What really happens inside a national curriculum review?

In this episode, James and David go beyond headlines to explore the thinking, tensions and trade-offs behind England’s Curriculum and Assessment Review - with two people who helped shape it.

They’re joined by Lisa O’Loughlin, Principal and CEO of Nelson and Colne College Group, and Jon Hutchinson, Director of Curriculum and Teacher Development at the Reach Foundation - both panel members of the Curriculum & Assessment Review - who offer rare, first-hand insight into how the review was shaped and why its recommendations landed where they did.

This is an honest, wide-ranging discussion about ambition, constraints, evidence, politics, and what ‘high standards for all’ actually means in practice.

In this conversation, we explore:

What it was like to sit on the Curriculum & Assessment Review panel - workload, process, and pressures

Why the review focused on evolution rather than revolution

The hidden constraints baked into the review - political, practical, and systemic

Why post-16 recommendations matter more than many people realise

The case for broadening pathways beyond a narrow academic route

How oracy and the arts emerged as quiet winners in the final report

The limits of assessment reform - and why GCSEs remain so hard to shift

How evidence, professional judgement and lived experience were balanced

What the review does not do - and why that has frustrated many critics

This episode is essential listening for:

School and college leaders

Teachers and curriculum leads

Policy-curious educators

Anyone trying to make sense of what the review really changes - and what it doesn’t

Links

Curriculum and Assessment Review - Final Report: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/curriculum-and-assessment-review-final-report

Follow Jon - https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-hutchinson-b3bbb568/

Follow Lisa - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-o-loughlin-0637b553/

Follow David - https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cameron-72061a15/

Follow James - https://www.linkedin.com/in/drjamesmannion

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The Rethinking Education podcast is brought to you by Crown House Publishing. It is hosted by Dr James Mannion and David Cameron, and produced by Sophie Dean.

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