Curriculum and assessment review

Curriculum and assessment review: IET comments to a call for evidence by the Department for Education (DfE) on 18 October 2024.

The IET has responded to a call for evidence from the Department for Education (DfE) regarding potential improvements to the curriculum and assessment system.

The call for evidence invited stakeholders to submit proposals on improving the curriculum and assessment system. The DfE asked for feedback on what works, what doesn’t, and potential improvements.

The call for evidence covered a variety of topics, such as: what is working well, what should be improved, barriers to social justice and inclusion, ensuring excellent foundation in maths and English, curriculum and qualification content, assessments, and qualification pathways.

The IET stated that the national curriculum provides a solid foundation for STEM education that covers key concepts and fundamental principles. However, the IET expressed concerns about the curriculum being too theory-heavy, the limitations to the current EBacc system, the lack of focus on Engineering and Technology from the full STEM curriculum and the lack of skills/ careers education in schools.

The IET has also called for AI to stop being seen as something scary and detrimental to schools. More education is needed for both teachers and students to learn how AI can be used responsibly and effectively within education.