All change!

Change is inevitable. Nothing stays the same … these statements are as cliched as they are true. And they’re certainly true for education in the UK and Ireland.

Not only are governments discussing whether to ban social media for teenagers and mobile phones from schools, they’re also busy with curriculum change. In recent years, there’s been plenty of change, with Wales teaching a new curriculum from 2022 and Ireland just last year. Northern Ireland will follow suit next year, with England and Scotland following in 2028.

What does curriculum change mean for you?

Well, that depends which nation you are in, because not only are the timelines all different, the changes and intentions are too. You might well be aware of what’s going on close to your home, but you’re probably not familiar with what’s happening elsewhere. Consider what follows a very brief history of curriculum review.

• England: work is underway to update the national curriculum and GCSEs. For the three sciences, teaching of the new GCSEs is due to start in September 2029. The timetable for A-levels follows along behind this.
• Ireland: after Covid delayed everything and left the old Leaving Certificate (LC) being taught with the new Junior Certificate, new LC specifications for chemistry, physics and biology came in last September.
• Northern Ireland: the final framework for the curriculum is due this September, with phased implementation in schools from September 2027.
• Scotland: the Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) is reviewed and evolved on a decade-long basis. The new curriculum is due to publish in 2027, for teaching in the 2028/29 academic year.
• Wales: Curriculum for Wales rolled out in primary schools in 2022. In theory, it would have followed that year group through. That didn’t go to plan, so science teachers will start teaching the new double-award GCSE, The Sciences, this autumn.

What is the RSC doing?

A lot is the short answer. Our colleagues in the Education Voice and Influence team are busy consulting and influencing governments, as well as their committees and boards, across the nations. In brief (again, very brief!), here’s a rundown of what they’re doing to ensure changes make sense for science teachers and learners.

• England: they responded to the curriculum and assessment review and inputted into the recommendations for changes. Now, they’re writing the new national curriculum and GCSE content for chemistry.
• Ireland: since 2015, the team have been engaging with Education Division Ireland. They were influential in ensuring a link between Junior and Leaving certificates. In 2024, they responded to the public consultation on the LC.
• Northern Ireland: the process is more opaque compared to the other nations, but the team are advising CCEA (Ireland’s curriculum, exam and assessment body) on the development of their new qualifications.
• Scotland: they’re participating in the Learned Societies’ Group on Scottish STEM Education and responding to government consultations. They have direct involvement with the curriculum framework drafting.
• Wales: since 2015, they’ve been working alongside other learned societies and they’re meeting with the Welsh government, Qualifications Wales and exam board, WJEC.