Blog post
We’re making sure young people have a say in shaping education
Teach the Future
November 20, 2024
We’ve come up with the idea to run a youth-led Shadow Curriculum and Assessment Review, supported by some incredible youth-led organisations.
We’ve come up with the idea to run a youth-led Shadow Curriculum and Assessment Review, supported by some incredible youth-led organisations.
After five years of advocating and influencing for a review and update to the national curriculum, the Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, launched in July 2024, has felt like a big win for our campaign.
The Review promises to create a “broader, richer, cutting-edge curriculum” that sets young people up for life and work. Yet, young people - who will be directly impacted by the changes and who know what does and doesn’t work in the national curriculum - haven’t been given a way to share their views and meaningfully engage with the Review. There is no young person on the Government Review panel; efforts made by young people, including our own, to meet with Bekcy Francis have been unsuccessful; and the roadshow events and ‘call for evidence’ have been inaccessible and technical. This concerns us!
To ensure that youth voices are central in shaping the future of education, we’ve come up with the idea to run a youth-led Review, shadowing every step of the government Review, from launching a ‘call for evidence’, running regional roadshow events and publishing an interim and final report.
Our host charity, SOS-UK, are going to host the Shadow Curriculum and Assessment Review, and are joined by other leading youth organisations, including The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award, I have a voice, NUS, NYA, The Scouts Association, UK Youth and Young Citizens, to represent the voices of the thousands of young people who are part of our organisations.
There’s some catching up to do, but the Shadow Review is moving quickly to ensure youth voices lead, with the reports set to publish ahead of the government’s to support the integration of children and youth perspectives. The Shadow Review will soon be announcing their youth panel, which is Chaired by NUS President Amira Campbell.
Enfys, 17, TTF volunteer: “It is crucial that young people’s voices are included in the Curriculum and Assessment Review, as its outcomes will directly impact students like me. The Shadow Review will demonstrate the range of issues that young people care about and how this could be better reflected in the curriculum and in how we are assessed. I don't feel that the curriculum reflects the fact that young people are growing up in a world shaped by the climate emergency and ecological crisis. This is an exciting opportunity to change our education, and we are ready to share our views with the DfE.”
Visit shadowpanel.uk for further announcements, ways to get involved and what the Shadow Review seeks to deliver.