The New National Curriculum 2027: What Primary Schools Need to Start Planning Now

Why should primary schools be thinking about curriculum reform now?

The revised national curriculum may not arrive until 2027, with first teaching expected from 2028, but curriculum planning in schools rarely happens overnight. The Department for Education's Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis, has provided increasing clarity about the direction of travel.

While final subject content remains under development, the wider themes emerging from the review give schools a valuable opportunity to prepare. Importantly, this is not a signal that schools should begin rewriting curriculum maps or replacing existing schemes of work. Instead, it is an opportunity to strengthen what already works and identify areas that may become increasingly important in the years ahead.

Why is the national curriculum changing?

The current national curriculum has remained largely unchanged since 2014. Over that period, schools have achieved significant improvements in many areas, particularly reading and mathematics. However, the review identified concerns around curriculum volume, teaching time pressures, inclusion, curriculum breadth and how effectively some aspects of education prepare pupils for modern life.

The review's recommendations continue to emphasise a curriculum that is:

• Knowledge-rich
• Ambitious for all learners
• Teachable within realistic timetables
• Inclusive and accessible
• Better connected between phases
• Relevant to contemporary society

For school leaders, this should be reassuring. The review is not proposing a rejection of high standards. Instead, it seeks to ensure those standards remain achievable, inclusive and meaningful.

What are the biggest themes emerging from the review?

While final curriculum documents have not yet been published, several themes have appeared consistently throughout the review process.

Stronger literacy, numeracy and oracy foundations

Perhaps the most widely discussed proposal is the introduction of a national oracy framework. Alongside reading, writing and mathematics, spoken language is expected to play a more prominent role across primary education. The review highlights the importance of communication skills for learning, confidence, participation and future employability. Schools that already prioritise structured discussion, vocabulary development and purposeful pupil talk may find themselves particularly well prepared.

Greater curriculum coherence

The review repeatedly refers to curriculum sequencing and progression. Rather than simply covering content, schools are encouraged to think carefully about how knowledge builds over time. For curriculum leaders, this presents an opportunity to review whether current curriculum plans genuinely support mastery and long-term understanding.

Inclusion as a curriculum responsibility

The review places significant emphasis on improving access for pupils with SEND. Rather than treating inclusion as a separate initiative, there is growing recognition that curriculum design itself plays a crucial role in ensuring all pupils can participate and succeed. This reflects wider developments across education, where inclusive practice is increasingly viewed as central to high-quality teaching.

Preparing pupils for modern life

Digital understanding, sustainability, citizenship, media literacy and real-world application all feature prominently in discussions around future curriculum development. Schools should not expect entirely new subjects to appear, but they should expect greater emphasis on helping pupils understand the world they are growing up in.

Will schools need to completely rewrite their curriculum?

Probably not. One of the biggest misconceptions surrounding curriculum reform is that schools will need to start again from scratch. Most primary schools have invested considerable time in developing curriculum maps, progression models and subject leadership structures over the past decade. Those foundations remain valuable.

Instead of asking whether the curriculum needs replacing, leaders may benefit from asking:

• Where is curriculum content overloaded?
• Where do pupils struggle to secure foundational knowledge?
• Are progression pathways genuinely clear?
• Does our curriculum work for all learners?
• Are speaking and listening developed intentionally?
• Do subjects connect effectively?

Schools that can answer these questions confidently are likely to find future implementation significantly easier.

What should curriculum leaders review during 2026 and 2027?

The schools that navigate curriculum reform most successfully are rarely the ones that move first. They are usually the ones that understand their current curriculum best. Useful areas to review include:

• Subject progression: Can leaders clearly explain how knowledge develops from EYFS through to Year 6?
• Curriculum volume: Are teachers constantly rushing to cover content? The review specifically highlighted concerns around balancing breadth and depth within primary education.
• Oracy provision: How intentionally is speaking and listening currently taught?
• Inclusion: Do pupils with SEND have access to the same curriculum ambitions as their peers?
• Assessment: Does assessment genuinely support learning, or has it become more burdensome than beneficial?

These reviews do not require schools to predict future policy. They simply strengthen curriculum understanding.

What does this mean for EYFS and Key Stage 1?

The review places considerable emphasis on strong foundations. This suggests EYFS and Key Stage 1 may become even more influential within future curriculum thinking. Schools should continue focusing on:

• Early language development
• Reading fluency
• Vocabulary acquisition
• Communication skills
• Number sense
• Personal development

Many primary schools already recognise that success later in education is often built upon the quality of these early experiences. Strong foundations are unlikely to become less important under any future curriculum model.

How should school leaders prepare staff?

One of the biggest risks during curriculum reform is creating unnecessary anxiety. Teachers do not need another major initiative. They need clarity. School leaders can support staff by:

• Sharing factual updates rather than speculation
• Creating opportunities for professional discussion
• Reviewing strengths before focusing on gaps
• Avoiding premature redesign work
• Supporting subject leaders to stay informed

What role will resources play in implementation?

Whenever curriculum reform is discussed, attention often focuses on curriculum maps and assessment systems. However, resources matter too. If greater emphasis is placed on oracy, inclusion, practical learning, sustainability or digital understanding, schools may wish to review whether existing resources fully support those priorities.

This is where organisations such as GLS become valuable partners. Successful implementation is rarely about purchasing new products. It is about ensuring teachers have access to the right tools, guidance and support to deliver learning confidently and consistently. For many schools, reviewing resources early helps avoid last-minute pressure when new expectations arrive.

At GLS, we understand that curriculum reform is about far more than documents and policies. It affects classroom practice, subject leadership, teacher confidence and long-term planning. That is why we work closely with schools to understand emerging priorities and provide practical support that helps educators prepare with confidence. Whether reviewing curriculum resources, strengthening subject provision or planning for future changes, our focus remains the same: helping schools create learning environments where pupils can thrive.