Despite Professor Becky Francis warning that her approach to the Curriculum and Assessment Review would be one of “evolution not revolution”, many adoptive parents will have been hoping for radical reform of an education system in England which sees their children’s attainment persistently lag behind that of their peers. They are likely to be disappointed by the scope of the proposals in the Review, and the government’s response. 

More than half of adopted children have special educational needs, and one in five are attending school on a part-time timetable. Yet, despite the welcome promise of a broader, more diverse curriculum, there is little in the recommendations that will break the barriers to attendance for the four in ten adopted children who are missing school due to poor mental health.

There will be no reduction in statutory testing during the primary years, which will come as a blow to the 82% of parents who responded to Adoption UK’s survey last November saying they felt that too much time was given to preparing for formal assessments in primary and the 94% who agreed these assessments created stress for children, parents and teachers.

However, the review acknowledges that more needs to be done to make the phonics and multiplication screening tests more accessible for children with SEND.

At key stage 3 the review recommends the introduction of new diagnostic assessments in Maths and English, and the Department for Education (DfE) has already confirmed that a new statutory reading test will be introduced in year 8.

However, the review does acknowledge that the sheer volume of exams at key stage 4 (GCSE) is excessive for pupils, a view which was strongly expressed by many who responded to Adoption UK’s survey last year. 95% of parents agreed that there are too many exams and 96% of parents considered the pressure of high-stakes exams at this level to be unreasonably stressful for children.

To address this, the report recommends that overall exam time should be reduced by at least 10%, and more where possible on a subject-by-subject basis. There will be no move towards more coursework or continuous assessment, however, with generative AI considered a risk factor and a continuing belief that examinations are the fairest method of assessment, despite acknowledging persistent attainment gaps affecting some groups of pupils.

Adoption UK’s response to the call for evidence for this review drew heavily on our survey of members, and highlighted respondents’ calls for more life skills in the curriculum, and more access to creative, practical and physical learning. Many respondents felt these were being squeezed out, especially at secondary school. We are pleased to see that the review recognizes these issues. The government has already committed to including more financial and oracy skills in the primary curriculum, and making Citizenship compulsory in primary, including teaching about how to spot ‘fake news’ and climate education.

At GCSE, the DfE will remove the EBacc with the aim of encouraging more pupils to access a wider range of GCSE subjects, especially in the arts, humanities and languages. At the same time, schools will be expected to work towards offering each science subject separately (the ‘triple science offer’) ahead of this being introduced as a statutory entitlement.

The need to give children and young people access to a broader range of experiences and opportunities is also reflected in the introduction of a new “enrichment entitlement” for every pupil. Including arts, culture, nature, outdoor and adventure, sport and wider life skills.

Pathways through post-16 education were also a key consideration for those who responded to our survey, especially for learners who were not ready to begin Level 3 qualifications. The introduction of the new V-Levels has already been announced, and is one of the report’s recommendations. However, recommendations around level 1 and 2 qualifications are less developed. The report recommends the introduction of two separate pathways at level 2 – one ‘occupational’ and one designed to support learners to move on to level 3 qualifications – as well as a new level 1 Maths and English qualification assessed in a modular way to create a stepping stone towards achieving level 2.

Many will have hoped that there would be more in the report about the challenges faced by children and young people with SEND. This was perhaps a difficult area for this review, with promised reforms to the SEND system now delayed until next year. The report repeatedly recommends that the Standards and Testing Agency should work with the DfE to make assessments at all levels more accessible for pupils with SEND, but there is no detail as to what this might mean.

Overall, many will find the recommendations a mixed bag. There is plenty of encouragement for those hoping for a broader, more diverse curriculum with more emphasis on life skills, creativity, physical education and humanities, but the reluctance to reduce the amount of high stakes testing at primary level, and the introduction of new tests in key stage 3 will disappoint many who are concerned about the impact of testing on children’s wellbeing and mental health.

Written by Becky Brooks, Education Policy Adviser, Adoption UK