Secondary schools will be told to stop teaching GCSEs to students until they reach Year 10 in a bid to keep younger children engaged, according to the government.
The Department for Education (DfE) has suggested the current curriculum puts too much pressure on children to prepare for their GCSEs early, with a survey by Public First showing more than half of teachers say qualifications dominate the first three years of secondary school.
The new curriculum for pupils aged 11 to 14 will slim down "over-crowded" content and allow space for schoolchildren to develop skills they will need for the future, like confident speaking, reading for pleasure and numeracy, the DfE has said.
It also said there will be a more engaging offer in subjects like drama, PE, music, and modern foreign languages, alongside technical and digital skills.
The DfE believes the changes will help tackle persistent absence, which nearly doubles from Year 7 to Year 9.
Teachers will still be able to stretch high-achieving pupils or groups who are ready to go further without narrowing their options, the government has said.
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Education secretary Lucy Powell said: "The early years of secondary school should be a time when children are excited to go to school and engage in the specialist and much broader teaching on offer, and where they find their passion and develop a love of learning.
"Instead, we've seen worrying trends of disengagement and high levels of persistent absence, with the disadvantage gap stubbornly large and too many leaving school without the knowledge and skills they need to thrive.
"That's what our exciting and engaging new national curriculum aims to address as part of our wider education reforms.
"What's more, the pressures of GCSEs and an overcrowded curriculum are resulting in too many children receiving a narrower offer during Key Stage 3 (Year 7-9) and being rushed towards exams without grasping the fundamentals or developing deeper understanding. I'm putting a stop to that."
The government said the changes, which are due to be published in full later this year, are aimed in particular at improving outcomes for white working class pupils, for whom disengagement in the transition to secondary school is markedly worse, according to an independent inquiry.
(c) Sky News 2026: Schools to stop teaching GCSEs early in curriculum overhaul
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