Education minister paul givan has today launched a week public
consultation on a new world-leading northern ireland curriculum,
marking a major milestone in the transformed programme to deliver
excellence and equity across the education system.
The proposed curriculum sets out clearly what children and young
people should learn and when, from year 1 in foundation stage to
year 10 in key stage 3, ensuring every child in northern ireland
is entitled to the same highquality education, no matter where
they go to school.
Announcing the consultation, paul givan said: Today marks a
significant step forward for education in northern ireland. We
are publishing a curriculum that provides clarity on what should
be taught and when, with learning carefully sequenced to build
over time.
Grounded in the best available evidence, it places knowledge at
its heart and ensures every child, regardless of background, has
access to a high-quality education.
The current curriculum, introduced in 2007, underwent a major
review in 2025. The review found it lacked clarity, coherence and
sufficient specificity, which led to differences between schools,
increased workload for teachers and uneven progress for pupils.
The review recommended creating a clearer, more structured
curriculum with shared entitlement for all pupils.
The minister continued: The curriculum should be the engine of
equity, creating fairness with knowledge acting as a powerful way
to give every child the same opportunities. By setting out
clearly what pupils should learn, we can raise standards and help
all children to succeed.
The new curriculum has been developed through a unique and
collaborative process involving over 100 individuals including
teachers, academics and international experts. The work has
been led by dr christine counsell and supported by lucy crehan,
drawing on international best practice to help make it world
leading
Paul givan added: This is not my curriculum it is your
curriculum. It has been shaped by teachers and practitioners from
across northern ireland to ensure it is ambitious, coherent and
works in real classrooms.
Speaking at the launch, christine counsell said: when young
people share common knowledge, they experience true inclusion.
The world's great conversations become theirs to enjoy, challenge
and renew.
The consultation will run from 16 june to 30 september 2026, with
responses invited from teachers, parents, pupils and
stakeholders.
Paul givan concluded: This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity
to improve education in northern ireland. Together, we can create
a world-leading curriculum that raises aspirations, strengthens
outcomes and ensures every child has the knowledge and
opportunities they deserve.
The consultation can be accessed at https://www.education-ni.gov.uk/consultations/consultation-northern-ireland-curriculum-2028.
Notes to editors:
1. The Northern Ireland Curriculum 2028 an entitlement to
excellence and equity' is part of the wider TransformED NI
Strategy for Educational Excellence.
2. The proposed curriculum is presented across a suite of
documents for consultation, as follows:
-
Overview paper explains the background to
reform, the need for curriculum reform and gives an overview of
the structure of the new Northern Ireland Curriculum.
-
Subject frameworks set out the vision for each
subject and the statutory content that will secure pupils'
progression in that subject.
-
The Capabilities outlines the overarching
capabilities (emergent qualities and attributes) that children
and young people will develop as a result of learning the new
curriculum.
3. This consultation is a key opportunity for teachers, school
leaders and other education stakeholders to provide feedback and
help refine the proposed curriculum.
4. Following the consultation, responses will inform the final
curriculum prior to phased implementation from September 2028.
