NAHT has clear policy positions and goals specifically related to the curriculum and qualifications in the secondary phase – click on the headings below to read more.

• Curriculum
• Curriculum diversity and inclusion
• Maths and English
• Key stage three
• Qualifications
• Key stage four
• Post-16

As part of its work, NAHT influences and proactively lobbies the government and other relevant parties including Ofqual, JCQ and the exam boards to advance these policy objectives.

To read about these calls in more detail, please see the relevant sections of our response to the Curriculum and assessment review 2024.

You might also be interested to read Performance measures in England – NAHT’s policy positions.

Curriculum

• The national curriculum should be fit for purpose for all learners, and formal qualifications suitable for all learners should be widely available.
• School leaders and teachers should have the autonomy to plan and deliver the curriculum based on the needs of their pupils, without undue external constraints.
• External constraints that limit curriculum breadth – including accountability measures, performance tables, Ofsted’s approach, funding shortages and qualification reforms – must be addressed.
• The current curriculum must be updated so that it is relevant, fully reflects the diversity of our society and prepares children and young people for their lives in the modern world. 
• The existing content must be reduced, and any new curriculum additions must be offset by reductions elsewhere.

Curriculum diversity and inclusion

• The curriculum at all key stages must reflect the diversity of UK communities, promoting inclusion and equality.
• All pupils should see themselves, their families and communities reflected in the curriculum, starting from the early years.
• Schools must have access to a wide range of inclusive resources and learning activities that reflect the UK’s diverse population.
• All protected characteristics must be represented throughout the curriculum in both primary and secondary phases to foster inclusion and prevent discrimination, with none excluded or prioritised over others.

Maths and English

• Ensure English and Maths curricula at key stages three and four are motivating for all pupils, helping them see the real-world value of these subjects and prioritising literacy and numeracy skills needed for everyday life, not just academic progression.
• Cut excessive content in GCSE maths and English, and shorten and simplify the GCSE exams, to free up teaching time and reduce student stress, while maintaining reliability.
• Address criticisms of GCSE English by broadening its skill focus and improving the treatment of creative writing.
• Reform the policy that forces repeated resits in English and maths, which is often demotivating and ineffective.
• Offer more appropriate and engaging alternatives as well as GCSEs in English and maths at key stage four.
• Allow students to continue studying English and maths at key stage five in ways that suit their needs, rather than defaulting to GCSE resits.

Key stage three

• Strengthen the continuity of learning between key stage two and key stage three to ensure a smooth academic progression.
• Provide timely assessment data and contextual information to support targeted teaching and learning in Year 7 and to reduce the need for secondary schools to conduct their own baseline assessments.
• Develop stronger cross-phase collaboration between primary and secondary schools to support shared understanding of pupil learning and progress.
• Ensure the key stage three curriculum is motivating and engaging in its own right, helping pupils build confidence and broaden aspirations.
• Excessive curriculum content must be reduced to improve pupil experience, engagement and outcomes at key stage three.
• Excessive assessment, high-stakes exams and accountability at key stage four negatively impact key stage three; these pressures must be reduced to avoid distorting curriculum delivery and narrowing opportunities at key stage three.

Qualifications

• Value the flexibilities of learning, assessment and awarding provided by VTQ qualifications and oppose any proposals for unnecessary limitations on this flexibility or any pressure to reform them to align more with the nature of general qualifications.
• Ensure students with SEND have a qualification route that recognises their specific needs, and values them as learners and individuals as equals to their mainstream peers.
• Oppose any proposals to reduce or eliminate standalone qualifications in personal, social and employability skills that would have a disproportionate and negative impact upon some students with SEND and other vulnerable groups.
• Access arrangements must be available to all students who are entitled to them, and any changes to the system must not disadvantage those students nor add to the workload of school staff.

Key stage four

• Ensure a broad mix of qualifications, including vocational options, is available and valued. GCSEs alone cannot meet the needs of all learners
• Restore meaningful subject choice at key stage four to support motivation and engagement and reduce the negative impact that limiting qualification options can have.
• The volume of content in GCSEs must be reduced to allow teachers to deliver the curriculum effectively.
• The current average of 30+ hours of exams per student at the end of key stage four is excessive and must be reduced to alleviate pressure and improve well-being.
• Move away from an almost exclusive reliance on fully linear, terminal exams by:

1. allowing modular assessments that reflect how students learn and retain knowledge
2. reintroducing more non-exam assessment (NEA) and project-based assessments to complement exams and better capture a wider range of student skills
3. exploring open-book exams, internal assessments and other innovative formats to better assess what students know and can do.

• Recognise all GCSE grades (1–9) as valid qualifications, reflecting different levels of attainment and supporting progression and challenge the arbitrary designation of GCSE grade 4 as a ‘standard pass’, which undermines the achievements of students who attain grades 1 to 3.

Post-16

• Move away from a binary academic versus technical choice and develop a blended, flexible qualification landscape that meets diverse student needs. 
• Applied general qualifications such as BTECs must be protected and funded as they support progression to higher education and employment.
• Maintain a broad range of funded qualifications at level two and below to support students with SEND and others who may not follow linear progression pathways.
• Provide resources and flexibility for schools and small colleges to offer a range of qualifications, including technical options, without requiring students to change providers.
• Address geographical disparities in qualification availability, particularly where industry placements are required, to avoid disadvantaging rural students, young carers, and those with SEND.

AS/A level qualifications

• The reformed A levels contain too much content; this must be reduced to allow deeper understanding and more meaningful engagement.
• The reliance on terminal exams must be reduced. A level qualifications should better prepare students for university and employment by developing skills like essay writing and applied knowledge, not just recall.
• A more balanced approach to assessment should include modular assessments to better support learning progression and more non-exam assessment (NEA) to capture a broader range of student skills and reduce pressure.

T levels

• T levels should be an addition to the post-16 qualification offer – not the sole technical route. A broader range of vocational and technical qualifications must remain available.
• Student dissatisfaction with T levels must be addressed, improving the teaching and learning style and ensuring a better balance between theory and practical, hands-on experience.
• T level reforms must address the disproportionate withdrawal rates and poor outcomes for disadvantaged students, female students and those with SEND.
• The T Level Transition Programme (TLTP) is failing in its core purpose of supporting progression to T levels. It must be either overhauled or replaced with a more effective, inclusive alternative.

Post-16 non-qualification curriculum

• RSHE and financial education should be extended to 16-19 learners.
• Careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) should be a core part of 16-19 study programmes. CEIAG must be well-resourced, consistently delivered and of high quality to help students make the best choices and maximise life chances.
• Schools and colleges must retain the flexibility to design enrichment programmes that suit their students and local context.
   

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