New National Curriculum 2028: Skills for Life and Work in English Schools

New National Curriculum 2028:

Preparing Young People With the Skills for Life and Work

The national curriculum in England is about to undergo its biggest overhaul in more than a decade. The Department for Education has confirmed plans for a new curriculum designed to give every young person the skills for life and work they need to thrive in a fast-changing world.

For school leaders and teachers, this isn’t just another policy announcement. With first teaching from September 2028 and the final curriculum published by spring 2027, these reforms will shape school priorities, staffing needs and classroom practice for years to come.

In this article, we break down what’s changing, why it matters, and what schools should start thinking about now.

What Is Changing in the New Curriculum?

The new curriculum focuses on two big goals:

A cast-iron grip on the basics – reading, writing, maths and science.
Stronger skills for life and work – digital, financial, civic, creative and communication skills.

To achieve this, a number of key reforms have been announced.

Stronger Focus on Literacy Across Primary and Secondary

Literacy remains at the heart of the reforms. The government wants to tackle the fact that too many pupils still leave primary school unable to read fluently, and some finish secondary school without a pass in GCSE English.

Key changes include:

A new statutory reading test in Year 8 (age 13) to identify pupils who need extra support – and those who would benefit from further stretch.
Strengthening of writing assessment in Year 6, ensuring that the end of primary outcomes really reflect pupils’ skills.

For schools, this will mean:

More emphasis on reading intervention and catch-up in lower secondary.
A need for robust tracking of reading progress from Key Stage 2 into Key Stage 3.
Additional demand for teachers and support staff with strong literacy and intervention expertise.

Citizenship, Media Literacy and Financial Education in Primary

One of the most eye-catching reforms is the decision to make citizenship compulsory in primary.

Primary pupils will be taught:

Media literacy – how to spot fake news, misinformation and disinformation.
Financial literacy – understanding money, spending, saving and basic personal finance.
Law, rights, democracy and government – how society works.
Climate education – climate, nature and the environment.

For primary schools, this means:

Building a clear citizenship curriculum map across Key Stages 1 and 2.
Staff training to confidently deliver lessons on online safety, critical thinking and digital resilience.
Joining up citizenship with existing work on RSHE, PSHE and safeguarding.

Computing, Data Science and AI: A Future-Facing Digital Curriculum

The reforms strongly emphasise digital skills and future careers.

Key points include:

The current computer science GCSE will be replaced by a broader, future-facing computing GCSE.
The government is exploring a new 16–18 qualification in data science and AI, designed to support progression into high-tech, high-skill jobs.

Schools and colleges will need to consider:

Curriculum planning for computing at KS3 and KS4, ensuring pupils are ready for the new GCSE.
Investment in up-to-date hardware, software and teacher training.
Long-term workforce planning for specialist computing, data and AI teachers.

Goodbye EBacc, Hello Broader GCSE Offer

In a major shift, the government will remove the English Baccalaureate (EBacc). Performance measures such as Progress 8 will be reformed to encourage a broader mix of GCSE subjects.

This includes:

Arts GCSEs given equal status alongside humanities and languages.
A stronger push for pupils to study a wide range of subjects, including arts, humanities, languages, English, maths and science.

For schools, this is likely to:

Open up more flexibility in Key Stage 4 curriculum design.
Increase demand for creative arts, drama, music and design subjects.
Support a more balanced curriculum that reflects both academic and creative strengths.

Triple Science and the STEM Talent Pipeline

The government wants more young people to access high-quality science education and STEM careers.

Under the new plans:

Schools will be expected to work towards offering triple science GCSE as standard.
A statutory entitlement to triple science for all GCSE pupils is planned.

This will have staffing and timetable implications:

Schools may need additional science teachers and technicians.
There may be greater demand for specialist physics, chemistry and biology expertise.
Timetabling will need to support triple science alongside a broad curriculum.

Oracy, Enrichment and a Richer School Experience

The new curriculum places a strong emphasis on oracy, enrichment and personal development.

Key reforms include:

A new primary oracy framework.
A combined secondary framework for oracy, reading and writing.
A core enrichment entitlement for every pupil, covering:
- Civic engagement
- Arts and culture
- Nature, outdoor and adventure
- Sport and physical activities
- Wider life skills (for example, leadership, teamwork, resilience).

Ofsted will consider how schools are meeting this enrichment entitlement as part of routine inspection, with information shared with parents through new school profiles.

For schools, this will mean:

Reviewing and strengthening extra-curricular and enrichment offers.
Ensuring oracy is embedded in classroom practice, assemblies and wider school life.
Building partnerships with organisations that can support arts, culture, sport and outdoor learning.

A Digital, Machine-Readable National Curriculum

For the first time, the national curriculum will be digital and machine-readable, making it easier for schools and trusts to sequence learning, plan progression and align schemes of work.

This has practical benefits:

Curriculum leaders will be able to map knowledge and skills across year groups more efficiently.
EdTech providers can build tools and resources that align directly with the official curriculum structure.
Multi-academy trusts (MATs) can more easily standardise and quality-assure curriculum models across schools.

What Schools Should Do Now

Although first teaching is planned for September 2028, the timeline is tight when you factor in development, consultation, training and implementation.

School leaders may want to start:

Scanning the reforms against current provision
- Where are you already strong (e.g. enrichment, citizenship, arts)?
- Where will you need the biggest shift (e.g. triple science, computing, data and AI)?
Planning for curriculum leadership capacity
- Who will lead on literacy across primary and secondary?
- Who will own computing/digital strategy?
- How will you resource oracy and enrichment?
Reviewing staffing and recruitment strategy
- Anticipate future demand for STEM, computing, arts and citizenship specialists.
- Consider how you will attract, develop and retain staff with the right skills.
Engaging governors, trust leaders and parents
- Ensure stakeholders understand that this is a system-wide change, not a minor tweak.
- Use the reforms as a chance to refresh your school vision around skills for life and work.

Final Thoughts: An Opportunity to Re-Think “Success” in School

The new national curriculum reforms are ambitious. They aim to blend academic excellence with real-world skills, from reading and science to digital literacy, citizenship, climate education and creativity.

For schools, this brings challenges – but also a real opportunity to re-think what it means for pupils to leave education “ready for life and work”. Thoughtful planning now will help ensure that, by 2028, your curriculum, staffing and enrichment offer are fully aligned with this next generation of expectations.