Thoughtful Thursdays #28

Welcome to the 28th of my Thoughtful Thursdays.

What was I thinking about today? 

This was another of those pottering days when I had some Zoom calls and was working on projects, some of which have yet to be confirmed - but I like to get ahead of myself where possible.

One thing I was thinking about was the Curriculum and Assessment Review.

Update

The latest language and updates from the DfE seem to suggest that the next stage of the CAR is being delayed until after the summer holidays.

On Friday, a Thank a teacher Day newsletter finished with this text:

The national curriculum and GCSEs are being updated for the first time in over a decade. A public consultation on the draft programmes of study and subject content for the first group of GCSEs will open this September. The revised curriculum will be published next Spring, with support to begin first teaching in September 2028. The first updated GCSEs will be taught from September 2029. The expertise, insight and experience of the education sector will be vital in shaping these reforms, and we look forward to working together throughout the process. More details on how to get involved will follow when the consultation launches.

We were expecting this to start in ‘Spring 2026’, which was the promised date. We were also promised ‘evolution not revolution’, which is surely a little easier than wholescale reform (which was my preferred option). That would have given some time over the summer to prepare the responses and also the support for teachers to be able to respond to the consultation. It seems we are going to have to wait for longer and also complete 2 consultations at the same time, rather than one leading in to the next. No comment.