The 2025 Curriculum Review and Primary Computing

In 2014, the updated English National Curriculum set out revised standards for teaching in England. For primary computing, this included the powerful opening statement,

'a high-quality computing education education equips pupils to use computational thinking and creativity to understand and change the world.'

I have no doubt that computing teaching has offered life-changing skills, opportunities and inspiration to children in the years since. From primary computing, some children will have progressed to become developers, digital artists, filmmakers and engineers. The introduction of computing has opened doors to students and tapped into a huge wealth of talent in the UK.

Eleven years later, does the National Curriculum meet the requirements of the modern, rapidly developing digital society we live in? How will the recommendations of the 2025 curriculum and assessment review affect primary computing and wider digital literacy?

Current situation and the need for review

Imagine introducing a brand new subject into primary education. There are arguably plenty of possible candidates: engineering, gardening, politics, entrepreneurship, to name a few!

In 2014, this is what happened when Computing replaced ICT.

The response to this new subject and the success of computing has been astounding. Teachers have risen to the challenge of teaching coding, problem solving, digital literacy and use of IT in creative and inspiring ways. Supported by enthusiasts and organisations like MIT (authors of Scratch), code.org, the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), First Lego League and Apps for Good, computing has not just succeeded, but flourished in primary schools, as children create games, films, apps, robots and physical systems.

However, 12 years is a long time in the digital world. Opportunities and challenges arise and evolve quickly. Our primary children now live in a world of smartphones, virtual learning environments, social media and now of course, generative A.I.

Does primary computing do enough to prepare them for these opportunities and challenges?

The 2025 Curriculum and Assessment Review

The Curriculum and Assessment Review sets out its aims in the 'Foreword' section, including 'to build on strengths, in addition to identifying numerous opportunities for improvement', and being 'mindful of the school curriculum beyond the national curriculum'. Indeed, the subtitle of the review, 'Building a world-class curriculum for all', is surely the correct, and only conceivable aim we should have for education in the UK.

In the 'Computing' section of the review, there is little that seems to directly impact primary computing. The opening paragraph states,

'Computing education must equip children and young people to participate fully in a technology-driven world and thrive in the workplace, whether they want to pursue careers in the digital world or use technology effectively in other fields.'

This does apply to primary computing and encourages teachers of primary computing to match up the skills and knowledge taught in computing with the modern world, with specific reference to the workplace. Design of physical systems and engineering using technology like Microbits or Crumble kits and work on projects like Apps for Good address this creative, employment-focused approach.

However, the main focus of the Computing section of the review is secondary education and the effectiveness of GCSE Computer Science. The review proposes replacing Computer Science with Computing, broadening teaching to include digital literacy and specifically, teaching about A.I.

The other part of the Computing section of the review that could be relevant to primary computing is the recommendation that the Government,

'provides greater clarity in the Computing curriculum about what students should be taught at each key stage so that they build the essential digital literacy required for future life and work.'

In Computing and Digital Learning for Primary Teachers, I provided a progression of skills, specifying what the key-stage objectives of primary computing can look like for each year group. Further clarity of what the three strands of computing: computer science, digital literacy and information technology, as well as computational thinking look like for primary year groups would be welcome, but I think this is unlikely when the recommendations are implemented in 2028.

Digital skills across the curriculum

In the national curriculum, computing is not the only aspect of children's education concerned with preparing children for the digital world. Personal, social health and economics education (PSHE) and relationships and sex education (RSE) set out teaching requirements for e-safety, healthy online activities and sources of information. The new RSE requirements are due to be implemented in 2026 and address many of the risks that children are currently exposed to.

In the Curriculum Review, the Citizenship/PSHE/RSE section includes media literacy as an area that young people,

'have highlighted a need for greater support to interrogate information in the context of a proliferation of misinformation and disinformation through various media, especially given the amount of time that many children are now spending online.'

The review also states,

'The rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and trends in digital information demand heightened media literacy and critical thinking, as well as digital skills'.

The 'Digital Literacy' section explains how being digitally literate 'empowers children and young people to thrive in a technology-driven world, use technology safely and fully engage with learning across the whole curriculum.'

The review is concerned with current digital literacy provision, stating that,

'a lack of digital literacy has a negative impact on the ability to safely use, and critically engage with, digital technology for personal and work purposes. Those who are digitally disengaged can struggle to navigate a digital society and access work opportunities.'

The review makes if clear that digital literacy is primarily located in computing teaching, and this need to be refined. Digital literacy is also present in subjects like RSE Geography and Science, which require use and critical analysis of empirical data.

In terms of AI, the revies states,

'Recent advancements in AI and generative AI have made digital literacy even more critical. While the long-term impact of AI remains uncertain, young people should understand how it works, its capabilities and limitations.'

The review recommends that AI be addressed in the computing curriculum.

Implications for primary computing

As noted, the main focus of the review of computing seems to be on secondary teaching. Some of the observations of the review are relevant to primary computing, but primary computing is scarcely mentioned in the review. What are the implications for primary computing teaching?

Despite the lack of specific focus on primary computing in the review, many primary teachers will read the review and see opportunities and challenges relevant to the children they teach. Primary children are able to engage in economic, career-driven projects, as participation in programs like Apps for Good proves. Children at primary level benefit from having real-world, vocation-related contexts to their work and will benefit from projects that help them to understand careers and structures in the society around them.

Teachers will also recognise some of the challenges mentioned in the review in primary children and will want to improve media and digital literacy. Many primary children have unrestricted internet access at home and digital literacy and safeguarding are vital to address this. This includes age-appropriate teaching on sources of information and AI.

The UK is well placed to become a leader in technology education. The Curriculum and Assessment Review aims to ensure the UK offers 'world class teaching for all'

Conclusions

The review recognises that in come cases, the ten year review cycle might be too infrequent, stating,

'Some areas of the curriculum may therefore need more regular updates than others, and this is particularly the case for disciplines affected by rapidly evolving digital technologies.'

It is likely that given the quickening pace of technological development, computing teaching, digital and media literacy teaching will receive further review before ten more years have passed.

I am positive about the curriculum review and implications for primary computing, its ambitions for work-related teaching and its aims of addressing media literacy and digital literacy.

Primary teachers will have to consider how the mainly secondary-focused recommendations apply to them, but I have no doubt that, supported by the incredible primary computing community, they will embrace the opportunity to further develop primary computing teaching.