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by The Propello Crew on 07-Nov-2025 13:48:59
Which recommendations are already DfE-approved?
Stronger Subject Curriculums
New programmes of study will be developed and published in 2027, ready for teaching from 2028. Updated GCSEs will follow with first teaching from 2029.
Improving GCSEs
The EBacc will be removed to widen student choice. A new version of Progress 8 will better balance academic rigour with breadth. Exam times to be cut by around 10%.
Building Skills for a Changing World
The new curriculum will build digital literacy, media awareness, and financial education into everyday learning, alongside new oracy frameworks to strengthen communication.
Learning More Languages
A new languages qualification is being explored to motivate pupils and celebrate progress.
Updating Computing
Computing will expand to include a broader GCSE and a new Level 3 qualification in data science and AI.
Triple Science for All
All pupils will have access to triple science at GCSE, with schools receiving additional support ahead of a formal entitlement.
Enrichment for All
Schools will be supported to ensure every pupil benefits from enrichment activities — from arts and culture to outdoor adventure and sport.
Re-energising Key Stage 3
A well-sequenced KS3 curriculum will help re-engage pupils and maintain momentum in learning.
New Year 8 Reading Test
Statutory reading test in Year 8 will help track progress and ensure no learner is left behind.
New V Level Qualifications
Post-16 education will introduce V Levels, giving students more routes to advanced study or employment.
A Digital National Curriculum
The national curriculum will become fully digital, helping teachers see links between subjects and build on prior learning.
Supporting Inclusive and Adaptive Teaching
Teachers will gain access to evidence-based resources to help them meet every learner’s needs
What’s the DfE proposed P8 model?
The Curriculum & Assessment Review recommended maintaining Progress 8 and Attainment 8 as accountability measures for schools' KS4 outcomes; however, it recommended the removal of the Ebacc measure, which has been approved by the Department for Education (DfE).
Yesterday, the DfE shared their proposed improved P8 and A8 model, which takes into account several of the recommendations within the review, including the removal of the Ebacc measure.
The government will consult on the proposed model in due course and publish their response in the summer term of 2026 so that schools can take the revised measure into account when determining subject choices for pupils who will start their GCSEs in September 2027.
This suggests the new model will be used to measure progress and attainment from the summer of 2030.
Here’s how the new model differs from the existing one:
Bucket 1: English remains unchanged
The highest grade out of Literature and Language will go into Bucket 1. If a student studies both subjects, then this grade is doubled. The lower of the two grades can currently go into one of the Open buckets, and similarly, it can now go into Bucket 7 or 8.
Bucket 2: Mathematics remains unchanged
This bucket will continue to follow the same rules as the current Progress 8 and Attainment 8 maths bucket, and the grade is sill doubled.
Buckets 3 & 4: The Science Buckets, currently Ebacc
In the current system there are 3 Ebacc buckets, which can each be filled with any one of the following, determined by the highest grades:
- combined science, bio, chem, phys
- computer science
- geography, history
- modern foreign language
In the proposed model, there will only be 2 buckets, which can each only be filled by any one of the following, still determined by the highest grades:
- combined science, bio, chem, phys, computer science
The grades for combined science are still averaged; for example, combined science results of grades 6 and 5 would be averaged to two 5.5 points to fill either one or two of the science buckets as appropriate (computer science could fill one of the buckets if it is the higher grade).
Buckets 5-8: The Breath Buckets, currently the Open buckets
The 3 Open buckets will be swapped for 4 Breadth buckets, grouped in pairs: Breadth 1 and Breadth 2.
Currently, the highest grades from any remaining GCSEs/KS4 qualifications (from the DfE-approved list) can go into each of the 3 Open buckets. As many students study 9 KS4 qualifications, this leaves one grade which isn’t used in any of the P8 & A8 buckets.
Buckets 5 & 6: Breadth 1
These 2 buckets will be filled by GCSE/KS4 qualifications from 2 of the 3 categories below (the two buckets cannot be filled by subjects from the same category). These slots will take the 2 highest grades from the qualifications that meet this requirement.
