Givan responds to the Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum

Education Minister, Paul Givan has set out his Department's response to the findings and recommendations of the Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum.

The response considers the 21 recommendations made by Lucy Crehan within her report of 3 June 2025, entitled “A Foundation for the Future: Developing Capabilities Through a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum in Northern Ireland”.  The recommendations primarily focus on the need for a new curriculum framework in Northern Ireland and the appropriate approach to delivering reform.

Welcoming the recommendations from the Review, the Minister said:

“The Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum is a thorough, evidence-based consideration of the fundamental issues impacting curriculum design and delivery in Northern Ireland. It sets out a compelling case for change and provides a strong platform for commencing curriculum reform.

“I am pleased to have accepted many of the recommendations made by Lucy Crehan and would like to express my thanks for her dedication and thoroughness in delivering this comprehensive Review. There is no doubt that the recommendations, taken as a whole, will represent the most ambitious and far-reaching programme of curriculum reform over the past 20 years. 

“The Review was clear, Northern Ireland needs a new curriculum which is purpose-led, knowledge-rich, continuous and coherent, specific and focused, flexible and inclusive. A curriculum grounded in powerful knowledge will enable critical thinking, a love of learning and cultivate curiosity.”

In June, the Minister announced the establishment of a Curriculum Taskforce to take forward the design and development of the new curriculum. The Taskforce will be chaired by leading educationalist Christine Counsell, with Lucy Crehan as Deputy Chair. Today, alongside the response to the Review, the Minister published Terms of Reference to guide the work of the Taskforce.

The Minister continued: “My Department's response to this review will be pivotal in shaping the direction of the new Curriculum Taskforce.

“As the Taskforce moves forward, it will be important to consider the cumulative implications on workload for teachers and an important aim of reform is reduce teacher workload overall through improved specificity, sequencing, support and resources.

“I look forward to working closely with the Taskforce in the months ahead as they undertake this important and transformative piece of work.”

Appointments to key roles will be progressed during the summer. It is envisaged that the new statutory curriculum framework will be developed by September 2026, with implementation from September 2027. 

Notes to editors:

1. In November 2024, the Minister of Education commissioned a Strategic Review of the Northern Ireland Curriculum. The Review was carried out by Lucy Crehan, an educational consultant and former teacher with significant experience of working in high performing education systems. It drew on a wide range of evidence, including previous reviews undertaken in Northern Ireland, system data, international evidence and cognitive science research, as well as carrying out a comprehensive programme of stakeholder engagement.

2. The final report, “A Foundation for the Future: Developing Capabilities Through a Knowledge-Rich Curriculum in Northern Ireland”, was published on 3 June 2025 in three parts, as follows:

• Five Principles for a New Curriculum in Northern Ireland
• Summary Report
• Full Report

3. The review recommends the need for a new curriculum framework framed around five key principles: purpose-led, knowledge-rich, continuous and coherent, specified and focused and inclusive and flexible.  A six-year curriculum review cycle should also be adopted.

4. It also suggests the Department should:

• Design an Early Years Northern Ireland Framework for ages 0-6.
• Collect data from all types of qualifications so that career pathways for those aged 14-19 can be developed.
• Consider the need to reduce the amount of content in GCSEs.
• Consider the introduction of a Northern Ireland Diploma of Education.
• Include Digital Technology as new curriculum strand.
• Make Language and Literacy, and Mathematics and Numeracy mandatory until the end of Key Stage 4 (Year 12).
• Introduce languages other than English at Key Stage 2 (Years 5 to 7 at primary).
• Reconfigure the Learning for Life and Work area of learning to improve its relevance and coherence.
• Develop a new Citizenship, Employability and Personal Development certified programme.

5. The Departmental response to the Review can be found at https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/response-department-education-strategic-review-northern-ireland-curriculum.

6. The Terms of Reference for the Curriculum Taskforce can be found at https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/publications/department-education-northern-ireland-curriculum-taskforce-terms-reference.

7. Christine Counsell taught in state schools in England before holding roles as local authority adviser, leader of the history PGCE course at the University of Cambridge, Director of Education at a Multi-Academy Trust and, currently, founder and Director of Opening Worlds, a humanities programme of curriculum, resources and training adopted by 300 primary schools. Alongside these roles, she has worked extensively in consultancy roles both nationally and internationally, including specialising in the teaching of history in post-conflict zones (Cyprus and Lebanon) and advising England's Ofsted and Department of Education.

8. Lucy Crehan is an international education consultant, specializing in comparative education policy. She has worked with a wide range of international bodies such as UNESCO and the World Bank on national policy reform and has most recently written the National Teacher Policy for Guyana. She is the International Director of the Centre for Education Systems, and an Associate Advisor on Curriculum at Swansea University.