many of our recommendations reflected in this review. Digital skills are essential to navigate the modern economy and society, and the rise of AI only raises the stakes. A focus on digital and AI literacy for all learners, the creation of a reformed computing GCSE, and proposals for a new qualification in data science and AI at level 3 are positive steps. As is government’s recognition of the importance of essential ‘soft’ skills like communication, creativity and critical thinking in preparing learners for life and work. Delivery and implementation will be key, and government must embed these digital and essential skills across the curriculum to ensure students are leaving school with the knowledge and skills they will need to thrive in our digital future.
– Antony Walker, Deputy CEO
Overall, the review recommends welcome changes to the curriculum that intend to bolster the digital literacy of all learners and improve computing education to better equip students for a changing world. techUK is also pleased to see the importance of essential skills recognised by government in their response.
How proposed changes are incorporated into a refreshed curriculum and new programmes of study across subjects, and teachers and schools are supported to deliver them, is of critical importance. techUK and its members stand ready to work with the Department for Education and partners to support this work and create a digitally-enabled curriculum that delivers for young people.
For techUK members only, the rest of this insight explores the proposed changes to the curriculum in more detail.
