This week I report on the publication of the Curriculum and Assessment Review, the government’s intention to consult on Progress 8 reform and the proposal to award teachers and leaders a 6.5% pay rise over the next three years.

Curriculum and Assessment Review published
This week Professor Becky Francis’ Curriculum and Assessment review was published alongside the government’s response. Key recommendations include:

• Removing the English Baccalaureate (Ebacc).
• Introducing a core body of citizenship content at primary, and a broader mix at secondary including financial and media literacy, and environmental sustainability.
• Evidence-based guidance on how the curriculum and teaching approaches can be adapted for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
• Reducing overall exam time by at least 10%, and more where possible.

Progress 8 reform
Whilst Professor Francis’ review recommended retaining Progress 8 with no changes to its structure or subject composition, other than renaming the EBacc slot “academic breadth”, the government has announced significant reform of this performance measure.

It is proposing to restructure the subject buckets, retaining the current slots for English and maths and their double-weighting, whilst introducing two dedicated science slots and four breadth slots.

The government says it will consult on the proposals in due course and will publish its response in the summer term of 2026, so that schools can take the revisions into account when assisting students with subject choices for the start of the 2027/28 academic year.

DfE proposal for teachers pay rise
The DfE proposes to award teachers and leaders a 6.5% pay rise over the next three years, as outlined in their evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body (STRB). The STRB will review the evidence and proposals from a range of sector voices before making a formal recommendation to the Secretary of State.

The DfE has acknowledged that if a rise of this amount is agreed, many schools/trusts will need to find additional efficiencies in order to afford it. Examples of cost-cutting measures put forward by the department include reconsidering the composition and deployment of leadership teams and support staff. The DfE has also cited rising levels of executive pay and said it has begun to make progress in improving value for money in this area by including it in the financial benchmarking and insights tool.