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Reimagining the curriculum for the 21st century: evidence from a global perspective
By IOE Blog Editor, on 23 October 2025
Credit: Cavan for Adobe via Adobe Stock.
23 October 2025
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Education recently launched a call for evidence into the loss of children’s “love of learning” across the UK. It reflects growing concern about what many educators have observed: that increasing anxiety, falling attendance and assessment-driven pressures are eroding curiosity and joy in learning.
At the same time, England’s Curriculum and Assessment Review, led by Professor Becky Francis, is examining whether the national curriculum is fit for purpose in a rapidly changing world. Its interim report acknowledges deep tensions in current practice, from narrow accountability systems to limited teacher autonomy, and calls for a curriculum that is “rich and broad, inclusive, and innovative”.
Together, these developments signal a moment of real urgency. The question is no longer whether young people are meeting academic benchmarks, but whether they are flourishing – intellectually, emotionally and socially – through their education.
It is against this backdrop that the new special issue of Education 3–13, ‘The Future of the Curriculum: Toward Child-Centred, Democratic Education’, brings timely global evidence to the conversation. Drawing on research from Scotland, India, England, Spain, the Middle East and North Africa, the collection reveals that when education systems prioritise children’s agency, holistic development and democratic participation, they nurture the very dispositions – curiosity, empathy and critical thinking – that our current systems risk stifling.
Children’s agency: enabling, not delivering, learning
A central message emerging from the special issue is that agency is not a luxury add-on; it is foundational to meaningful learning. Studies across contexts show that when children are given genuine responsibility within structured, supportive environments, they become more motivated, independent and reflective learners.
John Carden’s study of self-directed learning in England demonstrates that even primary-age pupils can take charge of their learning when teachers create space for choice and collaboration. Far from creating disorder, this approach leads to deeper engagement and improved wellbeing. Similarly, Soumya Sankar Ghosh’s research in India finds that participatory and cross-curricular approaches reduce achievement inequalities and foster higher-order thinking.
These findings challenge the persistent notion that agency and academic achievement are at odds. Instead, they show that trusting children as active participants strengthens both learning and equity.
Holistic development: intellect, emotion and wellbeing
Several contributions to the issue highlight that academic attainment and wellbeing are not competing goals but interdependent dimensions of human development. Daniel Vanello’s work on emotional development reframes emotions as integral to rational thought, arguing that when children learn to understand and justify their feelings, they become more capable learners.
Tony Eaude’s paper extends this argument through the humanities, showing how subjects like history and geography cultivate empathy, moral reasoning and imagination, qualities vital for both democratic participation and personal wellbeing. These studies suggest that the curriculum should not simply prepare children for exams, but for life: enabling them to navigate complexity with curiosity, care and resilience.
Democratic participation: education as a practice of democracy
If agency and holistic development are the ends, democratic participation is the means. Across contexts, from community-based curricula in Scotland to AI-enhanced, culturally responsive approaches in the Middle East and North Africa, researchers show that involving children in shaping their learning fosters belonging and civic awareness.
This goes beyond tokenistic ‘pupil voice’ initiatives. It means designing structures where shared decision-making, dialogue and respect are part of everyday classroom practice. As Eaude argues, democracy is not just a subject to be taught but a way of being together in education: young people learn democracy by practising it.
Building a curriculum that supports flourishing
The international evidence converges on a clear conclusion: when education systems trust children’s capacities, respect teacher professionalism and align assessment with genuine educational values, outcomes improve across the board.
The special issue identifies five principles to guide curriculum reform:
- Start with children’s interests and contexts rather than predetermined content.
- Integrate learning across disciplines rather than fragment it.
- Democratise decision-making to include meaningful student voice.
- Support teacher autonomy, collaboration and professional judgment.
- Align assessment with what we truly value in education – creativity, reflection and understanding.
These principles are not utopian ideals. They are drawn from concrete examples of successful practice across diverse settings, from Indian cross-curricular classrooms to Scottish community-based learning models.
A moment for renewal
As the Curriculum and Assessment Review moves toward its final report, England faces a choice: to make incremental adjustments within the current framework, or to embrace a broader reimagining of what education is for. The evidence gathered in ‘The Future of the Curriculum: Toward Child-Centred, Democratic Education’ suggests that transformative change is both necessary and achievable.
In an era of social fragmentation and democratic uncertainty, education that develops thoughtful, empathetic and engaged citizens is not a luxury, it is essential for the sustainability of our societies. The research is clear: when children are trusted with agency, supported in their holistic development and included as partners in decision-making, they not only learn more – they learn better, and they enjoy it.
The special issue ‘The Future of the Curriculum: Toward Child-Centred, Democratic Education’ is now available on Taylor & Francis Online.
2 Responses to “Reimagining the curriculum for the 21st century: evidence from a global perspective”
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john olson wrote on 16 November 2025:
I took taught in secondary schools and newly minted comprehensives in the 60s. Lessons were learned there. To be a critical thinker means to be a confident person. How do confident and yes brave people emerge? Partially through meeting the challenges of schooling. The walls that must be climbed. The bafflement that must be overcome. How do school subjects enable this self formation? This is the deep question of pedagogy, Who knows about these things? Teachers. This knowledge is of a tacit sort. Micheal Polanyi wrote about this is 1966 just after I finished my PGCE at Bristol. It was an eye opener. The production of curriculum is a political task. The enabling of brave, confident selves is a task for the tacit knowledge of teachers.
After 60 years in education, including teaching in a secondary modern school in Lancashire in early 60s and in Lambeth in inner London in 70s as well as being a member of the Inner London Education inspectorate in the 80s, I totally agree with the 5 principles identified above. With AI and social media, the nation’s intelligence level is not rising. It is imperative that children are equipped with high level critical thinking skills. This means addressing a wide range of social and emotional needs as well as academic ones. Knowledge is multiplying increasingly rapidly. Children should know how to form key questions, objectively weigh up evidence from different sources in order to solve new problem before they get stuck with too many opinions that impact on their perceptions and decision making.