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Cambridge to compare UK curriculum policy with ten countries to provide lessons for reform
- Cambridge, along with its expert partners, has started a major review of international curriculum policy.
- The project will compare the UK with ten education systems from around the world.
- The result will be a bank of trusted, clear evidence to support the UK governments as they plan changes to improve education for children across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Cambridge and the new Centre for Education Systems (CES) have begun a review of the curriculum policy in the UK and ten other countries. They are gathering evidence on what curriculum policy looks like and why. They will publish their findings to inform changes UK governments plan to make to the education system from 2025 onwards.
The last large-scale review of the UK curriculum that compared it with other education systems around the world was in 2011, conducted by Cambridge and only concerning England. The new review Cambridge has embarked on will build on this with up to date and comprehensive insights to support the government in their upcoming planning.
International perspectives and comparisons
The new review looks at school education across the four UK home nations - England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland - highlighting both their similarities and differences. It also compares these systems to education in ten countries worldwide: Singapore, New Zealand, Japan, France, Poland, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, Ireland, and Ontario, Canada's most populous province.
Cambridge and its partners have chosen these countries because they have all experienced success in several ways. They also represent a variety of approaches and contexts that contrast well with the UK.
The review will add international perspectives to the current UK dialogue on transforming education, drawing on Cambridge’s work with governments around the world for over 100 years. This includes the case Cambridge made in its recent Striking the Balance report, published by its UK awarding body OCR, for curriculum and exams reform in the UK.
Curriculum research questions
Cambridge and CES have set six research questions for the review. These are based on discussions with more than 70 key policy and academic stakeholders, including government ministers, civil servants, and researchers:
- What is the purpose of the curriculum?
- What is the structure of the curriculum?
- How is policy made and introduced?
- How is policy evaluated?
- How does context shape policy and reform?
- What is the evidence on the effectiveness of the curriculum?
Led by Cambridge specialists Jane Mann, Tim Oates, Dr Daniel Morrish, and Dr Nicky Rushton the team will consult a range of sources to answer these questions. They will review official documents and expert research and speak directly to representatives from each education system.
Both Cambridge and CES take a ‘realist’ approach to these types of reviews. This method looks at why things happen to understand how specific education solutions work in certain situations. This approach is at the heart of Cambridge’s work to transform education with governments worldwide. They emphasise the importance of understanding and responding to local context, using evidence and data to make decisions, and ensuring ‘coherence’. ‘System coherence’ is where all parts of an education system align with one another, which research shows improves results.
Partnership with the new Centre for Education Systems
This curriculum review is one of a set of two reviews. The other review is on accountability. Both are led by the newly established Centre for Education Systems. The work is funded by the Nuffield Foundation and supported by the Education Policy Institute.
The Centre for Education Systems (CES)is a new body dedicated to improving education outcomes by learning from systems around the world. Founding members Lucy Crehan, Patrick Wall, Sam Freedman and Loic Menzies launched the Centre at the House of Lords in November. Speakers at the launch included Baroness Nicky Morgan, Baroness Estelle Morris, and Professor Becky Francis, who is leading the new government’s ongoing review of England’s curriculum and assessment.
Supporting education reform in the UK
Cambridge will design the final report to provide clear, relevant evidence to support the Department for Education and others making imminent decisions about the future of education in the UK from 2025 onwards.
Cambridge’s review will conclude next year. CES will publish the interim findings for initial countries in March 2025. CES will then publish the full findings online in October 2025, free for anyone to access.
“There’s a surprising gap in global education research: while we have strong outputs from top researchers, we lack a single, comprehensive source that compares national education policies and highlights what’s possible. Without this, governments risk cherry-picking ideas from various countries, creating a patchwork of inconsistent reforms. This review, led by Cambridge, aims to change that.” – Patrick Wall, Co-Founder of the Centre for Education Systems.
This review isn’t about finding the ‘right’ answer – it’s about serving up evidence and data at a crucial time for decision-makers. It’s about learning from other nations and gaining a deeper understanding of the UK context. Ultimately, it’s about promoting ‘coherence’ – the secret to better learning for all children. – Jane Mann, Managing Director of the Partnership for Education, Cambridge University Press & Assessment
