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We met members of the official Curriculum and Assessment Review panel

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Becky and Amira

On 16 December 2024 members of our Youth Shadow Panel met with members of the Government’s Curriculum and Assessment Review Panel, including Prof. Becky Francis (Chair), Cassie Buchanan, Prof. Zongyi Deng, Jon Hutchinson, Dr Vanessa Ogden and Gary Aubin.

Over the last month, we have been listening to, and collating opinions from young people on the English education system. This meeting was our first key opportunity to share these perspectives with members of the official Review Panel, and work with them to shape what’s taught in schools and colleges, and how students are assessed. 

In our presentation to the official panel members, we shared responses from our ‘call for evidence’ so far, our personal experiences of the English education system, as well as those of our peers, and key findings from wider research from youth organisations on youth views on education in England. We included what is working well, what needs to change, and what this change could look like.

Member of the youth panel and government panel sat around a large table having a discussion

Here’s some of the points that youth panel members shared:

Alishba, 17 (I have a voice) shared how there needs to be greater diversity in voices and perspectives across the curriculum so it’s more inclusive, including engaging with perspectives critically. She spoke about how in one of her English modules, out of ten texts studied, there was only one non-Eurocentric example and she found that different ethnic backgrounds are not reflected in study materials. Alishba also highlighted that there is a strong call for democratic education which will help young people to know ways they can have a positive impact and be a part of decision-making. 

Amira, 22 (NUS UK) spoke about how the Shadow ‘call for evidence’ is so far highlighting that children and young people want an education that exposes them to different communities and cultures and supports them to develop an understanding. She then shared Yusuf’s (16), one of the panel members, experience that his school has social action projects on themes like women’s rights and global current affairs, which has been useful for him in being able to apply learning to something happening in the real world. 

Liv, 17 (Teach the Future) spoke about their experience of finding exams overwhelmingly stressful and how this can lead to students’ underperformance and burnout. They explained that they put in a lot of effort into their studies but as someone with ADHD and autism, she did not get the support needed so studying became too stressful. 

Kea, 18 (Duke of Edinburgh's Award) shared how assessments would be better if they helped us to understand the ‘why’, rather than just regurgitating facts. They highlighted how they have found critical essay based exams more helpful for this and how many other students have shared in the ‘call for evidence’ that they prefer coursework. Kea also spoke about how their mum is a teacher so they have seen the pressures and stress that teachers experience through assessing students. When Vanessa asked Kea about the need to learn about AI, they shared that it is important that young people know how it works, what it does and what its impacts are. 

Hanna, 15 (Young Citizens) spoke about how the Shadow ‘call for evidence’ so far has shown that young people want education to prepare them to improve society. Hanna shared how she has personally gained skills, including problem solving, teamwork, practical skills and confidence to help with this through taking part in the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Ben, 21 (the Scouts) presented on how young people need to be prepared with life skills and how it has come across so far in the Shadow ‘call for evidence’ that politics and climate change are really important issues that young people want to understand and learn more about, across the curriculum. He shared how he thinks that everyone needs to learn core subjects and skills, but there should also be some room to learn from an earlier age about things that matter to them and their own lives.

Talia, 20 (SOS-UK) shared their experience of taking part in the IB which enabled them to personalise their studies to topics they were interested in which they found really valuable. Talia also asked the panel to consider three ‘what if’s’ based on some things that they have personally found helpful and now apply in life. ‘What if we committed to project-based learning’; ‘what if children and teachers chose case studies, rather than being prescribed’; ‘what if we made time for debate in schools?’

Alishba, Kea, Talia, Liv, Ben and Amira stood in a line smiling
Alishba, Kea, Talia, Liv, Ben and Amira

We hope to continue collaborating with the official Curriculum and Assessment Review Panel to ensure that young people’s voices are integral to shaping the future of education in England.

If you haven’t already and you’re aged 5-19 in England, share your views on education with us. We’d particularly like to hear from primary school students.

Keep an eye out for the Youth Shadow Panel’s interim report which will be published late January 2025.