Category A – Humanities (geography, history, religious studies)
Category B – Creative (art & design, music, drama, dance, design & technology)
Category C – Languages (modern foreign languages, ancient languages)
*Category D - Sciences (biology, chemistry, physics, combined science, computer science and potentially design & technology) *The DfE are interested in views and will consult on an additional category for science subjects for Buckets 5 & 6. The inclusion of a science category would not affect the rules relating to Buckets 3 and 4 – the dedicated science buckets.
Buckets 7 & 8: Breadth 2
These 2 buckets will take the highest grades in any 2 remaining subjects, including English language or literature (if not counted in the English bucket), other GCSE qualifications (including those eligible for buckets 3, 4, 5 and 6), or any technical awards from the DfE-approved list.
What does this mean for schools and students?
Science Grades to Contribute One Fifth of Attainment 8 Scores
There has been some disparity in the past between the performance measures for science compared to the other core subjects. Despite being a mandatory subject like English and maths and contributing two (combined) or three (separate sciences) GCSEs for the majority of students, the science subject results were grouped with humanities and languages as a selection of subjects that could contribute to the Ebacc pillar. In contrast, the other core subjects, English and maths, have their own individual buckets within the Basics pillar and contribute double to Progress 8 (P8) and Attainment 8 (A8) scores.
The removal of humanities and language subjects from the Ebacc pillar will now increase the focus that schools need to put on their science results, as now only science subjects and computer science can contribute to these buckets. This means that 20% of a school’s P8 and A8 scores will be determined by the students’ outcomes in science and computer science.
The increased emphasis on science outcomes from the new Progress 8 Model aligns with the DfE’s approval of the ‘triple science for all’ recommendation from the Curriculum and Assessment Review, which will see all schools providing an opportunity for all students to study separate sciences. This will eventually become mandatory.
The Elephant in the Room?
It’s been widely recognised that there is a shortage of science teachers, especially physics specialists. Back in September, the Institute of Physics (IoP) reported that more than half of KS4 students are taught physics by non-specialists who have not studied the subject since they themselves were at school, and similarly, a recent NFER study found that 55% of the schools sampled had either no or only one physics specialist.
One plan to tackle the shortage revealed by the DfE is to continue investment into the Subject Knowledge for Physics Teaching programme, delivered in partnership with STEM Learning and The Ogden Trust, designed for KS3 and KS4 teachers who did not complete their ITT with physics specialisation.
With the changes to the national curriculum and new GCSEs set to be ready to teach from 2029, the Government has around 3 years to ensure schools have the necessary support and specialist teachers in place. We’re optimistic that this heightened emphasis on science education and its increased contribution to schools’ performance measures will lead to more funding and support for schools. We look forward to how this develops over the coming months.
Considerations for Schools:
- Timetabling – with more students opting for three GCSEs instead of two, more lesson time is needed.
- Specialist staffing – with a greater emphasis on science outcomes at KS4, investment in having subject specialists for each discipline will be a priority.
- Access to labs – more lesson time requires more access to labs, especially as ‘high-quality practical work’ will feature in the new GCSEs.
- Technicians – increasing practical work will require more
Are Humanities and Languages Taking a Back Seat?
Since the Ebacc was introduced in 2010, Geography and History GCSE entries have risen by 15% and 11%, respectively. Therefore, it is a pertinent assumption that with the Ebacc removed, schools will be less inclined to stipulate their KS4 students study a language combined with either geography, history or both. However, due to the requirements for Breadth buckets 5 and 6, schools will still need to ensure students study at least one subject from two or more of the Breadth categories. A further risk to geography and history uptake at KS4 is the addition of religious studies to the Humanities category. Currently not included in the group of subjects that can contribute to the Ebacc buckets, with history and geography having been perceived as the more challenging of the three, RS may become the popular choice for the Humanities category in many schools moving forwards. However, the proposed phased inclusion of religious education within the national curriculum may prompt revisions to the RS GCSE, which, alongside the changes intended for GCSEs overall, could ensure a more consistent level of challenge across the humanities subjects. From an operational standpoint, including RS in the Humanities category may lead to a more varied year-on-year uptake of these option subjects at KS4, potentially making advance planning and staffing more challenging for school leaders, and may lead to some schools relying on their humanities teachers to teach outside of their specialism at KS3 and even KS4.
