The National Curriculum Review Roundtable

On Monday, the Jobs Foundation brought together a group of people with a shared interest in education from a variety for backgrounds and professions for a thoughtful discussion on the recent National Curriculum Review and the wider challenges facing the education system. We were delighted to be hosted by Harris Westminster Sixth Form. Tim Clark, former head teacher and education consultant, chaired this fascinating and engaging conversation ahead of leading the Job Foundation’s next report into the bridge between education and employment and of bringing a business perspective to the education debate.

From our conversations with many employer across the country we hear that many young people are leaving education without key skills that many employers are looking for. With over 900,000 NEETS in the UK it has never been more important to take a look at education and see where it is succeeding in preparing young people for the world of work but also where it can improve and what businesses want from the workers of tomorrow. 

Tim opened the session by sharing his perspective on the Curriculum Review, one positive and one negative observation. On the positive side, he noted that it has been ten years since the National Curriculum was last reviewed, a period in which technology, particularly AI, has transformed dramatically. Any meaningful reflection on education must take these developments into account.

His concern, however, was that the review process felt rushed, and notably absent from the panel was a single practising classroom teacher. “The status quo isn’t perfect,” Tim remarked, emphasising that a review is overdue but its credibility relies on those who teach being directly involved. 

With that the discussion quickly kicked off and turned to the long-standing debate over knowledge versus skills. Participants raised concerns about the limited attention given to careers education in the review, despite its central role in preparing young people for employment. One participant said he would rather “teach the young people to fish” than focus entirely on knowledge and believed this was not reflected in the Curriculum Review. Several attendees also warned that the education system  remains “obsessed with Oxbridge,” and other qualifications, often overlooking the significant cultural shifts in young people’s aspirations and the diverse pathways now available such as apprenticeships.

A recurring theme was that many of the National Curriculum Review’s recommendations cannot be delivered without first addressing the challenges facing teachers and schools. Foremost among these is the teacher retention crisis, with heavy workloads and high accountability pressures driving many out of the profession. A third of teachers leave teaching in the first five years. Discussion turned to why  this might be the case, some suggested pay but others place more emphasis on current attitudes to teaching and to teacher workload. Participants stressed that unless these systemic issues are resolved, even well-intentioned curriculum reform will struggle to take root.

Tim also raised a crucial question: the review affects only 18% of schools: with most academies and free schools lying outside the scope of the National Curriculum, is there point in having a national curriculum at all? This led to a lively debate over whether a National Curriculum is still fit for purpose. Some argued that a national framework remains important as a “floor” of expectations. Others felt that, in practice, it has become a “ceiling,” too prescriptive to allow schools and teachers the flexibility to innovate. Many agreed on the need for more space for experimentation if the curriculum is to keep pace with changing technologies and student needs.

Participants noted that accountability structures, particularly Ofsted’s and league tables’ focus on grades, shape what teachers prioritise. As one attendee put it: “If Ofsted judges me on grades, I’m going to teach two hours of English, not two hours of employability.” Until accountability aligns with the skills and outcomes the review aspires to, schools will face conflicting demands.

The roundtable revealed a sector at a crossroads: employers want better-prepared young people, teachers are calling for greater support in the expectations they are expected to deliver, and students are seeking relevance, opportunity and clarity. Across the board, participants agreed that the current system is trying to do too much often without the people or resources to sustain it. The message was clear: before we talk about changing the curriculum, we must address recruitment, respect, and the real conditions inside the classroom. 

The Jobs Foundation looks forward to exploring further is the topic of education as it relates to work in our upcoming education report. To further explore some of the issues raised at the roundtable but specifically focus on the purpose of education: to prepare young people for life or to prepare them for work.