New curriculum on the way

Following a strategic review of the curriculum, the Department of Education says that a new curriculum framework will be published by September 2026 and implemented by September 2027.

A review into the statutory curriculum entitled “a foundation for the future” has set out a “clear case for change”. Published by the Department of Education in June 2025, the review includes 21 recommendations.

The review was commissioned by Education Minister Paul Givan MLA in October 2024. Its aim was to “make a series of policy recommendations regarding the purpose, design, specification, and implementation of the curriculum in Northern Ireland”.

Written by Lucy Crehan, an education consultant, the report represents the first formal review of the curriculum as revised in 2007. It recommends “major reform of the curriculum and keep it under continuous review”.

Several weaknesses in the current curriculum have been identified such as curriculum overload, lack of articulation of subject specific knowledge, and lack of appropriateness for some special educational needs, Irish-medium, and disadvantaged students.

Five principles for a new curriculum

The review highlights five new principles for a new school curriculum:

1. Purpose-led: “A curriculum designed in pursuit of a clear vision, articulating how content aligns with broader educational goals and the needs of pupils and society.”
2. Knowledge-rich: “Based on the understanding that deep knowledge forms the foundation for all complex thinking skills. Prioritises the careful and intentional teaching of substantive, well-sequenced knowledge, concepts, ideas, skills, and facts. Argues that the more people know the easier it is for them to learn new things. A new knowledge-rich curriculum in Northern Ireland would lay a strong foundation for all children to flourish by improving their ability to think creatively, solve problems and be creative.”
3. Continuous and coherent: “Provides a structured framework that ensures seamless progression and logical connections across year groups, subjects and skills. A curriculum is continuous when within and across key stages, teachers and pupils can see what has already been taught and how it relates to current and future learning. Addresses concerns such as transition to post-primary school. The new curriculum should be coherent across subjects with rich, meaningful links between different areas of the curriculum.”

“Northern Ireland needs a new curriculum which is purpose-led, knowledge-rich, continuous, and coherent, specific and focused, flexible and inclusive.”
Paul Givan MLA, Education Minister

1. Specific and focused: “Coherence is only possible if curriculum statements about the knowledge and skills pupils should develop are specific enough to support common interpretation and focused enough that there is time for pupils to learn them securely. A more specific and focused curriculum would outline precisely what pupils should know and be able to do at each stage. Greater specificity will create a clear curriculum entitlement for pupils and avoid ambiguity.”
2. Inclusive and flexible: “A flexible and inclusive curriculum is one which can respond to the diverse needs of learners, schools and communities. The new curriculum framework will be specific about abstract content such as concepts and big ideas but will largely leave decisions about the specific contexts up to schools, allowing them to choose texts, historical figures, artists, and places that will capture the imagination of their pupils. One additional type of flexibility will make the framework more inclusive for some young people with special educational needs and Irish-medium education. The new curriculum framework should draw upon the expertise of these sectors to design bespoke strands that are more appropriate, to sit alongside strands from the main framework and sometimes to replace them.”

The review recommends updating the aims and objectives of the curriculum to equip young people with appropriate knowledge, skills, and experiences as well as inspiring them to make informed decisions.

Changing levels of development in children, the review says, should be addressed through “targeted funding for evidence-based interventions such as higher staff: pupil ratios”. It also states that consideration should be given to reducing the content of GCSEs to incentivise schools to enter most pupils for a broad range of qualifications.

Changes to content

A new strand of ‘languages other than English’ is recommended for key stage 2 pupils with the aim of developing positive attitudes to learning languages and transferable language-learning skills. While acknowledging the potential benefits of the recommendation the Department says there could be “challenges facing delivery”.

“Primary schools do not have specialist language teachers and curriculum time is already under pressure from core subjects like literacy and numeracy.”

Digital technology and IT skills are highlighted as a priority. A new curriculum strand with specific content for all key stages. All post-primary schools should be matched with private sector software companies, who could ‘co-teach’ software skills to post-primary pupils.

In primary schools, the subject of ‘the world around us’ would be replaced with ‘science and technology’ and ‘environment and society’, containing history and geography.

Learning for life and work is to be incorporated within a new strand entitled employability and wellbeing, also containing home economics. The introduction of a new citizenship, employability, and personal development programme (CEP) is also recommended.

The review recommends a six-year curriculum review cycle, staggered on an area of learning basis alongside staggered implementation of areas of learning.

Announcing the review, the Minister said: “We have not invested sufficiently in curriculum review, advice or resources. I am giving my assurance that this will change.”

“Without sufficient and relevant knowledge, children will not become the kind of contributors our society needs.”

Following the publication of the review, the Minister announced the establishment of a new taskforce, chaired by curriculum developer Christine Counsell with Crehan as deputy chair. The Department aims to develop the curriculum framework by September 2026, with implementation from September 2027.