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Audience: Primary

The expressive arts: Exploring the evidence base

This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust.         Beth O’Brien, Education Content Manager at the Chartered College of Teaching  What are the expressive arts? In education, broad terms such as ‘performing arts’, ‘visual arts’, ‘creative arts’ and ‘arts and culture’ […]

Electric Umbrella: ‘No Such Thing as Normal’

What is the purpose of this webinar? This webinar is part of a series around curriculum enrichment in primary schools as part of the extensive Rethinking the Curriculum project. This series aims to support and equip both teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to identify, plan and implement curriculum development work in […]

The expressive arts: Selected reading

This article has been published as part of the Rethinking Curriculum project, kindly funded by The Helen Hamlyn Trust.         By Jenna Crittenden, Teacher Advocacy Lead at the Chartered College of Teaching and Beth O’Brien, Education Content Manager at the Chartered College of Teaching  This is a collection of research articles, case […]

Research opportunity for SENCOs and SEND staff

A Cambridge University-based study is inviting primary school SENCOs and SEND staff to join a one-off online discussion exploring how educators can support students facing barriers to learning. Participants will discuss practical strategies, explore visual profiles, and share their views on findings from a recent scoping review. Online discussions will take place over the coming weeks. For more […]

Rethinking Curriculum – How do you implement a playful curriculum? Part 2

Through the work of Rethinking Curriculum we have been a strong advocate for playful learning throughout the primary phase. One of the key barriers that is often discussed in this approach is not knowing how to implement effectively beyond EYFS.  In this session, hear from a panel of expert teachers, leaders and facilitators who work […]

From the editors

We live in times of accumulating crises. We are experiencing crises of democracy, inequality, energy, climate and pollution. This is a time for critically re-examining how we understand, frame and shape educational thinking – a time for repurposing and reimagining the role and work of teachers and leaders in the hopeful project of education. It […]

Embedding structured oracy in the primary curriculum

LAUREN KEARNEY, SENIOR PRODUCT DEVELOPER, ENGLISH SPEAKING BOARD (INTERNATIONAL) LTD, UK Introduction If we accept that ‘reading and writing float on a sea of talk’ (Britton, 1970, p. 164), then it is remarkable that learners’ speaking and listening skills are not systematically developed with the same explicit focus as reading and writing. The Oracy Education Commission […]

Walking the talk: Reflective practice in developing an inclusive and balanced professional learning curriculum

HEATHER PENNINGTON AND ALYSON LEWIS, CARDIFF LEARNING AND TEACHING ACADEMY, CARDIFF UNIVERSITY, UK  Introduction  Professional learning is essential for teaching professionalism, as it fosters reflection, collaboration and continuous improvement in everyday practice (Salo et al., 2024; Darling-Hammond et al., 2017). While facilitators of professional learning are often adept at encouraging these practices in others, they must […]

Rethinking curriculum

EMILY RANKEN, ALICE BRADBURY, DOMINIC WYSE AND YANA MANYUKHINA HELEN HAMLYN CENTRE FOR PEDAGOGY, UK The project The Rethinking Curriculum project (RC) aims to equip teachers and school leaders with the knowledge to plan and implement curriculum development in a way that will be sustained and impactful, with all pupils having access to an expansive, […]

Whole-school metacognition: Implementing with impact

LORNA GARDINER, INDEPENDENT EDUCATION FACILITATOR; LEAD CONSULTANT, THINKING MATTERS, UK Introduction It is widely recognised that young people need to develop the critical and creative thinking skills and dispositions necessary to thrive in the challenging context of the 21st century (OECD, 2018; NFER, 2025). Driven by a desire to ‘futureproof’ their learners, some schools become recognised […]

Empowered to learn: A curriculum for transition

HELEN WAKEFIELD, SENIOR DEPUTY HEADTEACHER, ASHBY SCHOOL, LIFE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, UK JUDE MELLOR, HEADTEACHER, ASHBY SCHOOL, LIFE MULTI-ACADEMY TRUST, UK Introduction The transition gap and the resultant loss in learning have long been recognised as students move from primary to secondary learning (Bharara, 2019; Busch, 2017).  In a setting also experiencing age range change, through the addition […]

Rethinking challenge: A research-informed guide for schools

MARK LESWELL, RESEARCH LEAD, SWALE ACADEMIES TRUST, UK This article explores research-informed approaches to implementing productive challenge in schools, distinguishing between helpful cognitive struggle and counterproductive difficulty. It offers practical strategies for educators to calibrate appropriate levels of challenge while avoiding working memory overload, and addresses common misconceptions about what constitutes effective challenge. Understanding challenge: Research […]

Rethinking curriculum development: The risks of driving standardisation at scale, and alternative approaches to building teacher professionalism

AMARBEER SINGH GILL, AMBITION INSTITUTE & GREENSHAW RESEARCH SCHOOL, UK NICK POINTER, AMBITION INSTITUTE, UK Introduction In the past decade, there has been significant emphasis on curriculum in UK schooling (Allen et al., 2021). Prior to this, research suggested that curriculum thinking had  been under-prioritised in favour of generic approaches to teaching and learning (e.g. Ofsted, 2019a) […]

Powerful pedagogical knowledge: Strengthening professional learning through subject knowledge and cognitive science

CHRISTOPHER TAY, VISITING LECTURER IN ITE, UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER, UK Exploring the direction of emerging government policy on curriculum, this article examines the challenges for teaching presented by the intentions set out in the interim report from the Curriculum and Assessment Review (DfE, 2025a), suggesting that the report’s affirmation of ‘powerful knowledge’ (PK) as a guiding […]

Using AI to plan a curriculum

GEORGE DAVIES-CRAINE, HEAD OF GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMICS, LANCASTER GIRLS’ GRAMMAR SCHOOL, UK The use of artificial intelligence (AI) within schools must adhere to the highest standards of ethical practice and data protection, as well as aligning with the Department for Education guidelines (DfE, 2025). When AI tools are used, they need to support and enhance education, […]