Curriculum and Assessment Review
A transformative moment for creative education as the government publishes the Curriculum and Assessment Review.
The publication of the Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis CBE, on 5 November, sets out a bold and long-awaited vision for a rich, inclusive and innovative education system.
At its heart is a renewed commitment to the arts and creativity, restoring balance to a curriculum that has, for too long, been narrowed by the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). The decision to scrap the EBacc is a landmark for the visual arts and the broader creative industries.
For the first time in over a decade, arts GCSEs will hold equal status to humanities and languages, ensuring that creativity is central to every child’s education. This shift will help rebuild the talent pipeline into the UK’s £124 billion creative economy, from art classrooms to studios, galleries, and creative businesses across the country.
The visual arts are not only vital to our cultural and economic future, but also to how young people see and understand the world. In an age of misinformation, visual literacy is civic literacy; learning to read, interpret and challenge what we see equips the next generation to recognise fake news, question bias, and participate confidently in a democratic society.
As part of this reimagined curriculum, pupils will also gain access to a new core enrichment entitlement, ensuring every young person has opportunities to engage with the arts, culture, nature, and civic life.
This moment signals a fundamental rebalancing of our national priorities — one that places creativity, critical thinking and expression at the centre of learning.
We welcome these reforms as a decisive step toward a more inclusive and future-ready education system, one that recognises the visual arts as essential to every child’s right to learn, create and thrive; and await further information about the establishment of a new National Centre for Arts and Music Education, alongside clearer expectations in art, drama, and design, which will help re-energise the creative curriculum and support teachers nationwide.