Will Fewer Students Study a Language?
There is concern that removing the Ebacc could lead to a reduction in students studying a modern foreign language; however, the Languages category for Breath buckets 5 and 6 may help to prevent this.
There are also a number of recommendations from the review, which have been approved by the DfE in order to support MFL uptake at KS4 and KS5. For example, the DfE will work with experts to strengthen the primary languages curriculum to improve the transition from primary to secondary. The new MFL GCSE content will be reviewed after the first exams in 2026 before any further changes to the curriculum are considered. The DfE will also explore the feasibility of developing a new qualification to enable all students to have their achievements in languages acknowledged when they are ready rather than at fixed points. To support teacher training, the DfE will continue to invest in the National Consortium for Languages Education (NCLE).
Prescribing Two or Three Categories?
One of the fundamental aims of the proposed Progress 8 model is to increase the breadth of the curriculum at KS4, but will the category rules that apply for buckets 5 and 6 hinder this and reduce student choice in a similar way to the Ebacc? It’s possible that some schools may be tempted to prescribe that all students study at least one subject from all three categories in a bid to provide a backup subject for filling buckets 5 and 6. This prescriptive measure would reduce student choice and may limit students to the option of just one creative category subject, which may not be the best fit for their personal skill set and future aspirations.
Considerations for Schools:
- Options planning – School leaders will need to carefully consider their options offer, balancing staffing and timetabling and ensuring not only compliance for each student but also providing optimum grades, whilst maintaining breadth and balance.
- Rework option blocks and timetables – Greater flexibility in subject choice will require more complex timetabling to support a range of diverse option combinations and optimise staffing expertise across key stages.
- Professional development – Schools might need to upskill or retrain staff to teach multiple humanities subjects or to cover broader KS3 provision where specialist hours are reduced.
- Budget – Identify potential risks to staffing stability and budgeting if subject numbers fluctuate.
- KS3 curriculum planning – in addition to the national curriculum changes for KS3, Humanities and languages subject leaders can consider how best to engage and inspire their students at KS3, to encourage as many as possible to choose their subject at GCSE.
Improved Recognition of Creative and Technical Subjects
Creative subjects like art, music, drama, and design & technology, previously seen as undervalued in current Progress 8 measures, will now directly contribute to performance measures through the Breadth 1 and 2 buckets. This could lead to a revival in creative subject uptake and investment in arts provision, which had declined since the introduction of Ebacc accountability measures. Inclusion of technical awards in Breadth 2 recognises the value of practical learning and skills development.
A More Equitable Model for the Disadvantaged?
Broader subject inclusion means less systemic bias toward high-attaining academic students, which has been a common criticism of the current P8 and A8 model. The DfE’s proposed model has the potential to narrow the gap by allowing different talents to count more toward accountability than they do currently, especially for students with strengths in creative, vocational, or practical domains.
Opportunity for System Reset
- With implementation not until 2029, schools have time to plan strategically and shape their KS3–KS4 transition to match the revised measures.
- This period allows for thoughtful curriculum design, staff training, and community engagement before the model becomes statutory.
- It provides an opportunity to rethink performance culture, focusing on learning quality and student outcomes, not just scores.
Alignment with Curriculum Intent
- The proposed model aligns well with the Ofsted framework’s emphasis on broad and balanced curriculum intent.
- It rewards schools for curriculum depth and diversity, encouraging long-term planning that supports subject integrity rather than accountability gaming.
References:
Curriculum and Assessment Review final report: Building a world-class curriculum for all
Government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review
Progress 8 and Attainment 8 - an explanation of the proposed improved model