Education Minister Paul Givan announces transformative curriculum reform for Northern Ireland

In a significant step towards modernising education, Education Minister Paul Givan has today published the findings of an independent Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum, led by renowned international education policy expert Lucy Crehan.

Commissioned in November 2024, this focused and time-bound evaluation marks the first comprehensive review of the curriculum in over 17 years, highlighting critical weaknesses and setting out a bold vision for reform.

The report, titled A Foundation for the Future: Developing Capabilities Through a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum in Northern Ireland, identifies significant structural issues in the current curriculum and proposes a new framework to ensure all pupils gain essential knowledge and skills.

Published today, 3 June 2025, it is available at the Department of Education’s website.

A Curriculum in Need of Change

The review reveals that the Northern Ireland Curriculum, last revised in 2007, has not kept pace with international developments and fails to meet the diverse needs of today’s pupils.

Key weaknesses include a lack of specificity, which leads to inconsistent implementation across schools, contributing to inequality and curriculum overload.

The report also notes a lack of coherence over time, causing difficulties during transitions between key stages, and an insufficient emphasis on subject-specific knowledge and its role in achieving broader educational aims.

Additionally, the curriculum is deemed inadequate for some pupils with special educational needs (SEN), those in Irish-medium education, and disadvantaged learners.

“Since taking on the role of Education Minister, I’ve had the privilege of seeing the outstanding work taking place in our schools. However, I was concerned that our curriculum had not evolved in line with international developments – and that it no longer meets the needs of all our children and young people,” said Paul Givan.

A Vision for a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum

The review recommends a new curriculum framework grounded in five key principles: purpose-led, knowledge-rich, continuous and coherent, specific and focused, and inclusive and flexible.

This framework aims to provide a clear, well-structured curriculum that equips pupils with the cultural capital to succeed, regardless of their background. By prioritising disciplinary knowledge and skills, the curriculum will foster critical thinking, curiosity, and the ability to engage with complex ideas, breaking the cycle of poverty and promoting equity.

“Curriculum reform is a cornerstone of my TransformED agenda. That is why I appointed Lucy Crehan to lead this strategic review,” Givan stated.

“Lucy has undertaken extensive consultation across Northern Ireland, engaging with teachers, schools, stakeholders and wider society. I want to thank her for her dedication to what was both a complex task and an ambitious timescale. The report published today sets a clear, ambitious and forward-thinking vision for the future of learning in Northern Ireland.”

Lucy Crehan, who led the review, commented:

“I have been honoured to lead this review and to engage with stakeholders across Northern Ireland to shape its findings. A purpose-led, knowledge-rich curriculum is transformative because it equips students with the foundational understanding and skill they need to navigate and shape the world.

“By ensuring the curriculum is also specific, coherent and inclusive, we can create equitable opportunities for all learners, bridging gaps that often stem from socio-economic disparities.”

Key Recommendations for Reform

The review proposes several transformative changes to the Northern Ireland Curriculum, including:

•  Developing an Early Years Framework: A unified framework for ages 0–6 to enhance continuity and support developmental needs.

•  Enhancing Career Pathways: Collecting data on all qualifications to map progression routes for pupils aged 14–19, ensuring informed choices.

•  Reducing GCSE Content: Considering a reduction in GCSE content to allow deeper learning and broader subject choices.

•  Introducing a Northern Ireland Diploma of Education: A new qualification to incentivise a balanced curriculum.

•  Embedding Digital Technology: Introducing a dedicated Digital Technology strand from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 3, with industry partnerships to teach software skills.

•  Mandating Core Subjects: Making Language and Literacy and Mathematics and Numeracy compulsory until the end of Key Stage 4.

•  Expanding Language Education: Introducing languages other than English at Key Stage 2, with a focus on language-learning skills.

•  Reconfiguring Learning for Life and Work: Integrating Citizenship into Environment and Society and grouping other strands into Employability and Wellbeing.

•  Certifying Broader Skills: Developing a Citizenship, Employability, and Personal Development programme to recognise transversal skills.

To ensure ongoing relevance, the review advocates a six-year curriculum review cycle, allowing regular updates without constant statutory changes.

A New Curriculum Taskforce

A pivotal recommendation is the establishment of a Curriculum Taskforce to oversee the design and implementation of the new framework.

Givan announced that Christine Counsell, a leading expert in curriculum development, will chair the taskforce, with Lucy Crehan serving as deputy chair to ensure continuity.

“I am pleased to announce that Christine Counsell will Chair the new Taskforce, bringing her deep expertise in curriculum design. Lucy Crehan will continue her invaluable work, as deputy Chair to ensure continuity in the reform process,” Givan said.

Christine Counsell expressed her enthusiasm:

“I am delighted and hugely privileged to chair the new Northern Ireland Curriculum Taskforce. The Taskforce will work to create a new world-leading school curriculum that is both equitable and ambitious.

“A curriculum grounded in powerful knowledge—carefully selected, coherently sequenced and taught with purpose. A curriculum that cultivates curiosity, hones analytical skills, enables critical thinking and prepares young people to engage with complex ideas.”

TransformED: A Broader Vision

The curriculum review is a key component of Givan’s TransformED strategy, launched in March 2025, which aims to reform education delivery across Northern Ireland.

The strategy focuses on high-quality professional development, curriculum improvement, and tackling educational disadvantage. Givan emphasised:

“We are taking bold and necessary steps toward a knowledge-rich, purpose-led curriculum that is specific, focused, and continuous.

“The report has highlighted how a focus on knowledge has immense power to transform the life chances of young people and support the objectives that the current curriculum sets out. This new approach will support continuity across key stages, promote equity, and ensure that every child has access to high-quality learning that prepares them for both life and work.”

Next Steps

In the coming weeks, Givan will review the report’s recommendations in detail and provide a formal response.

The Curriculum Taskforce will collaborate with educators to translate these proposals into a practical framework, supported by centrally developed resources and professional development to reduce teacher workload.

The taskforce’s work will be informed by international best practices, with guidance from the International Ministerial Advisory Panel, established in January 2025, which includes experts like Counsell and Crehan.

This ambitious reform programme signals a commitment to creating a world-class education system that is equitable, inclusive, and future-ready, ensuring every child in Northern Ireland has the opportunity to thrive.

For more details, read the full report by tapping the button below.

Full Report